Breaking Point

I do believe everyone has a breaking point. I know I do. I have been feeling myself heading down that road this past week. We have had tons of late nights and that has affected the kids, including the baby. I have just about had it by night time. Poor Brad, get's me at my worst. Anyway, I believe that Heavenly Father loves me very much. I could list the millions of reasons, 6 of which are Brad, Ryan, Makayla, Ashlyn, Becca, and Benjamin. However, this day I know because he has given me tender mercies to help as I am on the verge of breaking.
The first breaking point is sleep. I really have been so tired. Today I was at the park with some friends from the ward and our kids and I was having a hard time staying awake. Definitely not for lack of stimulating conversation. I love the friends I was with, and they were very entertaining. But between the allergies I was having and the late nights, not to mention middle of the night feedings, I was toast. I can't even totally blame Benjamin. He is seriously waking up once before 6am, and the past two nights his first waking is 4:30. I can totally handle that. Part of the problem is I no longer get to nap. There are several reasons, 5 of which are each of my children. I also don't love to nap, as there is so much else I need to do. But, I know a little 15 min nap here or there really would help me. Well, today after the park and library I got my kids lunch and Benjamin was still asleep. The little girls went to Brooke and Clair's house so I told the older kids I was going to take just a quick 15 min nap while he was sleeping. Over an hour later I woke up, looked at the clock, and then panicked!! Is the baby okay? I jumped off the bed and found him sound asleep in his car seat still. Now, the nap AND him sleeping so long is a tender mercy. He doesn't nap that long right now in the afternoons. I am usually fighting him with cat naps. I know I will be way more refreshed and that I needed it. Hopefully this will ward me off from reaching my breaking point for a while.
The second tender mercy has to do with me reaching my breaking point on trying to lose weight. I gained way too much with Benjamin. It wasn't any more than my other kids, but I started heavier with them and ended the heaviest. Well, I have always been able to lose the baby weight. It just takes work. I have found the older you are and the more kids you have the harder it is. I have been trying but it has not been coming off. Seriously, as of Monday I had lost 5 lbs from the initial weight loss after having a baby. Now, that being said, for two weeks I was on vacation in California and with California family up here. Not conducive to weight loss. So, this week I said "ENOUGH!!!" After many prayers I really felt like doing weight watchers wouldn't be enough and just counting my carbs wouldn't be enough. I needed to do both. So, I am now doing both together. It can be quite tricky but not if you eat really healthy. I can't chow down on fruits as much as I would like, but I can on veggies. I have to watch the amount of sugars I eat.....hardly any now!! But, I have found the last couple of days I have not even reached my amount of carbs or points in a day and I haven't been hungry. I have been downing water like crazy and exercising at least 25 min a day. Best news of all.....I have lost 5 lbs since Monday. I had been praying that if I was doing everything I could do lose weight that Heavenly Father would step in and help me, and that is exactly what he has done. Now, I know it won't fall off like this all the time and I will have moments of frustration still, but for today I am happy.