VBS #Gadgets and Gizmos

Whew this week has been super busy! WE were right in the midst of VBS week and also swim lessons. I'll give a run down of our week! 
Monday- Thankfully Austin was off...he was able to grocery shop for us and help hold down the fort with a busy mom and tired, exhausted kids. The kids and I set off for our first day of VBS. This year has been a little different....I was asked originally to help co-direct the preschool vbs but then at the last minute it was asked if I would teach the 4 year old class. At the last minute a compromise was made and it was said that I would stay with them for the first hour then they had a back up teacher. I have to say I have been a little frustrated and hurt with this VBS. I am trying to look at it as a growing moment and maybe a lesson God has for me and also not to let it overshadow the real reason I am there. So anyway Monday was a good day. The focus is we are wonderfully made. Monday the kids focused on that we are all made unique and special. I've enjoyed still getting to interact with all 3 preschool classes. Lindsay is once again in the pre-k classroom and has Mrs. Ashleigh as her teacher. She has a few besties in there and she's having a great time. Colby is of course in the 3rd grade class. I don't get to see much of him or what he's doing but he's an old VBS pro and I know he's having a good time. His 2 best friends aren't doing VBS this year but I think he's making some new friends and hanging out with some other kids so he's doing just fine. So after VBS we came home and ate and crashed. Swim lessons went well and Austin cooked us chicken fried rice that night. I had been invited to a girl's night to see a movie but I was so tired plus I hated to leave Austin and the kids after not seeing them much during the day. 
Tuesday was a bit of a rough day. Well first off it was raining and Austin had to take my van into to be serviced which meant we drove his truck. I just felt "off" the whole day. It was also a really long morning in the preschool since we couldn't take the kids outside. Things felt chaotic. Their lesson was about Jesus healing the blind man though and I think one of their favorite activities was putting "mud" on the blind man's eyes. I was so thankful Austin was home though once again to hold down the fort. He made us lunch when we got home then took Colby for a much needed hair cut. That afternoon we of course had swim lessons. We decided not to cook and to do leftovers for dinner. It helped b/c we were able to get the kids outside and have a bit more relaxed evening. 
Wednesday Austin was back at work so it was just the kids and I. I really surprised myself by being up and ready on Wednesday and we left our house at 7. We were able to pick up Chickfila breakfast for the kids and for our children's pastor Stephen. It was a good day and I felt more on top of things. Everyone and everything seemed a bit more in sync. The lesson was about Nicodemus and Jesus. So the focus was our friends and that Jesus is our Friend. That afternoon we had swim lessons and my parents came to watch the kids. It was nice to visit with them. Austin got home and we cooked jambalaya and had a nice family dinner. I would say overall it was a really great day even though I was super tired. 
Thursday we were back at it. The whole day I felt really out of the loop though. Honestly this whole VBS was very confusing from. I didn't find out until 3 weeks prior what I would even be doing with VBS. For 3 years I co-directed the VBS. I had been asked each year to do that early in the year. This year I had heard nothing and finally I was asked about 3 weeks prior to co-direct with our preschool director. Well she had never done this at all so I basically scrambled and did all the pre-work and helped her get through a lot of the planning and paperwork. Well now this week of I have felt very awkward and overall just didn't seem to really know where I belonged. On Sunday one of our teachers had to step aside and I was told that I would teach the middle room. Well for 3 weeks I had been planning and focused on VBS from a leadership standpoint. Its not that I thought I was in any way too good to teach I just knew from a leadership perspective that each year that I have done it its been a 2 person job. I have always had back up and we have always stayed super busy. We average 60 children in the preschool the week of VBS. That's 3 classrooms of 20 kids and throw in 6+ teachers and numerous helpers. Well anyway so it was so bad on Thursday and I was so hurt that the Children's Pastor came over to talk with me. I was thankful for his listening and understanding. Well that night I really wrestled with it and many tears and prayers later I decided to resign from preschool ministry for now. 
Friday was super hard. I drove to church with tears in my eyes but really knowing that that was what was best for me for now. I told the Preschool Director right away b/c I couldn't hold it in all day. I felt very off and distracted most of the day along with I had a pretty bad headache I am sure from the stress. The last day went ok but I was so worn out physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have never dealt with this during VBS. Its always been such a fun and happy week for me. 
I feel like overall it was a good week and my kids had fun and I know learned a lot. I hate that I had so much stress that took over that I don't feel like I was fully engaged and into it like years past. I know lessons will be learned though and that God still has a plan.