Because what I do all day doesn’t affirm me in the form of a paycheck, a thank-you, a ‘nice job’, or any other form of accolade, I am obnoxiously bragging about myself to try to overtly seek your affirmation and encouragement that I am indeed good…no great, at what I do all day. Which, to me, never seems like enough as the list for tomorrow always seems longer than the list for today.
Take today, for example. Just an average Wednesday.
- Feed and dress myself and girls
- Get myself, girls, and Jell-O chiffon to church in time to work in the nursery
- Change myriad diapers, feed babies bottles, rock, hug, play with, and wipe noses of said babies
- Eat lunch at kiddie-tables 6 inches off the ground with other nursery workers and their kids
- Get 3 kids and leftover Jell-O chiffon packed into van and drop Liam off at preschool on time
- Get check cashed at the bank–2 lollies for 2 lil’ girls
- Grocery shop with 2 very tired and cranky little girls
- Go to library to pick up ‘Northanger Abbey’ video
- Get home, unpack groceries, put Jell-O chiffon in fridge, change Addi’s diaper, change into work clothes, change Elli into play clothes
- Rake 3 bags of leaves from our front yard
- Pick up doggy-doo in back yard
- Hard boil eggs for dinner
- Fold basket of laundry and put away
- Put girls in van to go pick Liam up from preschool
- Chat with preppy moms despite wearing Champion shorts from high school and “day of the African child” t-shirt and purple Crocs
- 3 kids buckled in van and brought home
- Use leaf blower to clean out garage and clear leaves from front lawn
- Mow front lawn
- Chop vegetables, cheese, eggs, and make amazing salad-bar for dinner, thaw homemade cinnamon raisin bread
- Eat dinner, clean up, run dishwasher, eat 4 pieces of Russel Stover dark chocolate candies
- Miss meeting I should have been at b/c Dan has a church meeting that trumps me (grrrr)
- Move sprinkler that is watering front lawn
- Bathe 3 children
- Start laundry
- Brush kids’ teeth
- Turn off sprinkler
- Read kid books
- Tuck kids into bed
- Empty dishwasher and clean kitchen
- Call ICR and get in-home taste-test
- Send out prayerlink e-mail, e-mail future-sis-in-law’s sister to see if we can combine personal shower/bachelorette shower rather than duplicating effort, e-mail Diane re: LAB this week
- Make this list
- Wind up sprinkler hose
- Put clothes in dryer
- Go to bathroom, shower and change in to PJ’s, read book and probably faint dead away until tomorrow when the list starts all over again with a vengeance
You are a rock star!! I should do this, maybe it would look like I actually accomplished something….probably not.
A mom’s life is not an easy one. Moms are amazing. I am glad I found your blog.
Doesn’t it totally make you feel amazing when you can complete a list like this!? I was compiling my list in my head all day myself.
Be affirmed, my friend. You are GREAT at what you do!
How you have the energy to do this every day is spectacular! You really are super mom.
Seriously, that is amazing! I just dealt with sick kids and doctors appointments. You are awesome!
I feel like I need a nap after just reading your list. :] Just know that you do an incredible, though never-ending, job. Not only are we not affirmed, not payed, and not thanked by our children, we don’t get the time off and flexibility and alone time that people with real jobs do. :[ But they don't get the hugs and kisses and "i love you, mommy", and all the goofy kid-isms that we get. That's much better! :]
You are ALL so right. And I have to send a “right back atcha” to all of you too.
DiaperDiaries, I have no idea how you blog every single day, CVS to EARN money, socialize, play with your girls, and all the other amazing wifely things you do. By the way, did you succeed in your 30 days in a row?
Becoming Me, I love your words. I love the name you chose, and so identify with them. Thanks for finding LAB and visiting AND commenting! I hope you’ll hang in there with us on this journey of momming and me-ing.
Anne, sewer of all things that can be sewn, I’m waiting for you to sew my super-Jenna suit. How you keep your house clean and decorated and live through house projects is beyond me. You need a super suit too.
Jean–how you Ballance (hah, get my wittyness?) all YOU do making homemade crackers, playing with your kids, keeping your house pristine, singing in front of people, scheduling life with one car, getting ready for a move, freecycling, Craigs’listing, doing in-home daycare and how ever much more I didn’t even mention is way, way beyond me. And tae-bo? Do you never sleep girl?
Kristi–doctors appointments and sick kids are the worstest ever. They are draining, frustrating, trials in patience, tests of the utmost endurance and 110% thankless. We take for granted our kids’ health until they’re sick and we’re incapacitated, put out, spit-up on, waiting forever in a germ-riddled office, crying because the co-pay for prescriptions went up, and that our kids just spit out the medicine because it didn’t taste like soda like they were expecting. So kudos to you for making it through a gruesome day yesterday.
Lyndsay, please remove your foot from my backside and accept this thank-you card for putting me back in my place. You are right–that was just the kick-in-the-pants that I needed. I get thanks, just not in the same way I’ve been accustomed to in the past. And more than my spouse gets with her impersonal paycheck. Who wants money anyway…phooey!
You are a capable, competent, creative, intelligent woman, and your mini-mes and mini-Dan are incredibly blessed to be learning from someone so talented with a full heart for Jesus. It seems so thankless now, but adults who had a good Mama never forget her.
i actually think this is a great drill for all of us moms to run on occasion. i sometimes wonder where the day goes and feel like i haven’t accomplished a thing. it’s only when we take the time to reflect that we see with new eyes.
or…you can have surgery and watch your house collapse underneath you to know that you have worth.
)
um, no. We quit after the second week because NEITHER of us were enjoying it. When you HAVE to, it just isn’t as much fun. I am trying to up the ante, but just not so crazy.
Cindy, I haven’t even had surgery and I feel like the house is collapsing. I have no excuse. Sigh.
DiaperDiaries thanks for being honest. If you had told me you guys had done 30 successive days with two children, life and job stresses, sickness in the house, etc, I would have seriously wondered if you were human. I’m glad to know “the truth” of the matter and not feel so guilty about our…ahem…lapses.
Hang in there. This mom thing is way tougher than any of us ever expected. None of us have it all together even part of the time — we’re just really good at faking it for short periods of time when we know people are watching. I’ve personally been avoiding piles of laundry all day because I’m just so tired! And the dirty dishes too. And the beds that need changing. The baby hasn’t had a bath since I-don’t-know-when. The ants are having a feast in my dining room cuz I can’t get the sweeper out to clean up after my toddler. And the list goes on.