It seems like whenever I go ahead and write a blog entry or talk to someone (or lots of people) about how difficult a situation is, then the next day proves to be much better.

I don't think today's challenges were much less than yesterdays, though they might have been slightly less. But I know that my attitude and coping skills were better. Getting a good start on the day seems to help, as well as trying to have some structure to build the day around. Heath's car is in the shop, so the kids and I had to get out of the house 3 times taking him to and from work. We also were more prepared for feeding ourselves today, since we went to the store as a family after Heath got off work last night.

Something else that helped was the receipt of 3 unexpected checks in the mail yesterday which we were able to deposit in our account. When I got those out of the mailbox, the fact that all 3 arrived together on that particular day reminded me that the life God has planned for me is not all trials - there are many moments of unexpected or undeserved favor and pleasant surprises to enjoy, and sometimes there are even extended periods with barely any trials at all.

Thanks to all of you who wrote encouraging comments or gave advice on my last post. I think we are going to start with a Mom's Day Out thing and maybe some art class or swimming lessons to get the boys out of their usual groove of being at home and fighting. If that's not enough structure or time away from home, we'll move on from there. As for nursing, I'm taking it day to day and week to week. Samuel is getting slightly more efficient at nursing, although I do still spend 5-7 hours a day nursing, depending on the day (granted, 1-2 of those hours I am lying down half-asleep). I have tried limiting him to 30 minutes each session but have found he just doesn't get all the milk in that amount of time.