Sometimes, everyone just needs a ‘Catch Your Breath Day’.  You know, a day where the normal routine is thrown out the window, life slows down, and you can…
B R E A T H E.

(Insert a deep inhale… and exhale here.)

Because, sometimes, we forget to breathe.   Today was one of those days.  After a week of travel, returning home and jumping right back into a normal routine of kids, cleaning, cooking, school, laundry, making a grocery list to restock foods, and a late night at church – the heavy sighs and tears were indicators that I was wound tight before I even slid out from under the covers.

I felt as though I just couldn’t ‘do’ this day. 

Have you been there?   Have you ever had a day that starts and you have to force yourself, with every ounce of strength, to just get up and take the next step?  Well, that was me.  This very morning.

And I had a choice to make…

I could either do the same old routine and push through or start fresh.

I decided to try the latter.

So, the first thing I did was… 
Shhh…
cancel school.

And set up a rotation of sibling time.  Five kids, rotating with siblings to do whatever they wanted (including having alone time during one rotation), for 45 minutes each. 

They loved it! 

And it proved to fan in a wind of pure fresh air, lightening everyone’s spirits. 

Oh, the giggles,
the secretiveness,
the creativity,
the joy of freedom
to choose
how to spend their precious time together!

I witnessed singing and dancing, bracelet making, comic book writing and illustrating, baking (with some assistance from me with the oven), engagement in games, doll playing, reading for pleasure, continuation of a school related project, and acting.

And me?
Well, I enjoyed the opportunity to savor the sights and sounds of my children being best friends to one another, reminisce and sort through photos from our trip, check five days of the older kids’ school work that had piled up while I was away, clean some bathrooms with the cutest little helper around, and read God’s Word.

In essence, I was… 
fashioning a way to move more slowly,
creating margin when there was none, 
and remembering to take some time to breathe.

So thankful to God for giving me strength for each day!