The Mommy Marathon: keep running!

➼➼➼ The Mommy Marathon ➼➼➼

Today I feel so incredibly tired. I mean the kind of tired that makes your head feel heavy to hold up. I just want my bed. But there are 3 little people calling me, always needing something. Just look at 'em... those sweet faces. It's hard to believe that I've been a mom for 5 years now. You know, the first few years weren't too bad. Sure, I had moments where I lost it & days that I wasn't proud of my mothering skills. But when I just had one baby, I sort of felt lost. I was a mom, but I also had lots of down time that I didn't know how to fill. And goodness' sake, I look back and wish my house could be as clean now as it was then! It was as if having just one child to care for left me with only one foot in the "mommy-hood" door so to speak. Yes, I was now in the realm of the stay-at-home-moms, but I felt i was only just breaching this new domain. Anyone else out there feeling that way? You're half way in the door & not sure what it's going to take to get you all the way in. 

But then the other babies come, as they have a tendency to do... And all of a sudden you find yourself surrounded by a whole gaggle of little people who all rely on YOU. You feed them, clothe them, keep said clothes clean, maintain as tidy a house as the minions allow, and it never seems to let up. It is all consuming & utterly exhausting. 

I am literally writing this while my middle child is putting her baby dolls to bed under my chair.... yup. And my firstborn is building his legos riiiiight next to me. He actually pulled up a chair so he could camp out. I feel like they're on top of me & I can't get a quiet minute to myself! Oh, Lord, help me. *Sigh.* 

 It's like kids are just tiny energy sucking, noise making, havoc wreaking, needy humans. So needy. Seriously, is it just me?! In fact, my three year old, Charlie, has been saying about a million times a day lately that she "wants" me. Whiny little voice, hands reaching up at me or grabbing whatever part of my body she can get at. "Mommy, I want you." Uuuugggh. I want to pull my hair out! It would be funny if it wasn't so excruciatingly maddening. I mean, she's three.     I KNOW she needs me. Charlie & her two siblings still need me for basically -ALL-THE-THINGS-. And those little hands grabbing at me has been pushing me over the edge lately. It makes me feel like I'm the mom in this comic strip - running the "momathon" and with every step I take, I immediately fall two steps back. 

I love this comic strip. It's so perfect. The mom's face when her hubby says, "well, tomorrow's another day." Priceless.  

Do you have older moms tell you that "you're going to miss these days"? Riiiiight. Pardon me if I have a hard time believing that. I might miss my kids being small enough to snuggle in my lap, but I really doubt that I'm going to long for mountains of dirty dishes & laundry again. And if I could just sleep... oh to have an un-interrupted nights' sleep. 

But, let's be honest. I wouldn't give up my 3 kids for anything. And I'm sure you feel the same. So, bring on the coffee, mama. Gear up. As my friend, Sarah W., says, "onward & upward". Tomorrow is indeed another day and it will probably be filled with much of the same. But those little people have ears that need the truth of God's word, they have hands that need teaching about kindness & respect, they have hearts that need our loving & patient guidance. You see, YOU matter, sweet mama. What you do & say matters. And it matters where you go when you feel yourself drowning in the mundane. The Bible is rich with wisdom & God has never failed to give me just what I need in order to press on in the mommy marathon. 
(*go read my post on The Rock! https://www.livingatthewell.com/2018/07/the-rock-finding-stability-hope-for-our.html ) 

My kids may not be showering me with thank you's & flowers for being an amazing mom. But wouldn't it be so fulfilling to have your kids, someday when they're grown, turn around and carry on your legacy with their own family? They will undoubtedly pass on something.... the question is, will you be proud of what they learned from you?  I am extremely thankful for my mom & dad (and grandparents) who gave me a beautiful gift in the godly legacy that they modeled. What a gift! I still go to my parents often - not just for advice, but for wisdom. They have both taken the time to get to know the Lord God, who He is and God's words to us (the Bible). The word of God has been, for me, an anchor. I pray it will be the same for my children. And for you, dear mama. 

Are you taking the time, making the effort (oh, yes, it will take some work) to be intentional about the things you are teaching your own children? I think you'll find that the reward is well worth the effort. 

Psalm 78: 5-7

"...He (the Lord) commanded our fathers that they should teach the Law & commandments of the LORD to their children, that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they might arise and tell them to their children, that they should put their confidence in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments."

I'm lacing up my running shoes, friends - who's with me?! 

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