Wednesday, March 28, 2007

My (real) Wednesday

You know how you read some women's posts and just feel like a failure?? Like, wow, how did she get ALL that done in one week, let alone one day? Sometimes I feel that way. Sometimes I feel inspired to move my bum and get lots done. Sometimes I'm inspired to pick up a new hobby or finish a project long since forgotten. But many times I feel, well, like a loser.

So I'm giving up the image - you know, the "I have it all together" image. I don't. Never have. Never will. I'm just getting through my days the best I can. When I read the Bible consistantly, things are better. The earlier I get up is directly related to how much I get done. And hey, some days just fall apart.

But I'm tired of so many mommas (including myself) feeling as though we have to be able to "do it all" or live up to some book or some ideal blogger. The Lord is the one we should be going to. Going to Him FIRST. I really like the plate analogy. He will tell us how big our plate is at the moment (I think my plate is just a saucer at this season in my life, honestly) and what exactly we should have on our plate. If we try to pick our own plate and fill it ourselves - well, like our own kids, we're likely to pick the biggest, brightest plate EVER and then fill it to overflowing. What happens next? We immediately drop it on the floor and spill everything - then feel like a failure.

So here's my REAL Wednesday:

Got up around 8:20am. Nursed the baby in bed (while still half asleep).
My dh tried to talk to me during this time, but I am NOT a pleasant person to talk to in the mornings. Poor dh....
Once baby was fed and changed, I went to the kitchen to help my dh finish the smoothies and pack up the food for his staff chapel.

After dh left (a little after 9am), I got the kids some toast w/ jelly and some juice. While they were eating, I got the kitchen all cleaned up and the dishwasher going. I drank some leftover smoothie and a cup of coffee while I checked my emails/blogs/etc.

Next I started some laundry - the never ending laundry pile that it is. Today I had to do lots and lots of towels. Selah helped me get the laundry gathered. After that, I got Selah in the SINK for a quick bath and got her dressed. The kids then went to their rooms for some "room time".

I nursed the baby AGAIN (he must not have eaten very well first thing in the morning) while watching some Food Network (I love that channel). I seperated some more laundry, got the kids laundry, and moved everything around. I then took a phone call from my mom until my cell phone died during our conversation.

Finally, it was time for my shower. While the kids were still in room time, I took a quick "barely time to shave your legs" shower. Once dressed, I helped the kids pick up their rooms. I open up all the windows to air the place our. Selah was starting to look sick (great). I set everyone at the table and heated up some left over mac-n-cheese and gave them some milk. Selah didn't take one bite.

While they ate, I emptied the dishwasher and refilled it (with the many cups and things I find throughout my day, throughout my house). I also run back and forth to my bathroom, trying to blow-dry and curl my hair. If I dont' do it now, it will dry funny (you know what I mean). I dit down at the table long enough to pray with the kids, adding in a special prayer that momma remains NICE to her babies, that I don't get frustrated and MAD and that there will be NO YELLING (I'm working on anger, can you tell). I then get Selah comfy on the couch, wrapped in a blankie watching, you guessed it, Food Network. She immediately falls asleep.

Once lunch is cleaned up w/ Isaac & Tali's help, I get Isaac in the tub (after he wiped down the kid's toilet) and Tali in the sink. I move some more laundry around and wash both of them up. I start to pack the kid's diaper bag for church tonight. I finish curling my hair. I get Tali dry, lotioned up and dressed. I put her to bed for a nap. I check on Isaac, then move Selah to my bed for her nap/Quiet Time. She hardly wakes up. I grab the baby, my Bible study book, my medicine and a diaper on my way out the door.

I nurse the baby again, give him (and myself) the medicine for thrush. I yell to make sure Isaac hasn't completely turned into a raisin yet. He *loves* taking a bath, so I don't really feel that bad. I lay the baby down on the couch and run outside to pull in the trash containers (I didn't want to leave that for dh, since he's so busy tonight). I grab the mail and throw the bills on dh's desk. I grab a Slim-Fast shake out of the back fridge and down my lunch.

