The Results are In

Readers have asked how my week of babysitting our two little grandsons went. Did my coping strategies work? A quick review of my list revealed some things.

1.     Cook no adult meals. I found the best way to sneak vegetables into little tummies was in smoothies and homemade soups. I ate what they ate and returned home craving a big ol’ salad.

2.     Take your showers at night. The only other option was not showering at all. Which was no option at all.

3.     Lie down during their nap. Easier than anticipated because I was so exhausted.

4.     Clean the kitchen only once per day, after they’re in bed. It seemed I was cleaning the kitchen constantly because they eat six times a day.

5.     Pack along little surprises for them. I highly recommend this! It became a highlight of each day for the boys to wait on mama’s bed while I brought out their boxes of little wrapped gifts and let them choose one. What I couldn’t have predicted was that God had a surprise gift for me each day, too. (Read on.)

6.     Try to take them outside for a bit every day. Our outings were limited in the coldest week of the year in Calgary, but I tried. It’s hard to stay motivated when it takes 15 minutes to bundle everyone up knowing you can stay outside for only ten.

7.     Have enough coffee and hazelnut creamer on hand. Well, this goes without saying.

8.     See if their mom can leave behind perfume to use so you smell like her. I did use a little of her lotion, but I couldn’t tell whether it made a difference.

9.     When your daughter asks if she should cancel the babysitter for her usual one-day-per-week, say no. Guess what? I cancelled the sitter myself. Not that we didn’t all need a break. I chickened out of driving the kids over there despite two practice runs with my daughter in the vehicle before she left. The combination of a strange car with a manual transmission, strange city, ice, and the world’s most precious cargo in the backseat— plus the whole bundling and strapping into car seats routine—was a perfect storm. I couldn’t do it. Less stress to stay home. I’m not proud of it. This may fill a whole column by itself, another week.

10.  Most important of all, DO NOT skip your prayer and scripture time. Nightly, God amazed me with the precise scriptures I needed most. This was not planned. I didn’t say, “Today I’m feeling weary, let’s find Bible verses about weariness.” Not at all. I used the same reading guide I’ve been using for years. I had no idea what each day’s passage held for me. Look at this:

When I felt tired: Isaiah 40— “God will not grow tired or weary…He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” And Galatians 6—“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest…”

On the day the water heater quit: James 1—“Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds…the testing of your faith develops perseverance…”

When my patience with the children wore thin: James 5—“Be patient…”

There’s more, but you get the idea. You can’t make this stuff up. No one can tell me God’s word is not alive and powerful and sharper than any sword. (James 4). I’ve experienced it. New every morning—and every evening, too.