Our little business has really begun to take off.  We have shipped out approximately sixty orders since the last week of January.  That is impressive to us... It pretty much tops the amount of things we shipping in 2007, not counting wholesale orders.

This was a bit of a shock to me.

Also, we had the flu two weeks ago.  It is not a generic "we" that people use when talking about themselves.  It was a collective we.  I had the flu.  Ana had the flu.  Timothy and Christian had the flu.  Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Abigail had the flu.  And it was not pleasant.  I'm pretty certain the last time a bug knocked me down like that was 1999.  Only one child threw up and I consider that a rejoiceable success.

And I'm thrilled to report we were able to completely treat all symptoms with herbs.  No Robitussen, no achy, so you can sleep medicine! :)  We didn't need Tylenol to combat the fevers.  It was a major success in our home and I'm very grateful we had everything on hand.  Except lemons and fresh ginger and that was quickly remedied by a very good and doting Daddy.  :)

Which brings me to the title of this entry.

I Can Do All Things.

I have heard of those mothers.  I think I once thought I was that mother.  I'm no longer under such delusions, lol.  I will freely admit that my younger children watched more television in the last three weeks than most likely the rest of their short lives combined.  I only wish I was kidding.  We did accomplish homeschooling... some.  I did keep up with the business though it meant long hours and little sleep and I wonder if that is why I was sick three full days whereas the children bounced back in under two?

And I discovered something about myself.  I *can* do almost anything.... I just can't do them all at once.

I can be quite a decent wife.  I can be a sweet and rather discerning mama.  I can be a rather dutiful homeschooler.  I can run a moderately successful home business.  I can sew, and cook, and make everything from scratch.  I can work with a designer on new labels, talk with a printer about the new labels, plan my new wholesale accounts, plan our test prep., teach one small child her letters, teach another to read, another to count, another her body parts, another pre-algebra, and another multiplication.  I can wake up at 5AM with dh and I can stay up working on work 'til 1 AM. 

BUT

You can't do it indefinitely and you can't do it without a cost.  And you can't do it all at once... or at least not longterm.

I am the "can do" mama.  For many, many years, I had a can-do philosophy.  If I heard of it, I was convinced I could do it.  I wanted to learn to sew.  And I did.  I wanted to grind my flour, make my bread, and spend hours upon hours in meal prep.  I wanted to run my own business, homeschool my children, use cloth diapers, and do everything I read about in Mother Earth News, all the while being a successful soccer mom, and coaching softball.

I'm exhausted.

And I quit.

LOL, I have come to accept that there are things for this family that are a priority.  And, now we are expecting our eighth child in twelve years.  I have one sixth grader, one third grader, one K/1, one preschooler, one 3 year old, a toddler, and I am oh so very pregnant.  It is time to delegate.

I have been reading how to make yogurt in my oven.  Today I quit.  I am buying a yogurt maker!  Don't comment on how easy it is, I don't care.  This is my line.  I can't plan properly so that my oven is free.  I can't keep up with our yogurt consumption.  I am buying a yogurt maker. 

My daughter is going to learn to make the bread.
My son is going to learn to grind all the flour.
My dh bought me huge tea jars so that I don't have to pre-mix my pregnancy and childrens' teas every morning.
I hired someone to turn my prefolds into prefitteds.
I am switching to all natural covers for the babies.  And I am NOT (absolutely refusing) to potty train Abigail before the baby comes in May.  (I can't decide if that's smart or stubborn.)
Someone else is making the wool covers. 
Someone else is designing the website and the labels.
We are having a printer print the labels.
I cut out all the soaps I don't enjoy making.
I am simplifying.

Can I do it all?  Perhaps.

But I can't do it all well.  And that is a fact.  And a useful fact.  It is time I admit my limitations.  I am at that point.

*We bought new glasses.  Glasses we can fit our hands in and I'm throwing away the bottle scrubber.  Inefficient little pain that it is.
*We are getting rid of the tupperware glasses, all one million of them.  We now own eight glasses for company.  And, two glasses for Mama and Daddy at supper.   We have ONE, count 'em ONE, color coded cup for each child.  Everything else - gone!
*DH got large jars for our herbs.  They've been PROPERLY labeled, they've been alphabetized, and are now on a shelf for easy access.  No more fighting with balanced jars, looking for the proper herbs. 
*DH also got a large chest of drawers for all my shipping paraphernalia, the labels, the tape, the boxes, and the one thousand and one things lying on every horizontal place in our home.

What's next?

Oh the plastic toys are being sacrificed.  They don't play with them.  They scatter them about in the basement in the search for the one perfect toy.   Gone.  They are all going.  All VHS tapes are going.  We don't own a VCR.  Why hang onto them.  Clothes are being sorted through.  Dishes and useless kitchen gadgets - gone.  I am decluttering.

Those who know me will be alarmed.  They might be scared for my children.... that I will throw one of them out in the frenzy.  LOL, I have a reputation for despising clutter.  But I have allowed it in my home too long.  It looks like we will shortly be making a move to the country.  FINALLY!  And with the addition of (I PRAY goats!) animals, the home must take some responsibility at taking care of itself.  And it can't do that having gadgets about.  I'll post pictures as we make progress.  Oh to be near our Goodwill.  There will be much finding it's way there. :)

One of the chairs is already in the backyard.... in three feet of snow, lol.  We're getting there!

And finally, the admission.

I can do many things well.  But I can not do them all.  And I cannot do them all at once.

In life,  we must all prioritize.  Where did True Vine Soap originally start anyway?  The goal was to give the business a name that would remind me to stay where I needed to be.  To keep me mindful of my priorities.  I am extremely grateful that I gave it such a name, and truly believe it to be God inspired.  Thanks to that, I think I am getting back to the right track.  We are so easily misled on rabbit trails. 

God
Family

Everything Else

Lord keep me mindful that I cannot do all things.  You have given me twenty four hours each day of which I am to be a good steward.  I pray that I would be mindful to take good care of those things which You have given me.  Keep me mindful Lord, keep me mindful.