Next I get Isaac out of the tub and he gets himself dressed. I move some more laundry around. I change the baby's poopy diaper and the give him a sink bath too (with some help from Isaac). Isaac then goes to his room for a Quiet Time, while Elijah goes into the swing.

I grab a rag and wipe off our couches, then the t.v. and some pictures. I grab two nails and a hammer and hang up two pictures that have been waiting on the floor for two weeks now.

****Biggie! Have you seen me read the Bible yet? Nope, there's no way to fit it in while all my babies are awake - don't worry, it's coming, it's coming.******

FINALLY, I grab my VERY cold cup of coffee, nuke it and add in lots of creamer and Stevia. I grab my Bible Study book and my Bible and my journal. I set everything up in front of my and then (I couldn't help myself) check my email AGAIN.

So here I am, cup of coffee needing refilled and my Bible study questions awaiting my attention. Yes, the Food Network is still on my t.v. and three of my four babies are sleeping. My back is aching and I need to put on my make-up. Dh will be home soon so I need to run.

***Still to do:
~my Bible study questions.
~Get a bag together with our dinner. We need to bake it (frozen nuggest and hashbrown potatoes) at church since dh has an early meeting before church activites tonight. We only have one car, so we all have to go together.
~Change clothes, do make-up, basically look nice.
~Move the laundry around at least one more time before we leave.
~Get babies up, change two diapers, get Selah dressed nice, do her hair, finish packing kid's bag.
~Nurse the baby RIGHT before we leave.
~BEG dh to stop at Tim Horton's on the way to church for an English Toffee Cappuchino (sp?)

There's so much I *didn't* do. I can't remember the last time I cleaned the master bath. My windows and mirrors need a SERIOUS wiping down. The vacuum is still out from the last time I used it, but I keep thinking I need to vacuum another room and I'm just waiting for some time to do so. I need to put away the mattress and boxspring back into the garage from this weekend when we had houseguests. I can see the dust collecting on my hutch. Our garage is over-packed and I need to move all the yard tools and such to our shed out back and move our grill to the back patio. Maybe then, we can manuever out of the car to the door without cussing.

I don't even think I made my bed. In weeks.


If you made it this far, good for you. The thing is, at the end of the day, I sometimes feel like "what did I *do* today?". Sometimes I feel like my dh is asking himself that when he walks in the door. Yet I know the only time my bum hit the couch was when I was nursing the baby.

My mom is my great encourager. I call her, complain and she immediately reminds me of how much I do in just a basic day taking care of babies and home. She is wonderful!! When I'm feeling like a loser, she reminds me of reality. She makes sure to ask if I'm reading my Bible, if I'm praying throughout my day (which I am, at least I have been recently - there's plenty of times when I allow that all to fall to the wayside). Thank the Lord I have her support in this mother/wife/housekeeping/homeschooling life I feel called to. It means more to me than I could ever express.

There, I'm done. I've got more stuff to do and I gotta hurry.

Wait, did I pee today....

*Michigan Momma*

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting that! Honestly, it's nice to know that I'm NOT the only one who wonders "what on earth did I do today?".

Some days the results are very obvious what we do/did and others well, it's more of a planting or watering day. We don't always see the results, but who knows years from now....well, one can never tell.

Julie said...

HAHA! That looks exactly like my everyday, minus the Food Network, because we dont have cable. Oh yeah and I dont anyone to nurse. Hmm, maybe its not like my day at all. ;)
Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Thank you! Today looks like it's shaping up to be that kind of day for me- and I wanted so much to have the "perfect" kind of day...thanks for the "real life" reminder.

Anna said...

Lori--

I just wanted to say a word of encouragement. Anyone who's done the "lots of babies" thing knows the days you are talking about. You are working harder now than you ever will in your life. Some day you'll be able to take all that energy and discipline and do some other, not less valuable but perhaps more 'visible' things with it. And you'll still have the satisfaction of knowing that you gave the best of yourself to your family while they needed you the most.

Love,
Anna