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When this apple came into our house I silently thanked God for providing this blessing ... and his two apple friends. I knew that God in His infinite personal care gave this apple to show His provision and love for me.
Remember those Dave Ramsey and running blogs that I've been writing lately? Well, they come into play here. You see we are budgeting like crazy mad people. Every penny that comes into this house gets named and assigned a duty. When you start counting your pennies you get a little crazy obsessive and you want to stretch that penny as far as it can go. Well, I read that a good pre-race meal would be string cheese and an apple. A light meal that will give you the energy you need prior to a 5k. No big deal. It just so happens that apples are in the produce aisle (Thank you Captain Obvious for that detail) and at the store that I was shopping in the produce aisle is the last place I go before checking out. I was already over budget of what I wanted to spend on groceries for our camping trip and if I'm going to buy an apple I don't want a Red Delicious or some mushy cheap ole apple... I want a big juicy sweet Honeycrisp. It's the royalty of the apples, am I right? Royalty comes at a price. Besides that there wasn't a stinking Honeycrisp apple in the whole joint. So I considered my next two choices: Braeburn or Gala. They're decent apples and well priced, but my heart was set on Honeycrisp and since the budget was already tight I couldn't justify buying 3 apples for a pre-race meal when I could really just eat a slice of toast or something.
I left without the apples.
Before we left on our camping trip Hotsauce's mama came over and dropped off a few things. Her and Pastor-Not-Woman were preparing to leave on trip to Idaho for a week. So guess what was in her bag of things-that-will-rot-before-they-return?? 3 free apples. One for me, one for Hotsauce and one for Michael for our pre-race breakfast.
Isn't God just amazing that way?
Well, much to my disappointment Hotsauce tells me that I should skip the apple before the race because I could build up acid in my legs easily that way. Shut.the.front.door. But, that's okay, God's blessing was still there. He still knew my desire and answered it.
Fast forward to yesterday. We had homeschool group for the first time this year and the amazing PE teacher told the kiddos that God created their bodies to move and not to be lazy. The amazing PE teacher told the kiddos that God wants them to be healthy and eat right and then that amazing PE teacher showed them some exercises they could do at home to help keep them healthy and active.
Benjamin, age 6, took that advice to heart. He asked if I would go running with him last night and so we ran for 1.2 miles. He did great!! His little legs take 3 strides to just one of mine, but he kept up well and never stopped talking the entire way, might I add.
Today he saw the apples in the fridge and asked if he could have one. But, there are only 3 apples and 5 kids. So I suggested they share and then I sat down to blog and pretty soon the screaming started.
First a mild whimper.
Then a gasp.
Finally shrill screaming mixed with panic and crying.
Moms know all about crying. There's whiney crying. There's I hate my sister crying. There's sickness induced crying. There's homework crying. There's even a pinched my face in the door, but there's nothing to worry about crying.
This was not that crying.
This crying signals get your keys you're going to the Emergency Room with blood on your shoes with five kids in tow.
Sure enough Benjamin sliced his thumb and had skin flapping off and blood squirting. One look and my stomach hit the floor.
When we pulled up to the ER there was a plump little man with dark glasses and a buttoned up yellow shirt (which was crying for mercy and ready to burst at the seams) who was walking very quickly for the door. I'm guessing drug dealer, of the legal variety, who seemed oblivious to us until we started filing out of the Suburban. He glanced at me and gave a nervous smile but kept walking briskly. I, too, was half walking half running, in the traditional ER-bound panic pace. When he saw that I was surrounded by the Turkey Bottoms he fell off pace a bit. But it wasn't until Benjamin, The Strong and Courageous, let out a shrill "OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWIIIEEEEEEE, OW, OW, OOOOOWWWWWWWWWWIIIIEEEEEEEE," did the plump man actually look at him and see his blood covered paper towel and immediately stopped dead in his tracks. It was as if our little race to the entrance lost all meaning for him and I was declared the winner on the spot.
Having 5 kids in the ER is never any fun, especially when you're the only parent and lunch was interupted by a cut thumb. The room was tiny and the receptionist lead the 4 other kids to the waiting room. I was not a big fan of this, but had few options. Leaving in a rush also meant that I left my phone at home and couldn't call in any back ups. I found myself racing from Little Boy Screams Like A Girl's room to the waiting room and counting heads. My first check proved that the four heads were accounted for and I overheard a nurse who was looking out for them say how well behaved they were doing. Ego boost got a big check mark and back to the screaming child in room 3. Wound was washed and tears cleared up and face returned to normal shade of freckled white. Doc came in and decided that we would try the glue first and save the boy from getting stitches. She leaves to get the glue and I duck out again to check on the crazies in the waiting room. At first glance Hannah is glued to the TV and the other Turkeys are no.where.to.be.seen. I do the frantic double-triple-quadruple-twentyle-take and try not to sound hysterical when I ask Hannah where the others have gone. She barely rips her eyes from the TV to mumble that they went to the cafeteria. Panic builds.
"They went where?" I say in my worse I'm-trying-not-to-freak-out voice.
"The cafeteria." Hannah sees through me instantly and her expression changes immediately.
"With who???"
"With Emma." Tears are welling up in her eyes.
"Where's the cafeteria?" I don't wait for an answer and start looking for signs that will tell me where my babies have gone. At this point no sign can help because I'm in full out hysterical panic as I run up one hall and down another and in 3 circles.
I take Hannah back to Benjamin's room and leave her there so that I can tell the nurses to put out an amber alert. As I make the frantic announcement at the nurse's station that 3 of my children are missing and feel the panic ready to hit an all time high... at this point a lady says, "They went to the cafeteria."
Ya, well, someone took the cafeteria too. Because I sure as heck can't find it... is what I wanted to say...
Wouldn't you know it just as the woman is taking me to the cafeteria three barefoot children woddle down the hall. AHHHHHHH.
So that was my lunch. I'm sure after I have time to debrief a little more I'll go back to seeing that apple as the blessing it is, but in the meantime I gotta go cuddle on Hotsauce who just got home from a week long training in Des Moines!!!
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A little glue and a band aid and it really doesn't look that bad! The after picture... still trying to keep a stron upper lip. |
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