The last few months have gotten a bit crazy as I have begun to work. I chuckle, because I have had other moms tell me, I don’t know how you do it. Honestly, I don’t know how I do it either. Well, that’s not completely true, I do know how I do it. It is Christ in me and through me. There are plenty of times throughout the week when I am laying across my bed in a puddle of tears because I don’t think I can keep going.
Honestly, I don’t do it all. I won’t give up my time with Mark and the kids (we are still homeschooling on top of working). Work isn’t going to be given up either. What has been given up is consistently folding laundry, meal planning, and other household chores. I use to have a regular routine throughout the week (miraculously sometimes it still happens). However, more often than not these days, laundry piles up in laundry baskets. I gave up putting it on our bed, because I didn’t want to move the clothes at the end of the day to go to sleep.
If it is between reading a book with my kids or going to the park to play, the laundry is going to have to wait. You may have noticed my clothes are a bit more wrinkled, but I would rather wear cloths that are a bit more wrinkled and have my kids hearts ironed out.
I do have to admit, meal planning is something I need to get back to accomplishing weekly. Meal planning saves us time, money, and energy. My mind is more peaceful when I know I have meals ready to be put together. I don’t have to scramble at the last second for snacks or picnic food, because I already have it on hand (at least that’s the goal).
I am also getting back to making broth, but instead of making it on the stove, I simmer it in my crock pot all day. I use the broth to make rice, sauces, and add nutrients to our dishes. It works great in place of water and kicks up the flavor in our dishes.
Another sanity savor is implementing cleaning zones in our house. Getting our kids into a routine of keeping their areas tidy and clean.
The truth is no one can do it all, something is always going to have to be sacrificed. The sacrifice looks different in various seasons of our lives. It use to be sacrificing my sleep when my big kids where younger, other seasons (more than I have liked) looked like eating rice and beans for a while. In each season it felt the longest season ever and I wondered if it was ever going to end.
Life is slowly finding harmonious rhythm, but I have learned to expect pumps, twists, and turns. I have come to brace myself when peaceful rhythms come. It usually means a switching of insanities is coming. Through it all, at the end of the day and my life, I want to hear well done good and faithful servant. If I get to heaven tired and dirty, I pray it means I lived life well…even if it means wearing wrinkly clothes.
As a busy working (1 full-time, 3 side jobs) and step-mom, I TOTALLY get this! Choosing to work full-time and be present with the boys is a choice I have to make every day. It’s tough some days, but I’ve learned that the older they get, the faster time goes, so for now I’ll be extra tired and running in 4 different directions because I can rest and catch up when they are “gone”! 😉 Hang in there momma, you’re doing good!!
Thank you, Katy. It is definitely a struggle. I have had tears over what to let go of and what to hang on to. Thank you for the encouragement. I, too, think you are doing a wonderful job! I admire you greatly!
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