The brink of what? You decide.

1. Sunday night: figured out that the kid who was maybe-sick was really-sick. Canceled Monday plans.

2. Monday morning: took six-year-old to sick bay because we suspected strep, ran to pharmacy to get the antibiotics because, though her throat was very streppy-looking, the quick test came back negative. Despite her being sick, still finished manuscript as I had planned (though it took a far different commitment of time than what I had planned).

3. Tuesday: kept fevered child home from school, noted that three-year-old was acting symptomatic. Finished parish bulletin draft, submitted manuscript to publisher, drank a lot of tea, kept a remnant of sanity and laughed more than I expected to.

4. Tuesday night: three-year-old up multiple times for potty breaks; baby up multiple times for company and eating and coughing.

5. Wednesday, sometime before 6 AM: “Mommy, I want to get up now.” (How can the three-year-old be awake? Can’t she time it with the baby?) I invite her to my bed, because it seemed like a good idea at the time. Six-year-old, ever suspicious of anyone else being awake when she is not, comes in and asks if we can go downstairs. “No! Lay down on Daddy’s side!” (This is a treat. I am territorial about my bed. I don’t judge those of you who share your beds with your kids; I just don’t. Sleep is not optional in my house: sharing my bed usually means I don’t get sleep. And this time, that’s exactly what happened.)

6. Wednesday, 6:15 AM: Baby does his little “I’m going to wake up now” cough. I begin extracting myself from bed. Girls jump up. Coughing begins all around me. I wonder if I should strip beds or just call it good.

7. No, I’m not going to give you the play-by-play of the rest of the week. I just want to point out that at 6:20 AM on Wednesday, I had no idea that by noon, I’d be thanking God for the day. I had no idea that at 12:52 PM, I’d be in my van, saying an out-loud thank you prayer to God. I had a chance to run errands that, while not critical, did allow me to get out of the house (without the kids!). And then, later in the day, I had niece visitors who amused the girls, rocked the baby, and allowed me some laptop time. God may not micromanage, but he has a plan. And it’s WAY better than mine.

You’ll find other lists of seven (in the form of Quick Takes) over at Conversion Diary today.