The day started with breaking up arguments. Closely followed by four children then climbing all over the bed, and a nursery rhyme sing-off taking place. Before I’d consumed caffeine. About two hours later, Megan and Maisie sleepily appeared, only to put in complaints that they’d been woken at 6:30 by Maddie whilstling outside their door. And at 7:30 by all three of the younger children knocking. They wanted to know if we could put a stair gate up to stop the intrusions. I suggested they could just get up and entertain them, but this idea was not enthusiastically received.

Our team won the Bowen family quarantine quiz last week, which meant we had to set the questions for this week. I’d like to pretend I played a role in both winning and setting a new one, but I have zero general knowledge, Megan and Liam can take the credit. My role was basically sending the answers for the last one, and reading the questions for the new one. It’s good to know your limitations. Don’t ever ask me to be on your pub quiz team. Except to note take.

Grandma sent a quiz to the younger ones, which they completed with great gusto. I’m not entirely sure the Queen would appreciate the fact that she lives at ‘The London Castle’, but it was accepted by the quizmaster, so they were happy.

Toby had great plans for our family Olympics today, and once Toby has an idea, he ensures you don’t forget it. I pacified him for a while by playing football with him, Maddie put herself on my team, and Micah began a rival match on the same pitch with Liam playing both on Toby’s team and also against Micah at the same time. As you can imagine, it was an absolute shambles.

The Olympics began after lunch, beginning with ‘javelin’, using a dart. Toby’s technique was lovely, but Megan took the lead.

Micah gave the ball hopping race a good try, he loves a good bounce, but I think the very short legs made this a tricky number to negotiate.

The short jump was a tie between Megan and Toby, apparently Maisie’s heavy shoes weighed her down.

The baton was somewhat uncoordinated, there were arguments over one team member not liking his team’s green baton and trying to switch teams midway. Another competitor took the baton, started running, then realised she’d left her cuddle blanket behind, so ran back to collect that before completing her leg of the course, much to the upset of her teammates.

The sprint races were more successful, and the results were close enough to not cause too many disputes.

The caterpillar race concluded the Games in complete chaos. Micah preferring to go and lie next to his favourite team mate, and Theo opted to lie on top of his. I don’t think they quite understood the concept.

Somehow the boys got involved in a water fight at this point, until Micah announced he needed a wee. And promptly dropped his pants and trousers, clearly intending to just use the grass. I objected to this new low level of feral behaviour, and marched him inside as he huffed and stropped and complained ‘but we ALWAYS use the toilet!’ like this is a bad thing. I’m trying to make sure we wash and cleanse and I even put make up on sometimes, but I do have concerns over how we’ll reintegrate back into normal society with any level of socially acceptable behaviours.

Especially as Maisie has taken to hanging out in the rabbit run. I think she prefers the bunny’s company to the rest of us. I can’t say I entirely blame her.

After we’d finished all the fun and games in the garden, Megan had made long daisy chains, and the older kids were sneaking back inside, Liam mentioned taking the children for a walk but wasn’t sure if we’d get it in before dinner now. I pointed out that it was 2:15. How are there so many hours in a day?! Having spent a lot of last week frantically baking in order to not miss out on any Easter treats, and also to hide in the kitchen for some cake mixing therapy, I had a sense today of restlessness. I guess this weekend was something we were aiming for, a bit of a high spot of excitement in the mundane, and now we are back to the long days, still with no idea when this might end.

After administering first aid to Theo in the form of an ice lolly for a bumped lip, and then removing a very large splinter from Toby’s foot, I snuck outside to drink tea and read, only to be immediately followed by at least three family members. It was fun to sit and watch Micah helping Liam build a chicken coop though.

We did manage our evening walk, accompanied by a toy rabbit on a lead. It was supposed to be a leisurely stroll, but Maddie had a sense of urgency, and frog-marched us all at high speed along the path.

In my restlessness this afternoon I was starting to wonder again what I should be doing in this time. I’m used to being busy, and if I stop, I feel like I’m wasting time. I should be doing something, helping somehow. I had been looking forward to our holiday as that feels like allowed rest. In a place away from home, with extra family members, and amazing scenes of beautiful tranquility, I always call the Lakes ‘my soul’s rest’. But I’ve been realising that maybe God wants me to be able to find a way to rest in the unrest too. If I feel crowded, the temptation is to opt to find a way to escape, do my walk on my own, hide away for a while. And that is okay at times, but I think that it can be a choice, too, to be able to stop even in the busyness and on a walk with all the brood, and still be able to find rest for my soul. Because right now, this is where I’m placed. These are the people I am able to help and love and support. I’m not on the front line, but I have a house full of people and I am being given a unique opportunity of days and weeks where we can build relationships, build family unity, build connection and be each other’s safe space. Yes, we are being pushed together, and yes, it’s hard and all consuming, but equally I don’t want to look back in a couple of months and feel like I wasted this time by being frustrated with all the mess in the house, jobs I haven’t done, and the people touching me all. the. time.

And I believe that God can help me in that. Even though I’m not getting my holiday, He promises rest. Jesus said to the people around him,

28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

And the apostle Paul said that ‘He (Christ) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:9&10.

At the moment, my place is here, with my family. And at the end of a phone, with extended family and friends. So if all I do in this time is use it to love the people I’ve been given, in the best ways I can, with rest and strength that come from a place other than a holiday or a break from the unrelenting needs of those around me, then this time will have been for good. And it feels overwhelming and exhausting, but I can find that rest and strength in One greater than me, I can be honest about my exhaustion and my weakness, and ask for help and strength, and for this time to be used for good. And He will hear, and He will sustain me.

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:28-31