Just one of those days...

This past week, I had one of those days.  You know, those days you feel stressed, overwhelmed, impatient, short-tempered and inadequate, and feel that everything is going wrong!  Actually it was more like my week.  I had so much on my plate between church callings, helping Dave with applying for fellowships, visiting teaching, getting our neighborhood preschool going, doing playgroup, starting up some new piano students, being a wife and mom.  And there was one day where all of these things came to a head.  Everything was so crazy I had no time at all to sit down and breathe, it felt.  And since my kids know what a crazy day I was having, they decided to make it even better for me, ha ha!

Cal was coloring all over the table, and all over himself (like the blue hair?).  I was so mad!  He also kept doing things to just push my buttons all day!

Lucy kept dumping everything out!  She dumped pretzels were all over and she thought it would be fun to scatter them everywhere.  And not just here in the corner...ev-ery-where!  That wasn't the only mess either.  It seemed like our house was a war zone that day.  She also kept trying to eat things she shouldn't.  "Uh oh!"

Emma is usually really good about cleaning up after herself, but not this day, of course.  She pulled out just about every toy we owned and they were all over!  And she was super emotional and whiney (does first grade do that to you?  I've talked to some other moms in Emma's class and they've said the same thing). 

At one point, I had to run downstairs and out into the garage (where they can't open the door because it has a child safety lock on it) by myself for a few minutes to breathe deeply so I wouldn't blow up because I felt like I was going to!  I sometimes feel like I'm pulled in so many directions and it's so hard to balance my time where it needs to be.  Obviously, family is first for me, and I try to give them the most time possible.  But the other things I do aren't really options either, because they are for the benefit of my family.  It's so difficult to balance life sometimes.  Kudos to working moms, because I'm home and I can't even do it sometimes.  I felt I needed to keep my act together though.  So I got calmed and collected and went back and patiently dealt with them (after I yelled at them earlier). 

When Dave came home, he brought pizza home for dinner, which I was so grateful for, because cooking and making another mess was the last thing on my list of things to do.  Then he took over playing foosball and reading to the kids so I could get to the store to get some things on our list (like diapers and a few food items, so exciting, I know), a little retail therapy and then to make copies and laminate some things.  It was so nice to finally have a few moments to myself!  And then when I got home and they were in bed, I was oh, so much better!  Thank you, babe!  Sometimes the best time of the day is bed time.  And then when you wake up the next morning, it's a new day, the world is new again, and everybody (well, mostly) is happy again and you're ready to conquer life and feel like you have better control and love your children again. 

A few Sundays ago, I taught the lesson in Relief Society.  I had to keep telling myself this quote that I loved from the lesson:

“Hold your heads high, you wives, mothers, homemakers.  You engender life and enrich it.  Don’t trade that pervasive force for fleeting, surface trinkets.  Cherish it, enlarge it, magnify it.  You hold a mighty office."  
                                                                                                                                                                               - Barbara B. Smith, past Relief Society General President. 

 

"Gotta keep your head up!"  That's what I had to keep saying over and over to myself.  It's not easy, but I've got to do my best so future generations will call my name blessed.  Ha ha!  Or just look at these pictures and laugh at what an un-fit mother I am!  :)