My Crazy Sunday

We slept in until about 7 after being up until 12:30 working on some of the finishing touches on Alyssa's room. We've still got a few more pieces of wainscoating to put up and it's so hard to get that done with the kids up and in there in the way! So, morning came and the kids were a little wild - that should've been my first clue of the day.

I got up and showered and came down for breakfast. Laren showered and left for his meetings. He is the Ward Employment Specialist, so he goes to those early meetings one week a month. Not so bad after being the Ward Clerk for so long and those early meetings every Sunday!

Tyler, 2, played in the toliet while I was still eating so he had to be bathed even though I had just bathed him last night! All of my kids were rowdy and rambunctious this morning. I got ready and got Tyler ready for church. Somewhere in there I managed to lay Tyler down for a nap. We ate a quick lunch and then I put the pork roast in the oven for dinner.

We made it to church on time and even a little early. It was nice that Laren had some decent seats saved for us. Our ward is large and if you don't get there at least 20 minutes early you sit in the cultural hall on the hard seats. Tyler was a little wild (his nap ended a little too early because we had to get out the door for church)and I ended up standing up with him in the back for half the time. The other half of the time Laren had taken him out because of his inability to be quiet and sit there.

Then I had my first Sunday teaching Sunbeams. Wow, there are some wild ones in there. The one little boy who is the most wild comes from a really great family and I love his parents. He just has a lot of energy! I ended up either chasing him or holding him the entire time. There are 2 of us called to teach the fairly large class (8 active kids). It was the other gals turn to teach today.

As soon as church got out I tried to gather my kids and get home in time for dinner hosting the missionaries. Laren had left early with Tyler since he was not feeling so great and has been kind of croupy. I couldn't find my 2 oldest daughters. So I coaxed Rilyn (4) and Kyle (6) out to the van with me hoping the older girls would come, but to no avail! So I drove up and parked close to the church (we were originally parked way out in the parking lot) and ran in to get them. There they were chatting with Sydney and Allison, their friends. I get them and we head home.

We got home with only 35 minutes to finish preparing dinner for the missionaries. The house is a wreck thanks to Tyler and Laren was on the phone wishing his Dad a belated Happy Birthday. (He has the same birthday as Alyssa.) He can never get off quick when he's talking to him! So, I coax Kayla and Alyssa into setting the dining room table. Then I busied myself with making the salad and potatoes (gotta love those potato pearls from the cannery)!

Laren finally got off the phone and helped the younger kids pick up Tyler's messes. We all pull some last minute details together and the missionaries arrived. One of the Elders is here from an island in the Pacific. He said he was actually born on an airplane while it was flying over the Pacific Ocean. Interesting. The other Elder is from Southern California. They both seem like they come from humble circumstances. They were very grateful for the dinner and helped clear the table.

We then had a scripture and sang "Nephi's Courage" and had a prayer and they left. Awhile after they left, my kids found a Thank You card in the bathroom from them thanking us for the wonderful meal. That was very sweet.

Then we had family council. We've had a serious problem with lazy attitudes and tattle-taling to discuss. Then we had them get ready and go to bed about 7:30. Bedtime is usually 8:00, but they seemed tired and didn't even argue that we were sending them to bed before bedtime.

Once we got them in bed we realized that Kayla had not done her dishes and cleaned the kitchen. (My 4 older kids all rotate with that assignment - although Rilyn and Kyle get some help). So, we had to get her back up to do that. She wanted to sleep with Alyssa in her new bedroom so Alyssa offered to come down and help her. That was sweet!

A side note, the roast turned out very tasty and it was a new recipe for us. I got it from a friend who got it off from allrecipes.com and it got 5/5 stars from 125 people!! Here's the recipe in case you're interested:

Herb Roasted Pork
Submitted by: WENDEE H.
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 125 members Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 3 Hours Ready In: 3 Hours 20 Minutes
Yields: 8 servings

"Herb-rubbed roasted pork loin with a sweet, tangy glaze."
INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 (5 pound) boneless pork loin 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, combine sage, salt, pepper, and garlic. Rub thoroughly all over pork. Place pork in an uncovered roasting pan on the middle oven rack.

3. Bake in the preheated oven approximately 3 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 150 degrees F (65 degrees C), depending upon your desired doneness.
4. Meanwhile, place sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, water, and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly. Brush roast with glaze 3 or 4 times during the last 1/2 hour of cooking. Pour remaining glaze over roast, and serve.



Whew! It's been a very busy day. Tomorrow the kids are out of school because of President's Day. I just found out that the elementary school that my kids attend will not have 6th grade there next year. So, I'm having to deal with the trauma of sending my daughter to middle school next year (6 months away) and I'm not too thrilled about that!

The teacher I co-teach Sunbeams with is newly divorced. It is so sad. Her husband left her for another woman and then later got engaged and unengaged to somebody else. She is now a single mom to 3 kids. I've recently learned of 2 other couples I know who are newly divorced (within the last 6 months). It is so, so sad!