From God's Mouth...

Yesterday afternoon was just not shaping up well. I had a cranky kindergartener, a 5-year-old who was completely stir crazy (no school on Wednesdays, and a disastrous 20-minute trip to Target was his only outing of the day!), a 3-year-old who was on the verge of no-nap tantrums, and a mommy who wasn't in the mood for any of this!

I gave everyone a snack and instructed them to go to the bathroom and then put their shoes and jackets on. Of course, there was a chorus of, "Where are we going!?" I didn't answer. I couldn't answer. I had no idea where we were going! I just knew that we had to get out of the house for everyone's mental health (mine, especially!).

After I buckled everyone in, I said a quick prayer. It was basically this: "Holy Spirit, I have no idea where we are going! Please guide us and keep us safe. Amen."

I was thinking of maybe just a drive-thru run somewhere...anything to change our moods (like ice cream for them and coffee for me!).

And then, the answer from God's mouth to Justin's ear! Justin (age 2) informed me as I was backing the minivan out of the driveway that we were going to Chocolate World. The other kids were delighted, and I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of it myself!

Hershey, PA is about a 10-15 minute ride away, and the back roads have beautiful, calming farm land scenery. Chocolate World, unlike the rest of Hersheypark (which is very expensive), is FREE! And, though I try to stay far away from this tourist trap in the summer, I thought it wouldn't be too bad on a Wednesday afternoon in March.

And...it wasn't! It was just what we all needed (even Lucy bounced up and down to the singing cows..."It's all about the milk!"). I am talking about the 10-minute "ride" that leads you through the making of Hershey's Chocolate. In all honesty, I should probably have the process memorized as I have gone on this ride hundreds of times! Truth be told, I am usually watching my children smile and giggle instead of listening to anything being said.

Randomly, I had my camera in my purse, so I snapped some pictures. Gianna even took a picture of Lucy and me!

The kids ate their candy sample on the way home (this bought me time to figure out what was for dinner!), and we were all happier. It's nice to live so close to the Sweetest Place on Earth!

The rest of the evening was not as calm. The kids were still tired and cranky, and I was still not in the mood for it! But, I was grateful for an answered prayer.

Afternoons are so hard for me in my life right now. I have dinner to think about and 5 needy/whiny children. I was hoping that a bigger house would take all my afternoon blues away...but, that hasn't happened!

The house next door is for sale, and I've seen lots of families with little kids going in and out to look at it. I am so hopeful that a family with young kids will move in and my children will have playmates for the afternoon (there are certain times of day when my children pay brilliantly together...the hours between 3:30 - 5:30 are just not included!). But, I am smart enough to know that this is not a magic solution either!

In the mean time, I will just hope for more days like yesterday! Thanks God, Justin, and Hershey's :).