Even the best laid plans....

"Man plans, God Laughs." -Yiddish Proverb

I first encountered this proverb during one of my many childhood hours spent in the card section at the grocery store. On the front of the card stood a smiling stick figure man next to a beautifully set up picnic under a great big sun and clear sky. When you opened it, rain filled the page and everything drooped including the stick-figure's smile. The proverb was loud and clear. I have to admit, it puts a smile on my face every time I read it.

You see, although I don't believe we are little puppets being tossed around by some crazy God, there are moments (or weeks) that I have to imagine we are pure entertainment to any and all heavenly beings. I know I enjoy good slap stick comedy so why wouldn't God? Afterall, He who created creatures such as the platypus (or the human) surely has a good sense of humor! So what if it happens to be real life and not some blockbuster comedy? So what if it happens to be MY life....Yep, still funny.

And then there are those times where I do wonder if God is just screwing with us. Seriously. How hard would that be to resist? I know I do it all the time to Leroy, throwing stuff in front of him to see how he will react or dangling a string nearby and moving it just out of his reach, over and over. It just never gets old really.

This was simply one of those weeks. We started with a bang (the 3-hour ER trip) and then replaced Peek-a-Boo with a week long game of Catch-Up. Who doesn't love playing catch-up? Yeah, me neither. So by last night, I still had to paint the eleven paper-mache pinata Light Sabers I was making for Aidan's upcoming birthday party (one of those "great ideas" I half-wish I hadn't thought of or at least wish I would've kept to myself), do a week's worth of laundry, clean the house, write a gazillion thank-you's to various friends and family members, finish my Christmas-turned-Easter cards (ok, so I never quite got to all of them!) take Liam to get his stitches out, teach piano....the list goes on and on. My plan was to get up early so that I could get things going, add in a visit to the gym before going to mom's group at church briefly before feeding the kids and getting Madeline to school on time as well. (Note to self: Breathe!)

But around 4 a.m. I awoke to that oh-too-familiar sound of one puking Lily. (Thankfully in her room, not mine!) And of course, Lily had chosen to sleep up with Madeline on her bed last night so I spent the better part of an hour trying to get sheets and blankets and animals and toys (and who sleeps with plastic pie pieces anyway?) removed, rinsed out and washed without waking up Madeline as well. After bathing Lily, setting her up to sleep in the bathroom, and getting a very early start on the laundry, I made it back to bed, the clock closing in on 6 a.m. A little before 6:30 Kurt woke me to say, "Shoot, we forgot to get the trash out to the street." Again.

And that is when I am pretty sure I heard enormous laughter coming down from the heavens. But then, I was still half asleep.

I rolled over, mumbling some words of encouragement for Kurt to get out there as I was not going to be getting up and I went back to sleep....for maybe 10 minutes before Aidan and Liam woke me up thus beginning the day, again. (More laughter...)

I had planned on going to the gym and church, not being stuck at home with sick kids: laughter filled the air.

I had planned on washing the blender and putting it away, not dropping it in the sink (apparently you can't do that?!) and throwing it away. And laughter filled the kitchen.

I had planned on taking my cell-phone on the drive to the doctors to make some catch-up phone calls....but I seem to have misplaced it....Why not just call it you ask? Well, I could, but I conveniently left it on vibrate so all it would do is buzz with laughter.

I had planned on Liam's stitches coming out quickly and easily but it was when the doctor went out for the second time for even more back-up that I realized today really wasn't going to go as planned. (I can be slow sometimes...or at least very stubborn.) Two doctors, a nurse and a very sharp surgical blade later, he was stitch free. But not without much laughter. No wait, my bad, those were tears...

I had planned on putting the kids to bed early to try to finish some stuff up, not hopping around in a one legged jig shouting "ow, ow, ow, ow" after severely stubbing my toe on the side of the bed....

"Mom, I can't really get to sleep," Madeline complained about half way through my theatrics.

Oh really? Because I always find it REALLY easy to fall asleep when someone is insanely jumping and shouting around my bedroom.

But....before I go cursing God and the angels He rode in on, I must admit, I am grateful, even for a day like today. It may not have gone quite as I had planned but it was time well spent: time with the kids at home, preparing for a party, getting 12 loads of laundry done and remembering that sometimes the best laid plans are meant to be broken.

Plus, in the end, the trash got picked up (ironically, the driver was several hours late), I found my phone right where I apparently left it (yesterday's jacket folded neatly in the closet), Liam is done with doctors for the month (let's hope) and Lily seems okay (knock on wood that the plague is not making its rounds again! Seriously. Knock on some wood already! Thanks.)

I suppose no matter how you look at it, sometimes we need a little tossing around in order to be set straight again. And I am thankful I can supply God with some entertainment in the process. And perhaps some to you, too.

Have a great weekend!