A couple of months ago my friend Pat detailed a week in his life as a church planter. I thought I’d do the same, just for kicks. This is, after all, my on-line diary, is it not? Sorry if it bore you. But I bet I’ll find it interesting in a few year’s time. Here goes.

Saturday
• Thank God for last-minute babysitter (Tonya—ThPMish pal) who was willing to come over at 8:30am ON A SATURDAY. (Worry about my mother who had to cancel b/c of poor recovery from earlier day-patient procedure.)

• Send cashola with Josh (Tonya’s hubby) so he can get pizza for other folk who are helping Mike and Alicia move off the island (Where he’s headed. This assuages guilt, since we can’t be there to lift the heavy stuff.)

• Go to Seattle Vineyard staff/board retreat at convent in Bellevue. (Find out it’s Barb’s former convent.) Take final steps for ThPM to separate from parent-church and function autonomously. Listen to lots of lovely people say lovely things about us. Feel sheepish but blessed. Eat lasagna and sing Happy Birthday to Papa Ed.

• Return home to find T in full-on dance party with children (to swing music). Kiss the ground she walks on.

• Put children down for nap. Take nap.

• Eat leftover soup for dinner. Give children baths. Kiddos play for an hour in the tub! While kids are occupied, call single-dad pal, find out he’s sick. Offer to watch adorable daughter. (His sister’s already on it.)

• Change sheets on all the beds. (Our weekend chore…must also find time to vacuum upstairs…next week…clean upstairs bathroom.) Put children in said beds.

• Vegout in front of videos. Nurse evening migraine.

• Take call from mentor, Jim Henderson, who facilitated retreat. Confirm that the process worked well and that the moving out process (from Seattle Vineyard – our church for 15 years) feels as good as can be expected.

• Return to migraine/video process.

Sunday

• Sleep in. Bless husband for having breakfast w/kiddos.

• Do Bible Story together as family. Read Ruth. Play wheelbarrow in living room w/kids. Sing. Remember that “families help each other.”

• Get showered and go to Mike and Alicia’s (ThPMers) to help with move. Unpack kitchen w/Alicia while Mike and Paul finish last run to Vashon Island to clean out old place.

• Burn out on unpacking and watch cable with kiddos. (Trading Spaces and Lilo and Stich) Learn that one can apply for kitchen makeover competition on food.com!!! (get mocked by friends and husband.)

• Guys return and switch from cable to Xbox. Younger child and Mike kick butts of elder child and Paul on snowboarding game. Read magazines and scifi novels with Alicia.

• Drive home to late and feed children waffles and eggs for dinner. Fight over the fact that both adults in the house have forgotten that we needed to prep the backyard for contractors on Monday.

• Get ready for school the next day.

• Apologize to each other for loosing it over backyard. Obssessively watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Monday

• Take children to school(s). Overhear elder child’s deskmate worrying about not having money for upcoming field trip (v. low income). Drive to preschool. Exercise by leaving the car at preschool and walking home

• Shower, pay the contractor to replace the fence, take meds for raging migraine. Call doctor to find out if you can really only take 8 pills per month. Email group of pals (Folks who sometimes visit ThPM) re: arrangements to see Michael Moore on his get out the vote tour (Slacker Nation). (To be attended only by husband as babysitter could not be secured.) Email fellow Vineayard church planter, Pat and make plans to take kids to zoo next week in order to “talk shop.”

• Walk back to preschool. Call single-dad/professor pal who recently moved here from Turkey. Arrange to go to Turkfest this weekend at the Seattle Center with mutual children in tow.

• Arrive at preschool, feed child packed lunch, take child to Target to purchase gifts for two newborn baby girls (my cousins’ daughter Myra and the daughter of good friends from college, to be delivered via c-section next week). Search for knee socks for four-year-old because “tights make me walk wobbelly.” Fail at sock search, placate child with $1 pony stickers.

• Fight with child for one hour re: “rest time.” (Formerly known as naptime – secretly thought of as “mommy wants to fold laundry and maybe read a chapter of scif-fi time.”) Actually hear yourself say “Wait until your Father gets home!”

• Actually reap no benefits of “rest time” as elder child now returns home b/4 younger child ever settles down. Visit with child’s bus partner/neighbor. Read two chapters of The Magician’s Nephew. Prepare snacks. Put four-year-old in bath to sooth after-effects of one hour “rest time” temper tantrum.” Elder child twists ankles walking across dining room??? Ice elder child’s twisted ankle. Find elder child craft magazine to look at during icing process. Teeter on the edge of collapse. Turn on PBS kids. Prepare dinner.

• Read papers brought home by elder child. Remember that you are chaperoning trip to pumpkin patch tomorrow. Notice rain pouring down outside. Write note to self re: rainboots. Find cash to scholarship child’s deskmate on field trip.

• Babysit two-year-old for friends from Regent so they can go out on one last date prior to aforementioned c-section. Beam when eldest reads to said babysat child.

• Enjoy dinner with (suddenly) darling children. Everyone eats what they are given!! Send four-year-old to bed immediately after dinner as per Father’s instructions (as consequence for aforementioned naptime tantrum.)

• Clean kitchen. Wash accumulated “hand dishes” while listening to That Seventy Show on small battery operated TV (purchased for “emergencies). Clean out fridge and pantry (wipe many spills). Eat Pria bar for dessert. Write out list of things to do for “fire safety month” in home. (Must buy new extinguishers.) Blog.