I've Got This

The queen of, "I've Got This"

 Sometimes I think, “I’m never going to figure this all out.” There are days where everything goes smoothly, the house is clean, I am Patient on a Monument when it comes to parenting, dinner is on time and delicious, and we finished our schooling on time and without tears. But notice, I said there are days, not months, not weeks, just days here and there.  Lately I have been thinking about things that I do that help or hinder those good days. Here are a few things that, if I do them, my day goes better. If, however, I start to skip things on this list, then everything starts to fall apart. 

Pray: Start my day in quiet and in prayers. This means that I have to set my alarm and make certain to get up before the kids do. I take this opportunity to drink a cup of coffee (any coffee that I try to drink After the kids are up, usually ends up as a half-a-cup of cold coffee) and ask the Lord to grant me strength, patience, and grace for the day. If I don’t start my day with prayer, everything seems to fall apart very quickly. 

 

Eat:  Take the time to sit down and eat some food. It isn’t always possible to sit and eat, but I still need to get, healthy, food in my body. Eating a kid’s leftover sandwich as you do the dishes does not count—it is also rather disgusting.  This takes planning. I have the least time at breakfast as I am trying to get things done early so we can get school started. Therefore, I usually have a smoothie.  I can eat it on the go, so it is fast, but I am putting something healthy into my body.

Drink water: Water gives me energy. Nuff said.

Get some exercise: My favorite form of exercise is running—not because I actually like running—because I find it to be the most efficient way for me to get in a good workout. But, go for a walk, rake leaves, chase after kids on their bikes, play tag, do Something that gets you moving and your heart rate up.  When you exercise your body releases endorphins, endorphins make you happy. Who doesn’t want to be happy?

Well, she isn't happy.

Take a break!: Even if it is only for five minutes, sit down, take some deep breaths. Pray! Drink Water! Relax! Then get back to work. 

Go to bed at a decent time: Try for 8 hours of sleep and figure out what this looks like. For me, if I want to get up at 6, and I want 8 hours of sleep, and I know I will be up twice in the night with a baby, then I need to be in bed, lights out, at 9:30pm.  For some this may seem impractical, but I know that when I am not sleeping enough, everyone else suffers. I’m impatient, easily frustrated, I have no motivation to work, I lose my temper easily, I’m unorganized, you get the picture. Basically, I don’t sleep enough, I’m not a nice person. 

Do something for someone else, not because you have to, but because you want to: As a stay-at-home-mom, I am constantly doing something for someone else, and it gets rather exhausting. But, when I take the time to do something extra that I know will make someone else happy, it brings a sense of joy and purpose to what I do. For example, mowing the lawn is not my job, but I love to do it because I know my husband will come home from work, see it, and be really happy that he doesn’t have to mow the lawn. 

Pray some more! Always pray some more!

This one requires lots of prayer.

 There are many things that happen in life that are outside of my control and there are times where it can seem like everything around me is falling apart. Fortunately, all of these things are under my control. “I can’t get the baby to sleep, but I can drink a glass of water.”  Silly, I know, but any little bit helps.