This past week, I had a stuffy, throbby head. I didn’t sleep well, and every time I was asleep it seemed like a child woke me up for help using the potty or help finding a bunny. SO, I was running on empty for the last half of the week. After we painted the little people, I couldn’t settle to anything, and little things started to IRK me. I became the tired version of myself, grudgingly doing the bare minimum and not finding the same satisfaction in my day with my kids as I wanted to. Plus, I felt bad about feeling cranky, thus getting trapped in the all too familiar cycle of tired-impatient-wishing-I-wasn’t.
It was a battle to be patient and calm. There were still plenty of happy moments, and I was tempted to post pictures of them and never mention my cloudy mood here on the blog, but I want this to be about our REAL life, not the life we wish for! I’m not going to post every single thing that happens, but I don’t want to only post the perfect stuff either. I want to remember the good and the blah. It makes everything better to remember both the ups and the downs. Hence the story of my sinuses. I’m not saying things are suddenly easy-peasy (are they ever), but my sinuses have finally stopped pulsing so painfully. Things are at least looking good again. It’s up to me to MAKE them good, of course.
Motherhood is amazing—one second you’re in seventh heaven with two sweet perfect kids and the next second you want to hide in a dark quiet closet. I think the trick is expecting the ups and downs and embracing them. For example: ok, so today we had an awesome morning and did 15 projects but now the afternoon is looking bleak. Time for a little quiet reading time and a snack to re-charge! Time to make grilled cheese for dinner. Time to ask for a massage from my husband! Time to turn on Sesame Street so I can recoup. It’s ok! It’s way easier to write this than to believe it and do it in the moment!
Whew, thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Now, for the real purpose of this post:
Every now and then on Facebook, I click on links to articles shared by my friends. It all depends on the friend and what they say about the article and what the article is about. I read another good one today, and since some of my favorite people don’t use Facebook, I thought I’d share it here too:
It’s written by a non-LDS woman who graduated from Princeton University and decided to stay at home to raise her kids rather than get a high-paying job. She’s responding to a claim that graduates of ivy-league schools who do not enter the workforce are wasting their fancy degrees. Although I have never felt undervalued or “wasted,” I found her perspective on the whole MOM thing very refreshing. I simply loved her calm confidence in the face of so many worldly claims, criticisms, and expectations.
The quality of her writing alone makes me wish there were more bloggers/pinners/social-networkers out there with Princeton degrees. She writes like I dream of writing—she doesn’t have to resort to made-up words or intentional grammar-faux-pas or puns or alliteration to make herself crystal clear. She doesn’t even use big words or overdo it on the adjectives. She just uses tight, well-structured sentences grouped snugly into meaningful, flowing paragraphs. Eloquence. Fully-educated, full-time Moms inspire me.
Here are my other favorite life-commentaries, which I’ve posted links to before but thought I’d add here as well because they count as inspiring, happy “shares” too:
To my husband from your stay at home wife/mom
Dear ole life. There’s always something.
1 comment:
Shaina - This article is awesome. As you can imagine this topic is on my mind oh just everyday :). I always love to hear/read other people's insights and this was perfect, thanks for posting!
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