Today started off normally enough.  I woke with the alarm clock at 5:30 a.m., just as I do every Sunday morning before starting our all-day church adventure.  I woke Hubby for work at 6:00 and went back downstairs for some breakfast and quiet time before I had to wake the kids.

The phone rang at 6:04 and it was the PD looking for Hubby.  I figured they were calling about available overtime, so I brought the phone to him upstairs where he had just gotten out of bed.  He took the phone with a puzzled look when I said it was work calling.   My curiousity and his confusion grew as I heard him say, "No, it's only 6:05!".   I caught his eye with a deer-in-the-headlights look and we both realized that we completely forgot to change the clocks!  In my defense, I thought daylight savings time began NEXT week!

Hubby ran down to take a record-breaking shower before darting out the door, and I took on the impossible task of getting five people up, showered, dressed, and fed in 25 minutes!  Sunday school started at 8 a.m. and we needed at least 30 minutes to get there!  UGH!

Luckily, we were only about 12 minutes late.  We probably could have shaved 4 minutes or so off of that time if we hadn't had to wait for the flock of 14 wild turkeys to cross the road. (The kids all pealed with laughter and chicken crossing the road jokes while I seethed quietly!)  The girls hustled into class and the boys and I settled into our routine of a video in the van for them and quiet time with a book for Mommy.  They finished their breakfast in their car seats, and I marveled at the fact that we had pulled it off!

Many of you may remember my complaints about M's former behavior in church.  I swear he saved every bit of bad behavior all week long to dish out to me in church when my disciplining skills were sorely minimized.  Recently he has been on his best behavior, revelling in the idea of acting like a big boy.  It certainly helps that he has reached an age where he can be reasoned with and he now understands consequences of his horrid behaviors.  He is now (usually) a pleasure to have in church.

Enter C.  I thought I was going to dodge a bullet with him, seeing as though he has such a different temperment than his brother.  Sadly, I was wrong, and leaving the house at 7:30 in the morning, driving for a half hour, waiting in the car for another hour and a half, and finally sitting through an hour of church, seems to be taking its toll on my little man.  He usually starts off well enough, with snack and toys and such, but by the middle of the service he is grumpy and disruptive.  Today I actually had to carry him out of the building and into the glass entry way to wait out his tantrum.  When he had finally calmed down enough to reenter the building so we could go back to our seats with the other kiddos, I accidently pinched his finger in the hinge of the door and his screaming started all over again!

We jetted out of church after Communion, and about 10 minutes early, because of C's behavior.  He fell asleep about 5 minutes (he lost an hour of sleep thanks to Mr. Franklin!) into our journey home, but has been a little crab all afternoon.  I am really just at a loss as to how to handle this whole church debacle.  It is important to me to go faithfully, but it is like running a marathon every week!

There must be something in the air, because my normally well behaved children are all fighting and miserable and dragging me along with them.  The only good thing I can think of about today is that it'll at least be one hour shorter!