Love is what makes you smile when you're tired...

Help! Help me, Jesus! Help me to smile! We aren't tired; we're EXHAUSTED!

We have had a wild and most trying week!

Monday: Our luck went south! Major plumbing issues... the toilets overflowed and feces came up the drains! Yuck!

Ben thought it was a city problem. City promised to come out. They never did... I had to work late at the hospital. Mom would take the kids to fast food/convenient stores to potty. Yuck, again! I hate public restrooms, but am so thankful for them, too!

Also, Kids had a reading project due on Wednesday. Decided to do one reading fair project for both Andrew & Tatiana and enter in the family division.

Called Cableone. Wireless/Internet down. Made appointment, could not come out til Thursday.

Tuesday: We called the city again. Finally came out. Said there was nothing they could do. "Call a plumber." (The city is responsible for the sub-pump.) Called a plumber who would come first thing in the am. Ben took the kids to the church for a shower. Mother bought a potty chair ($70).

Ben tried to use drain-O and other chemicals to unclog the toilets/drains, when dropping kids off at house to go back to store, Andrew locked his truck with keys in it and running (we only have one key to his truck). After calling friends to see if had a jimmy, Mother realized she had roadside assistance ($0).

Read book to kids. Painted board. Started on Story Book Elements for Reading Fair Project. Due tomorrow.

Wednesday: Finished Reading Project before school started. Due today. Plumber came and unstopped the toilet! Yea! We thought! Cost: $100.

Emailed family member questions regarding some negative comments made about me and questions about niece and nephew. Got a phone call later that night that ended in a not very nice conversation. Decided to go private on the blog, as soon as we could get online.

Had a meeting with Federal Program Lady at school district, ESL teacher and person who tests the teacher. Nothing really resolved. ESL teacher does not have a plan and does not see the children consistently. Says Andrew has no problems, but behavior. Hello? When a child has behavior problems, that is significant for some reason... it doesn't take a highly, qualified teacher to identify that!!! I didn't call anyone a "liar" but someone has their story mixed up. We have another meeting scheduled with the teachers of both Andrew & Tatiana in 2 weeks, I think. (More about this in another post.)

Later, that night, Mother took a bath and feces came up the drain while she was in the tub! OMG, Yuck! Felt like I was gonna pull out my hair! Plumber was called again.

Thursday: Plumber came out for a second time to the house; unstopped the toilet again. $0. Plumber says it's the city's problem and pointed out several things the city needed to do, and if they didn't to report to the Dpt of Environmental Quality, because it is a sanitation issue and the city can be fined several thousand dollars. Called them, called the Mayor, called Maintenance--several times. No one came. Still Stopped up!!! Threatened to call the TV Station!

BUT, we learned we WON first place on our Family Reading project!

Cableone came, can't dig a trench for new cable; put in temporary cable above ground. Yea! We have internet!

We notice some nasty, foul smell in the boys' room. Ben says the cat must have peed in the room. Cover it up with deodorizer. It will fade, he says. No, this is not a cat, I say. Boys don't complain, but sleep through the night.

Friday: City finally came after many more calls to the DEQ and Mayor. City did a few things to the pump, then the plumber returned. No charge. Unstopped pipes again. Said He felt something, maybe a toy, something blocking it. Would come back in a few days, if needed. Yes! Fixed at last...

Ben says take a shower. For some reason, I didn't listen. Everything was okay, until I let the water out, and the toilet started gurgling. Ran into the other bathroom, Yuck! "Stuff" in the tub! Help!

Put the boys down, and notice the rank smell again! Pick up laundry basket next to the bed, and realize the floor is soaked with sewage water. OMG! Yuck! My poor babies!

Saturday: Light at the end of the tunnel? Could it be? Soccer game, a great distraction! Called Plumber, left pleading message to come back. Praise the Lord! Jimbo (that's his name) came around 9 and left after we returned from the game. (over $400). Cause of the cloggage: about 12 inches of grease! Yuck! He says when the temps drop, grease hardens, it was like white rock! Yuck! Anyways, more confidence, feeling a little better, now the carpet must be addressed. Instead of just a foul smell in the boys' room, you can smell it as you open the door!

Tear out half the carpet in the boys' room, and mop & clean behind it and bathrooms... Go to Lowe's to price carpet & installation. Begin moving beds out of rooms. Ben plays a little Wii with the kids; everyone gets a nice bath!

After a very long, tiring, expensive week, we sit in our bed pondering what could have been the "God lesson" in all this? On the edge of losing it, frustrated and ready to break, at times we found ourselves laughing at one another... and the kids- they were great in all this! They flowed with it all. They are great adventurers! Even in all the poop, we're blessed beyond imagination. Sometimes, it's just hard to see it. Thank God, he sends people along our paths to help dig us out of the ruts and set us on our feet once again. And thank God for people like Jimbo, our plumber!

Next week, hopefully will not be so adventuresome.