A Life in the Day of the Edwards

Yes, I know, the saying is wrong. Not around our house, though. Every day indeed has a life cycle all its own. I remember back when we had only three kids, and I would always wonder what the lives of large families were like. Since some of you may be curious, also, I will share our day with you (prompted by a thread on our pastor's blog). Keep in mind that this is the holiday season, so things may be a tad more busy than usual. In a "normal" day, I will have two hours to rest in the afternoon, plus usually time in the evening to sit and rest, too (and no ER trips).

We got up around 8:30 or so (got to sleep in since it was Saturday), and could hear the kids already milling around in the kitchen, eating breakfast. I took a shower, talked on the phone with my mom, then went to get my own breakfast. As I ate, I coordinated some of the days activities, had Zhenya put some clothes in bags to take to the Salvation Army, talked to various kids as they came in and asked questions, checked email, etc. Dad gathered up the kids for the "Bus Route" (he takes those who want to run errands in the van, dropping them off and coming back to pick them up in a loop), with Naomi making sure I would be there when a neighbor came to pay her for raking.

I stayed until the woman came, then packed my things up and went to run my own errands. First I mailed my Christmas cards, then went to the Christian book store to buy a gift and some stocking stuffers. Next I dropped the clothes off at Salvation Army and picked up some of their free bread (Yummy - we love it!). From there I went to WalMart, where I spent the next couple of hours, buying Christmas gifts. I was so pleased to be able to find everything on my list, almost completing my Christmas shopping. I filled the truck up with gas, then went to eat lunch. From there, I went to a bookstore for another gift, then the Far East Market, to finish up my shopping (Yeah!!).

Once I arrived home, the kids helped me unload the truck and put things away (I got groceries at WMart, too). Some more questions came my way, and then I was finally able to sit down and rest for about 20 minutes (checked email, of course!). Then I helped Shawn get ready for choir practice, and drove him to the church office. The choir director said I did not have to stay, so I went to Mike's Merchandise to look for stocking stuffers. It was exciting to find out that they had gotten in a new shipment of books that very day! I found a number of good books for myself, and some stocking stuffers to boot! (pun intended) Shawn called, saying they were done, so I returned to pick him up.

He and I stopped to order some pizza on the way home (a luxury for us), since most of the other kid would be gone to a youth fellowship. As soon as we got home, we finished lighting the luminaries that the other kids had prepared already (the whole neighborhood did them last night), helping a neighbor along the way. (In the meantime, Bob had taken 9 of the kids to the fellowship.) The pizza tasted good at that point, and we didn't have much to clean up, thankfully. I folded clean clothes that had been washed on Wednesday, then went to check on the luminaries, admiring the sight that they made in the neighborhood.

Finally, I got a chance to sit down and rest! After doing my daily Bible reading, I checked email and blogs as I unwound. The phone rang around 8:45 - it was Bob checking in from the youth fellowship. Tessa had just fallen down a spiral staircase and needed to go to the ER. Ugh. I waited a few minutes, put the two kids who were at home to bed, and went to meet them at the hospital. After filling out the forms, I brought the other 8 kids home, while Bob stayed with Tessa.

Kathryn wanted to talk for awhile, which we did. I put in a load of clothes to wash, then urged her to go to bed. Bob and Tessa made it home around 11:00, with her foot bandaged up and in a "boot". They gave her a choice, and she chose to not get stitches, although it would mean wearing the boot an extra few days. (Sunday update: after looking at her foot today, I really think it is broken. It is quite swollen and bruised, but the treatment would be the same, so I guess it does not matter.)

Blessed rest! It was great to finally get to bed, after a full day! Our lives are full, but organized (out of necessity) and fun. The kids are great about doing their chores, for the most part, which helps the household run well (they don't do chores on Saturday - next time I will tell about a "typical" school day).