Our family just got back from a nice weeklong vacation with the kids. It took a good three days for me to recoup and rest after the week we had. I wanted nothing more than to sit and read a good book, get off my feet and be pampered. (by who?, I have no idea, but the dream is there) However, duty as a mom never ends. Nor does the laundry!
Even before we left, it felt as though I might have gone and packed up our entire house to move again, because that’s what it seemed like getting our family of 7 packed for an entire week. And it was our smallest and youngest child who needed the most “stuff”. She seriously had more bags and boxes of “stuff” than the other six of us combined. And fitting it all in our vehicle is another story. Thankfully, I and my husband grew up in the age of Tetris and we eventually got it all to fit.
After a week of “vacationing with the kids” (lol- vacationing with kids!- that’s an oxymoron for sure!), we came back to a semi-clean house; however the moment we came home, there was so much to be done. A cranky baby from an 8-hour drive, mounds of laundry, stinky clothes and shoes from getting stuck in a rainstorm the day before, mouths that needed to be fed, and lots of back up work that was put off for the week-long vacation out of town.
However, even though I was so exhausted, (and during a few moments, seriously questioned ever going on any “vacation” with the kids again) I eventually had a few moments to get off my worn-out feet and rest. They didn’t come at every moment that I wanted, but I was able to sneak a few in here and there. And you know what.. it helped. A lot! It may have taken me almost a week to recover from the trip, but I feel refreshed and ready to get back into it. Then tackle that to-do list that has been backed up ever since I became a mom.
The point is, is that I don’t think I’ve ever had such an exhausting vacation. Five kids on vacation is a huge undertaking and chore. I know so many look at the work of having a large brood of kids and laugh at the idea of doing so much work. (sometimes I do it myself) But the reality is that it passes. There are breaks along the way too.
If you find yourself in a very exhausted time, try to focus on the breaks that God does send. Don’t focus so much on all the things that go bad. Focus on the blessings right in front of you. It is amazing what you will find along the way and how refreshing it is to your spirit when you can look up and see God rather than looking down just to see yourself trudging along. And be extremely thankful for those breaks – The small rests that come in between, because the reality of life is that they should never come, but Praise God, He insists we have them.
