Ever stand and look around your house and have that "WOAH" feeling come over you?! The "my house looks as though 4 tornado's" went rushing through without warning. Tiara's tossed on your nightstand. Toys scattered on your bedroom floor. This isn't college and I am not celebrating my 21st birthday! Yes, I like to wear Tiara's but mama's gettin' real here. My quotes used to come from comedy movies...not Disney and Pixar movies. I used to shower at least 1-2x a day. Now I "try" to shower daily. But lets get real. Its usually every other. My makeup routine went from a makeup bag to 5 simple steps I can do in a matter of 2 minutes. Shave my legs? Why? Once a month at least.
My once manicured fingers and toes now reflect chipping, dulled paint. While my 3 year old has a perfect manicure. My every 6 week trip to the salon for fresh highlights is now stretched into a 3 month period. Sometimes longer and I have perfected the top knot bun. The higher the bun...the closer to God they say.
I am envious of my 9 month olds wardrobe. Mine on the other hand, has seen better days. Lets not even talk about the fact my yoga pants are actually my favorite old maternity pants from 7 years ago that are slowly getting holes all down the seams. Or that my favorite daily wear (around the house ONLY) are my ugly black gauchos that I am sure on more than one occasion my husband has tried to throw away. I used to shop at the Limited. Banana Republic knew me by name. But now a days the Target employees know me by the sound of my voice. I don't bother trying stuff on. What's the point? It takes me 45 minutes to try on a pair of pants I can no longer slip over my thighs and a shirt that "says" its women's but must have come from the teen section as I feel like a twinkie.
When my children and I go out into public we actually get stared at. I look at my 7 year old and ask her if I have something in my teeth and then look around to make sure everyone is wearing pants. I get the sympathetic look from strangers as they mutter under their breath to me "You sure have your hands full." and smile like I just asked for their opinion on my life. I always respond with, "Nope. I have my heart full." I smile at them and then walk away. The look on their faces instantly changes. And I think to myself. Take that.
Some may look at my "job" as unfulfilled. The fact that my husband and I choose for me to be home and raise our children. To be a homemaker, a chef, a house cleaner (although the house rule is come in if you can get in most days!), tutor, nurse, chauffeur. Yes, I do not bring in lots of cash. We would be able to move into a much bigger, nicer home. Put our children in anything they wanted, but I would miss them far too much. I don't care about my black card from Banana Republic anymore (actually its now a different color...I was shocked when I no longer got free hemming...after all what's a short girl gonna do?!) I miss parts of my "before" life. {REMEMBER LOT'S WIFE!} But living with the noise, mess and craziness the last 7 years...I think I would feel lonely. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Instead of giving me sympathy for the little people running around me feet. Give me a high five. Be like the little old lady that ran into me 2 different times in 2 different stores. Recognizing me and telling me what a good job I was doing. That I am raising well mannered children who are going to do good things.
My once manicured fingers and toes now reflect chipping, dulled paint. While my 3 year old has a perfect manicure. My every 6 week trip to the salon for fresh highlights is now stretched into a 3 month period. Sometimes longer and I have perfected the top knot bun. The higher the bun...the closer to God they say.
I am envious of my 9 month olds wardrobe. Mine on the other hand, has seen better days. Lets not even talk about the fact my yoga pants are actually my favorite old maternity pants from 7 years ago that are slowly getting holes all down the seams. Or that my favorite daily wear (around the house ONLY) are my ugly black gauchos that I am sure on more than one occasion my husband has tried to throw away. I used to shop at the Limited. Banana Republic knew me by name. But now a days the Target employees know me by the sound of my voice. I don't bother trying stuff on. What's the point? It takes me 45 minutes to try on a pair of pants I can no longer slip over my thighs and a shirt that "says" its women's but must have come from the teen section as I feel like a twinkie.
When my children and I go out into public we actually get stared at. I look at my 7 year old and ask her if I have something in my teeth and then look around to make sure everyone is wearing pants. I get the sympathetic look from strangers as they mutter under their breath to me "You sure have your hands full." and smile like I just asked for their opinion on my life. I always respond with, "Nope. I have my heart full." I smile at them and then walk away. The look on their faces instantly changes. And I think to myself. Take that.
I will walk through the store and holler out "Ducks in a row. Mind your manners." as we are trying to squeeze past people in isles. While my children line up youngest to oldest behind me saying "Excuse me." while they walk past strangers. I then get tapped on the shoulder and asked if I am babysitting? I reply with, "Nope. They are all mine." I have not figured out why because I have 4 children we are an anomaly to people. My mom is 1 of 6. My dad is 1 of 8. My mother in law is 1 of 10 and my father in law is 1 of 6. No my children were not accidents. Yes they were all planned. You see GOD had it planned. He also had it planned that I would have 4 children in heaven waiting for us. I have 8 of the greatest blessings I could ever ask for. Psalm 127:3-5 Behold,
children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put
to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Some may look at my "job" as unfulfilled. The fact that my husband and I choose for me to be home and raise our children. To be a homemaker, a chef, a house cleaner (although the house rule is come in if you can get in most days!), tutor, nurse, chauffeur. Yes, I do not bring in lots of cash. We would be able to move into a much bigger, nicer home. Put our children in anything they wanted, but I would miss them far too much. I don't care about my black card from Banana Republic anymore (actually its now a different color...I was shocked when I no longer got free hemming...after all what's a short girl gonna do?!) I miss parts of my "before" life. {REMEMBER LOT'S WIFE!} But living with the noise, mess and craziness the last 7 years...I think I would feel lonely. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Instead of giving me sympathy for the little people running around me feet. Give me a high five. Be like the little old lady that ran into me 2 different times in 2 different stores. Recognizing me and telling me what a good job I was doing. That I am raising well mannered children who are going to do good things.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 And
these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall
teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you
sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down,
and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they
shall be as front-lets between your eyes. You shall write them on the
doorposts of your house and on your gates. If you see a mom...stressed out. Bags under her eyes. Hair all a mess. Do something nice for her. Buy her a coffee gift card. Give her a smile or simply say to her "You are SUCH a good Mom! What blessings you have!" Give her a hand up...not a hand down.
So, although my home resembles a daycare center. I no longer keep up with the fashion trends around me or that a date night consists of parking the mini-van that I REFUSE to CALL a mini-van (its a Swagger wagon as I have MAD crazy swagger!) in the hippest parts of Portland. I proudly think to myself...yep. I'm a mom! And you know what? I am dang proud of it!
"And I think it possible that by
confining your child to blameless stories of child life in which nothing
alarming ever happens, you would fail to banish the terrors, and would succeed
in banishing all that can ennoble them or make them endurable. For, in the
fairy tales, side by side with the terrible figures, we find the immemorial
comforters and protectors, the radiant ones; and the terrible figures are not
merely terrible, but sublime." C.S. Lewis
