Making the Most of a Rainy Day

One of my good friends here in Scottsboro has so graciously offered to open up her pool every Wednesday this summer for moms and kids. Mainly in our church, but certainly not restricted to that. This is such a wonderful thing for several reasons-great opportunity for moms to visit, kids can play, and I can hopefully make a little progress in the tan department. I don't need some super dark tan, the pasty white look is just not very flattering on me. So, I woke up this morning all geared up for some fun in the sun and instead looked outside to a dark sky with the pitter patter of steady rain. SAD!!

That's okay, I thought. The Lord must have other plans for this day. So I shifted gears in my head (and heart a little as well) Because a rainy day inside with my kids, with nowhere to go, can get rather long. And I have to ask the Lord to help me trust Him and give me wisdom even to know what to do with such a long day. Steven was taking his mom back to the airport in Huntsville and I would've gone with him, except he wasn't leaving until after lunch, and Luke really isn't old enough to skip his nap yet. I was on the phone with my mom, and she said "why don't you just let Ellie go?" Hello!! I don't know why I hadn't thought of that. Ellie would love it and it would give each of them a little alone time. They are at each other's throats these days-but that could be an entire post by itself. So, Luke and I grabbed some lunch and then ran a few errands around town. I put Luke down for a nap and had a few quiet hours before Steven and Ellie got home. If Ellie is home, her nap/rest time consists of me going back and forth to her room, pulling her down from under the shade, telling her to be quiet, telling her to lay still. It usually ends with me standing at her door, and if she starts to get up, I make her lay down again. I know this sounds harsh, but I know she is tired and if I can get her to lie still for just a few minutes, she almost always falls asleep.

Anyway....after Luke woke up, wouldn't you know, it had stopped raining and the sun was out. So, I thought we would at least get in about an hour outside. They loved playing in the puddles! They got soo dirty and wet, but after all, what is a childhood without splashing in puddles? Then Ellie decided to get out her rain gear, even though it had stopped raining. Luke, of course, wanted to put on something, so she decided to share her hat. After they had gotten good and tired and dirty and wet-I stripped them down and carefully carried them to the tub. It was an enjoyable day after all, AND I finally folded and put away the mountain of clothes in my living room.