With the Thanksgiving holiday coming to pass and the realization of Christmas right around the corner. (It comes faster each year and with more children). I’ve been more mindful to be thankful for our many blessings. But as any mother with children could tell you- somedays the busyness and stress can be overwhelming and my thankful attitude can wain a little.
Before the holidays come around, I have learned to plan out further and further ahead to accommodate myself and so I can relax and actually enjoy the holidays more. By taking care of most Christmas related shopping before Thanksgiving and decorating earlier then I used to, I have reduced the things that stress me out over the Christmas season. That way I can enjoy the good parts- spending time with friends, family, and kids, baking cookies, Christmas related projects with the kids, etc… I even plan out homeschool Christmas projects at the beginning of the school year and purchase the supplies so there is less to worry or think about.
Small things are Big things in a Large Family
For some people, those things might sound like small things, but with 5 kids, small things are big things. I am seriously busy from the time I wake until 10 pm or sometimes later. And during those times, there are a million “little” things (in addition to BIG things) that need taking care of in a day. Then while I am doing all of those “things” there is usually an interruption that comes about every 2-5 min. I’m not exaggerating that. I am almost always interrupted constantly throughout my day/ no matter what I am doing- with emergencies, someone fighting, someone hungry or thirsty, someone who apparently NEEDs to share a story with me, etc. something… always… all day long!! Even at night while sleeping, there is the possibility of interruptions.
It’s those interruptions that I tend to lose my cool. The busy doesn’t bother me so much. I actually like being busy and I love to always have something to do. ( I also greatly enjoy downtimes too!). But the interruptions- I stress. The distractions that come every 2-5 min. ( I lost count already on how many times I’ve been interrupted just typing this post or just this paragraph!). It’s the interruptions that make me feel defeated. It feels like I’m losing my mind because I don’t ever seem to have one continuous thought -ever.
I’m not the Only one Stressed
However- this past week, I have been gifted with a little insight into these interruptions. This past week my husband has been working from home. All week. Which means he has been around the crazy all week without a break. Whenever He works from home he does his best to help with the kids, so I can get a break and have a little time to do a few projects with fewer distractions.
While I’ve been able to relax a little, his stress levels have seemed to rise. This week I have seen him flip out a little with things that no longer seem to bother me. I’ve found myself laughing at him while he struggles with the kids. I know that sounds bad, and it is a little. But these moments are good for all of us. My husband learns that the stay-at-home life is not “easy” or “relaxed” as it seems to be. And my kids have to learn how to function and not anger their father (they don’t get away with as much when daddy is around)
I get to see How far I’ve come as a Mom
For me, I definitely get a break from the 24/7 of my job description, but I also noticed I get the gift of seeing how far I’ve come as a mom. When I watch my husband struggle with things that I no longer struggle with, or I’ve already learned years ago how to do, I chill out a bit. When I see him get frustrated with interruptions that I no longer look at as interruptions and have accepted as normal life, I realize that I have grown as a mom. Many of those things he struggles with or gets stressed about- they don’t bother me as much as they do to him, because he is not “used” to it in every day, daily life.
It gives me confidence in the current moments where I feel like I’m being defeated. Or those moments where I lose my cool. I realize that they are just growing pains for me. And in time, they may get a little less. I’m not confident enough to say they will go away completely, but I do feel a little better about it.
Thankful for Disruptions – AMAZINGLY
So moral is- I’m thankful for these moments of clarification. I’m thankful for the blessings that cause me constant disruption. It can be really frustrating, but I don’t know anything that is as worth the disruption as my family and kids.
“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own,’ or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life — the life God is sending one day by day.” -CS Lewis – <3
