Too Much to Do

I don't know how I'm going to cope with this new school year! This week we had 3 dental appointments, 2 church committee meetings, a flute lesson, 2 haircuts, a party and concert to attend and a baby shower to help host - starting Tuesday, after everyone got home late Monday evening from Plain View Farm. That sounds like a busy summer week, but add in a full week of schoolwork to do in 4 days, and use most of the first day to discuss organization and management of schoolwork, plus celebrate home education by eating at Perkins, and you've got - total chaos!

I'm realizing that my major areas of responsibility - home education, meals, keeping house, church music, supporting Pete and discipling the kids - are more than a full-time job for me. Then add in the minor areas of responsibility - relatives, friends, physical fitness and health, finances, 4-H and trips - and my list becomes truly overwhelming at times. The main ways I cope are leaving house things undone, and reading. I also don't do as much teaching or one-on-one discipling as I feel I should/could, which is guilt-producing.

Perhaps I can make quicker meals, but otherwise, I'm stuck with these areas of responsibility, so - Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Cultural Differences

I find cultural differences fascinating, so here are some I noticed while in Puebla (some are because it's Mexico, others no doubt just because it's a city):

- most prices are similar, but copies can be made for 2-4 cents each, and matinee movie tickets are 2 for $5. Our hosts fed 9 people supper at a restaurant for $30.

- the green light blinks before it turns yellow

- stop signs are ignored - that's why they put in stop lights!

- breakfast is at 9 or so; dinner (their "strong meal") is at 2 or 3pm, and supper at 9pm.

- fruit is cheap

- the houses are very sturdy, made of cement, which means no remodeling; they share walls and are painted bright colors. One way you can tell where one house ends and another begins is by the color change.

- there are hardly any runners, parks, trails or grass

- no carpet, heating, cooling, flying insects or yards

- no one can drink the tap water

- in the big mall, there was an escalator with no steps, just a ramp; also guards at almost every store

- Volkswagen Beetles are everywhere; also many other Volkswagens

- each day of the week, cars with certain license plates are banned in Mexico City

- most young people live with their parents until they get married

- when someone enters a house, everyone else gets up and hugs and kisses the person; same when someone leaves

- most families get together every weekend

None of these are bad or good, worse or better; they're just different. We had good fellowship with our Mexican brothers and sisters in the Lord, and had a lot of fun too!