How do we do it everyday? I've never stereotyped stay-at-home (SAH) moms and thought that their life was easy. Oprah has always said it's the hardest job there is. Obviously, being a mother is the MOST important job ever. Women who work outside the home have to be able to juggle their careers, childcare, groceries, baths, bedtimes, picking up/dropping off, and many other outside the home kind of things. SAH moms do have the convenience of dropping off in pajamas, something I swore I would never do. Lillee Grace was 10 months old when I decided to go back to work, Baxter 7 weeks. Are they any different? Absolutely. However, they are different because God created them with individual personalities. Are they different because of my decision to work/not work? I don't think so.
At this season in our family's life I 100% believe I am right where God is calling me to be. It is so tough to keep up today. You can read these blogs and feel so inadequate. Someone always has a nicer home than you (with a pool), someone has a cooler, better quality camera than you do, their kids are behaving better than yours. I could go on and on. When I think about those things I forget that God is blessing us right here and right now in this moment. He is calling us to love ourselves as He loves us (which is SO much) and to love others with a servant heart.
I appreciate that I am at home and I am ever so grateful that I am hanging out with my angelic SIX month old ALL day, my energetic and full-spirited FOUR year old after 12 and my beautiful and wise SIX year old after 3 every day.
When I am at wits end at the end of the day and I am watching the clock to see how much longer until I can start the bedtime process it is so important to remember that there are other mothers who long to hold their children. Other mothers who would love nothing more than to wipe urine off the bathroom walls because when I call Bax's name he turns suddenly to answer and everything gets soaked. There are mothers who would like to have disagreements every morning about which clothes their daughter will wear to school. There are moms who would love for their shirts to have green peas on them, sticky formula under their nails, crusty old baby food stuck to their foreheads, boogers on their jeans.
Our family is blessed and it is easy to take these things for granted and get so caught up in what others are doing and how our lives could be better? The blessings we have come from above. There is no other explanation than to know that we have fully surrendered to Him and that any thing that comes our way He will handle. He will provide.
This is a season that I am enjoying. There is nothing that says the next season won't be different and there will be different hurdles to face. Who knows where we'll be? What sport we'll be playing? Isn't it cool to see where God puts us? He knows what our lives will be like in 6 months, in 6 years, tomorrow. I look forward to seeing that but right now I am living each day in the moment, taking it all in and loving these wonderful children God has entrusted to me.
3 comments:
awe jenn i love this post. it is SO true. God really is amazing and has blessed us all with so much more than we deserve. even when we were crusing around altamah, we knew our lives would be led by God forever and it's so amazing to see what He does on a daily basis. i am so happy you can stay home and i look forward to that day when i can....uggh, please hurry up residency and END. love the pics of the kiddos, cannot believe you let them on that plane. libby has never even driven with anyone else. yikes.
love you all.
I am in tears, I am so proud of the woman you've become, and I am so thankful for God from whom you acknowledge come all blessings. I am so blessed. Luv, Luv - Mom
HaHa...you forgot about the people you envy with light fans with globes and no exposed bulbs!!! Just kidding...I love you! Great post. See, this is the part where I envy YOU. Of course you know I have always said, I wish I could stay home with Bo. I am so glad that you love what you do now:) You are such wonderful person and I'm so glad that we are friends. Oh- and by the way, you can come swim in our new pool anytime sister. Love you!
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