WOW...I'm Exhausted

...and I'll be here until Friday morning. I've come to the realization that what I'm doing down here in Tennessee is my WOW. I have been thinking about it for weeks...what should I do...what will make people say "wow" about me?

My sister's boyfriend of five years aspirated on some food a week and a half ago. His heart stopped beating for 10 minutes, but his friend was able to do CPR until the ambulance arrived--this saved his life. However, his lungs underwent so much trauma that he was sedated on a ventilator until last night--his lungs were not functioning fully on their own. He is out of the ICU now, but still in the hospital for a couple more days. My sister has spent nearly every night with him, as the hospital is an hour away from where she lives.

When my sister told me what happened last weekend, she asked me to come down to Tennessee and help her with her three boys. It took me a few days to figure things out, and I left on Friday, regardless of the fact that I had a severe cold and felt completely miserable.

That is the background information. Now, here's the WOW...

Three boys are a lot of work...especially when you're sick, and they're sick. It's like a non-stop cooking and cleaning party where most of the work falls on you. Wake up, make breakfast, do the dishes, make sure they get dressed, brush their teeth, and take their medicine. Laundry seems to be never ending and trying to get three boys to do their chores, take showers, and clean their room is exhausting. Then there's lunches, snacks, dinners, and more dishes. My hands are so dry from all the dishes. No dishwasher in this house. If I wasn't organized...I'd be extremely overwhelmed by all this.

I decided to do some Spring Cleaning for my sister to prepare for when they come back from the hospital. Her boyfriend needs a super clean environment for his lungs to heal. My sister is not as organized as me, so it's been A LOT of work. I've honestly been cleaning for three days now, and there's still more to do.

My sister and her family are also poor...as in they live off of about $1800/month. That is not a lot for a family of five. The south is full of hospitality, but there are still a lot of needs that unfortunately go unmet for my nephews. I took them to get much needed haircuts on Saturday and treated them to lunch. I also bought them some fresh fruit and veggies--they normally don't get to eat things like apples and strawberries. Today, I took them to a fun center and let them ride go carts and play video games (they earned it by doing their chores without arguing).

Why is doing all of these things my WOW?

I'm not a mom, and to throw myself into the role of a caregiver to three boys has been quite the task. They are sick and they are worried, and I am sick and I am also trying to keep up on my work while deep cleaning a house that is old and worn out (the toilet only flushes completely if you plunge it while it's flushing). I think that many of us take the people and things we have for granted. Where we live, technology is common and life is honestly easier. Most of you have dishwashers, and many of us can afford unnecessary luxuries such as a pedicure.

One of my life goals since getting my first degree black belt has been to reconnect with my family, especially my sister. I feel that helping her out is one very big step in that direction. That is why I feel this is my WOW.