Yesterday was just one of those days. And so much so that I did not even have the energy to blog about it until this morning. One of my daughters peed on the carpet (the one that has no excuse for such things), I found out Djeryd’s Civil War costume was due this morning, the toilet in the guest bathroom overflowed, I had been single-parenting for three consecutive days, Alyx was still sick, the laundry mountain seemed to multiply exponentially throughout the day, the girls did not get their after-lunch naps, NO ONE would do anything I asked until I threatened with a consequence of some kind, and I thought my head was going to explode with all the frustration I was trying so desperately to keep under control.
Not a horrible day, but not one of my best, either.
At one critical point I walked into my bedroom, closed the door, flopped on my bed and tried to turn all those frustrations into blessings. I decided to be thankful for the pile of laundry screaming at me to be folded because it meant I had a family of so many wonderful people that can play and run and get dirty. I was also grateful because it meant that we had enough clothes that there were extras; more than just the clothes on our backs. That growing pile of clean laundry also meant that my washer and dryer were working – I could be doing lots of other things, like making dinner, and the laundry was still getting done (and multiplying). I was grateful for that pile because it meant I had a good excuse to put on a movie and fold my laundry in the peace and quiet of the night. And I was grateful because I knew I would feel so accomplished when it was all folded and put away.
I went through each difficulty and tried to see the good. I felt so much better when I abruptly walked out of the room five minutes later (because Anna was screaming at me that Erik needed help with his knitting project – good for fine motor skills).
The inner peace and calm did not last for too long. Within a couple of hours I was in my closet bawling my eyes out (from exhaustion, I think). But it’s okay. The bottom line is I didn’t explode, which is a really big deal for me. And today is a fresh day, a new start, with no mistakes (except we got up late and I kind of got grumpy with everybody trying to get out the door, and I over-reacted with Erik playing with his alarm clock instead of brushing his teeth). Oh, well, I mean tomorrow is a fresh day, a new start, yadda, yadda, yadda . . .
3 comments:
Even better, tomorrow is Saturday!
Oh MyLiege, I know how you feel! Parenting is exhausting, espeically when you are doing it on your own. But the truth of the matter is that your children are so blessed to have you as a mom, even on days that may feel rough to you.
Good for you for not exploding. I certainly can't say I succeeded very often in that department! One of my favorite phrases that got me through those ruff days was "This, too, shall come to pass." And you know what? It did! And I survived.
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