Life as a mommy of 4 kids under the age of 5, and wife to one wonderful man is no easy task- as I'm sure MANY of you reading this well know. It is hard work! Driving kids to and from school, to and from extra curricular activities, keeping up with the finances, keeping the house clean (sorry to say, that one really hardly gets done in my house...), the laundry, meals, grocery shopping, keeping up relationships, and the list goes on.
And once you think you're done for the day, kids in bed, lunches packed for the next day, house straightened.... you get into some comfy jammies and either sit or lay to relax and catch up on that magazine you've been meaning to flip through for over a month when.........."Mommy? Can I have a drink of water?" or you remember that you have that last load of laundry still sitting in the washer and if you leave it, you know what will happen. The dreaded mildew. I'm almost embarrassed to say that mildew is a common occurrence in our house. I stock up on vinegar because I just can't seem to remember that last load that I was sure I'd remember when I put it in. Anyone else know what I'm talking about? Sheesh!
But when all is said and done, would I have it any other way? Well, except to add maybe a bit more time to the day to get more done and more energy into my body in order to get those things done (wait, do those two just cancel each other out? I'd say they would)- no I totally wouldn't change things. I love being a wife, mother, sister, daughter, grand daughter, friend, and neighbor. What a huge blessing these things are.
The fact that I have mildewey laundry just means I have 5 others in my family who are active and that I get to help keep their clothes clean. It means there's life in my home. Cleaning my house means I get to have 4 wonderful children that leave their sweet handprints and trails wherever they go- and that really is a blessing. And when my son is sick with an ear infection, and is crying so hard from the pain- that means God created his body to know when he's in pain, he has a voice to communicate that to us, and the fever means God created his body to know how to fight off this infection. So I can even rejoice in that. It truly is all in how I look at things.
Yes, life is hard. Super hard. And I have to be okay with knowing it can't all get done when I want, and how I want. But in the midst of it all the craziness, there is much to be thankful for. How can I take what I'm thankful for, and share that with others around me? It can take on many shapes and forms.
*Maybe it's bringing cookies to your neighbor that just moved in, or some pumpkin bread to a neighbor that has lived on your street for a long time and you still don't really know them.
*Maybe it's calling a fellow mommy and letting her know you're coming over to watch her kids for her. Give her a few hours to herself, to do whatever she'd like.
*Or maybe come to her house and pick up her laundry, take it home, and bring it back later all clean and folded. (You may have to pry it out of her hands because she'll probably say she's fine and she can do it, and she doesn't need help- but she'll be grateful once it comes back clean and folded! Just kidding- don't pry, but for those of you who don't like to accept help- this is a time when it's okay to accept it! Some people want to help, and would be blessed to do it, so saying no just denies them of that. Know what I mean? I'm saying this to myself as I type!)
*Bring over some chicken noodle soup, saltine crackers, gatorade, a pretty yellow flower of some kind, and a movie to someone you know who is sick.
*Double the batch of dinner you're making tonight for your family, and bring the other half over to an older neighbor you have that lives alone.
How will you show someone you care today?
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