Last but not least, I couldn’t talk about how to juggle life raising five monkey boys without mentioning the amazing helpers who have stepped up and offered to help.

A couple of times a month, I get a phone call or get stopped in the hallway at church by a friend who says, “Hey, our Life Group is doing dinner for you next week. What night would be good?” It’s been going on for a few months now, yet it never ceases to blow me away. What a blessing! Between adding my two nephews to the mix and having our oldest turn 10 & develop a bottomless stomach in the process, cooking for all those boys can be challenging. (Don’t remind me that they’ll be teenagers in just a few years. *Note to self: Buy stock in Sam’s Club!)

My mom … WOW … where do I begin? Not only is it immeasurably wonderful that she and her husband live in town now, but she has been a-maz-ing in her willingness to pitch in. She comes over and does laundry, grabs my grocery list from the side of the fridge when she heads to the store, helps to pick up & drop off from karate and doctor’s appointments … and I even noticed today that she’s been watering my plants. (She’s probably been doing so for a while, thank goodness, or else they’d probably be dead since I just now noticed! lol)

Then, there’s the encouraging reminders from friends & family who call or write just to say that they’re thinking of me or that they’re praying for us. It means a lot and is always appreciated. It’s also a humble reminder to me that I should pray for others. It’s easy to get wrapped up in my own survival mode and forget that other folks need prayer support, too.