Please Help Me, Um,... Whoever Is The Patron Saint Of Dryers!

You know the slot in your dryer that holds the filter?  Well, all the kids love to pull it out and clean the lint off.  Anthony is no exception.  Well, he doesn't clean it off, he just pulls it out and tries to put it back in again, over and over.  This morning, he came into the laundry room with me and sure enough, as I opened the dryer, he reached for the filter and pulled it out.  Only to drop the blue marker he was carrying(which I unfortunately hadn't noticed) down the slot!  The slot that is too skinny even for a child's arm to reach down. 

I peered down that slot and I saw many clumps of lint and that marker sitting down at the bottom where the vent curves and goes under the drum of the dryer.  What to do?  I didn't really want to run the dryer with that marker sitting down there and I had loads of laundry waiting to be washed and dryed.  So waiting until Dan got home was not my first choice.  I needed something long and skinny to try to fish it out.

First, I tried a plastic sword.  It could reach far enough, but I wasn't able to use it to get out the marker.  Next, I thought of the long attachment on the vacuum cleaner.  Maybe I could suction it out with that.  I went to get the vacuum from upstairs and while I was gone, a "helpful" child shoved the marker down farther into the curve of the vent with the sword.  Aaaaaah!

Banishing all children from the laundry room, and sending one for the flashlight, which I had forgotten, I tried the vacuum cleaner attachment.  It would not go down far enough to suck out the marker.  Failed again.  I sucked out the lint however, so that was good. 

Then, I went and got a wire hanger, bent it into a good shape, and tried to move the marker into a better spot so I could reach it with the vacuum.  It was really tricky!  At this point, I thought to myself, "I wonder who the patron saint of dryers is?"  Definitely needing some assistance, I sent up a prayer to the Patron Saint of Dryers, whoever he or she might be, rebent the hanger, and tried again.  This time, the marker moved, but into an even worse position.  I could only see about an inch of it.  Oh no!  I bent the hanger some more and fished again and what do you think happened? 

Somehow that marker moved out of the curve and partway back up the slot and the end of it was right next to the end of the vacuum cleaner attachment which I had left sticking down into the slot as far as it would go, running.  Holding my breath, I moved the vacuum tool a little and the marker moved with it.  Cautiously, I pulled out the vacuum tool and the marker came out with it and I was able to grab it!  Hooray!  I think the neighbors could have heard me whooping and hollering in my excitement. 

So, today, I am thanking the Patron Saint of Dryers for his or her assistance!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Today started out as a "Jonah Day." Those familiar with Anne of Green Gables will know that means a day when everything goes wrong and you do not handle it well.

I began the day sleep deprived again as Joseph continued his getting-up-many-times-a-night routine that he has been doing for months now. He does have a bad cold right now so it was hard to get mad at him. Poor little guy! And even though he ended up in our bed, that meant Mommy still got the short end of the whole sleep thing.

I stumbled around for a while, trying to get breakfast together, while the kids were already going a hundred miles an hour. (How do they do that?) There were mountains of laundry waiting for me in our bedroom. Need coffee now. I never used to drink coffee, not even through medical school. Now sometimes it is a necessity. (Okay, often.) I tried to read my Bible for a while, but I couldn't concentrate and it just wasn't sinking in.

Then the electrician returned my call and said he could come by late morning or early afternoon, so there went the intended trip to the grocery store. Okay. I tried to move into high gear, but it was difficult. The older kids got cranky; Joseph had been cranky all along, and I needed to get our bedroom at least somewhat straightened out, so I could move the bed to get to a phone jack that wasn't working.

So, quick, change diapers, get the kids dressed, get them to pick up their toys, hurry, hurry, snap, snap. Ooh, Mommy needs to take a shower, but when does "late morning" start. Finally got Joseph down for a nap. Twins are both getting into trouble. Put them in their rooms. Cry, cry (Them, not me, not yet anyway). Keep laundry going. Move our bed. Joseph is awake. Wants to be held constantly. Electrician calls, he's on his way. Hurry, hurry. Make lunch. Push kids along. Move, move. Let's go. I feel like I am running in circles.

The electrician came and I found out that the light fixture we thought wasn't working again was actually fine. It was the new lightbulb that was the problem. It was no good. Oops. How embarrassing! At least the phone jack was a problem, so there was something. It took a while, but he found the problem and fixed it.

Meanwhile, the kids were making a mess at the lunch table and I was still carrying Joseph, who was fussing off and on. Then, finally I got them all down for a nap and I just sat down to breathe and defuse. I finished reading my chapter in the Bible, and also read a little in a book about Divine Providence (which has been very helpful in seeing the purpose in everything, even the days like today).

Then I went down to the computer and found this, at Kate's blog, which spoke to my heart and reminded me that these kind of days are meant to bring us closer to God. It is an opportunity to join in Christ's suffering on the cross and be joyful at the same time.

Then, to top it all off, profound words from a child. The kids were up and I was in the kitchen stirring my pasta sauce, and I heard Catherine say, "You have to offer it up to Jesus." I stopped and looked at them as they were pretending to be a train on the hearth in the living room. I said, what do you mean, Catherine. And she said, "We have to remember to be good."

Wow.