Call me lame, but this is like a HUGE deal for me. I used to keep my place spotless. I had no problem having my dwelling stay neat. But add a few toddlers into the mix, that like to "pull" things from every location possible, and well within a huge time span of about 5 minutes or less, you have a huge mess on your hands. And the endless efforts of going right behind them, and repicking everything up that you just put away is almost redundant. (HECK, I think it actually is.)
So I added a few more kids to the mix, and before they were to an age to really be of any great amount of help, I kept trying to be SUPER MOM. But, my energy and efforts seemed almost in vain, to no avail. So I guess you can say I almost kind of "GAVE UP" on trying to be SUPER MOM. The effort it took to be so, and the amount of energy to be one required way more than I seemed willing to give anymore, at that time.
I now have kids that are older, and all five kids help with the dishes (at least when I'm on my game) and now that I have the boy's bedroom cleaned up, it's been easy to stay on top of them tidying up the room every afternoon and evening. And the livingroom is getting tidied up in the evening as well.
I'm not supermom, but I'm starting to realize that it really is just outside my grasp. With a little more practice, I'm sure I'll be up to par again. I have a huge issue called LAUNDRY. But I have been getting rid of extra clothing, and donating to second hand stores. And the more I give to them, the LESS I have to deal with.
And when it's a Monday, and the kids have gone back to school after a week long spring break with no where to go, it was fun to be in the semi clean house, and feel somewhat at peace today. And trying to get the kids going on homework, while also letting them have time to be kids while the daylight is out and get dinner on the table before bedtime, can be almost a hard thing to juggle and balance.
So I applaud those women who have it together. And for each of them "IT" seems to be always different.
I have my friend Christina who seems to be a great example of a Mother. She's expecting her 8th child, has a set of twins, and five of her 7 kids are in school. And she always seems to have activities going on for them, and places they go for family trips and such, and it probably helps that she has a great husband helping her with a great job too. She is organized, and has goals, and ideals of what she wants her kids to be like as adults. She is patient and loving, and really loves being with her kids. There is a lot that I learn from her. And she is also a budding photographer as well.
I also have my friend Kanani who isn't a blogger, but she lives in my neighborhood, and she has 6 children, and never seems to "lose" her mind at all. She's very thoughtful and caring of her family, and she also tries to help her friends and check on them as well. She has lots of ideas on how to serve other people, and just because she has a baby, she doesn't let that slow her down. She exercises, and takes her kids to places for soccer and such, and fullfills her role as a woman very well.
Then there is Elisha. She has three beautiful little girls. I can totally relate to that part, since my first three were little girls, now they have grown up to be bigger girls. But with Elisha, she enjoys the simple moments in her life. She gets involved with the activities her children do. She takes pictures of them, and has all sorts of creative talents. She isn't afraid to try new things, and always goes on limb to help another out. She's great at serving her little family, and showing how much others mean to her. She never has anything negative to say about anyone. She's always finding good things to say!! She also has a knack for wearing "grungy" clothes and making them look good.
There is also Jennifer who is a neighbor, that I just adore!! We're both the mothers of five children, and have similar stories to share and feel relieved in the fact that we have someone else who understands where we are at, and have been and are headed. She's not perfect, and neither am I, but she's headed in the right direction. She knows what her family lacks in and tries her best to get them what is needed, (speaking spiritually here) and she is amazing with what she has done over the last several years, with loosing weight and totally keeping it off. She's determined, and consistent. Traits I wish I were better at. She has a system down with her kids for cleaning up, and putting things away...and I learn so much from her.
There is Stephanie, who is just starting her journey in motherhood as of three years ago, and already expecting number 3 in a few more weeks (May I think). She's doing her best already to be SUPER MOM, trying to feed her kids healthy food, developing talents, going with her ideas, a good friend, and super great at living a good life. She has so many great talents, and aspires to become better at them, and learn more as she goes. She is great with her kids, and although I see her stuggle sometimes, I know what she's going through, since I've already been there, but she seems to deal with it better.
These are just a few of the friends I have that I've learned a lot from recently, and I could go on and maybe some other time I will. They aren't famous people, but they take their roles as women, wifes and mothers to heart and do their best. Someday I hope to take all the things from these ladies and be just as great as they are.
So after having a simple little lesson on families tonight for FHE (which stands for Family Home Evening) I started thinking about examples in my life, that I wanted to be more like. Thanks for your examples!! It means a lot to me.
So I think I'm at a starting point now, and will continue in this direction, but in the meantime, I'll go eat a few cookies and continue to read the second Fablehaven book. (That is a good series by the way)
** If you weren't mentioned, don't take it personally. This post is already half the length of a novel. Because there are several of you out there that I know, love and respect for how you handle your roles. So give yourselves a pat on the back, and the next time you eat or see a chocolate chip cookie.... know I'm thinking of you. I MEAN IT!!!
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