Big, fat mess

Dinnertime at our house tonight was a disaster.  And in my mind, it all began with this cheese:

At the store this week, I had the bright idea that I should save us some money by buying a block of cheese and then shredding it myself if I needed to.   Well, tonight I needed to. And I'm pretty sure I'll be going back to pre-shredded cheese after this.  Because while I was fussing about, trying to get the grater assembled, the cheese shredded and then unstuck from the inside of the grater (not to mention finishing up the other steps involved in the delicious casserole I was planning on serving), this was happening behind me:

  "helping" to unload the dishwasher

 spreading out the contents of what seemed like all his toy baskets

 decorating the refrigerator

banging on the counter,

 which then led to inconsolable screaming when dinner was STILL not ready.....

...and also a few other things that I didn't manage to capture on film, like a full cup of orange juice being knocked off the counter, across the floor and spraying the cabinets on the opposite wall!

It sounds funny, but at the time, it most definitely wasn't and, in all honesty, the screaming and crying was not coming solely from the kids.  There are some nights when we sail through the dinner hour with no problems, but tonight was not one of them. 

So, there you have it.  We do not have it all together here.  It's messy and sinful at our house sometimes.  I wish I had been more prepared, more loving toward the kids as my frustration began to mount, more thankful when Scott swooped in to save me before things got really crazy.  And as painful as all that is to admit, I suppose it's healthy just to be able to say it honestly. 

I'm so incredibly grateful that I've been saved by grace, not works, and that Jesus is walking through this mess with me.