Ready?

My camera tells me I'm behind on my posting. 

Last Monday, the Emperor returned to school for his preparation week, and we began to prepare for our school year in earnest. I'm a planner: I love to plan, and I love to have a plan.

 And we had Shakespeare camp.  And I did a ton of fun stuff with the younger Zoomlians.  And I set up my Anatomy and Physiology class.  And life went merrily rolling along.

I think life needs a pause button. 

Really, I could have done it all if dishes, laundry, clutter, and the need for regular meals hadn't continued to pile up!  The Zoomlians usually do most of these things, but we've all slipped some over the summer.

We've also had a series of serious health problems in our extended family, and that, more than anything, made me feel overwhelmed - like I had way more than I could handle.  That spinning out of control feeling in the pit of my stomach... I hate it, and that comes out in me losing my temper and snapping at the kids.

Surprisingly, me losing my temper often results in the kids losing theirs. Who'da thunk it?

At least I know what to do:  apologize, go to confession, and get to Adoration.

"Way more than I can handle" means I'm not supposed to be handling it, I'm supposed to be handing it to God.  And... peace. 

Did everything magically get done?  Not everything I wanted, but everything that really needed to happen, and we were happy doing it.  I was able to talk to the kids about what needed to happen, and they stepped up to the plate and helped out. 

Of course they did!  Why do I get so stressed that I try to force what they invariably freely give when I tell them I need help?  Because I think I can do everything, which means, deep down, I still think everything relies on me.  It doesn't, it relies on God. That's a happier way to live.

My class starts tomorrow.  Today is the First Day of No School.  I'm ready!