Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Life in a Household of SIX

I always get off to a great start on blogging and then I crash and burn. Life starts to happen and it's all I can do to keep up on my day to day let alone do anything extra. It isn't that life isn't good or going well it's just there is so much going on I don't have time for the little extras that I would like to be doing. I think blogging is the new way to vent out thoughts, frustrations, joys and whatever else is going on and I wish I had more time to sit down and do it!

I also feel like I get off to a great start on exercising, eating better, feeling better and then I crash and burn on that. I think my life needs to be about little steps as opposed to the big ones. The bigger the step the harder the stumble it seems. There are so many things that are out of my control and so when I take the big steps forward, the path I'm on seems to have a curve that I'm not expecting and I trip. Whereas if I'm taking baby steps I'm able to adjust when there is a curve I didn't see.

In the past 2 months, I managed to throw my back out, have a husband start working out of town, have a teething daughter, and a bunch of other never ending adjustments in changing kids and life. I've learned with parenting 4 children as soon as I think we've gotten into a groove, a child starts a new habit or has a slight change in how they process life and then suddenly we're starting all over again in the groove and how we all function together
let alone how I process in my life and my thoughts. I've realized lately that I really struggle with jealousy and maybe even envy of others. I have never thought of myself as a truly jealous person yet I'll find myself thinking I wish I had that person's self control in eating, or their ability to go to the gym. I'll think their life seems so much easier than mine or why do they get those things and I don't? I have to remind myself that the Lord has been good to me and is good to me. "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me" (Psalm 13:5-6).

Maybe my husband is hardly home and can rarely take time off but when he is here, our household has joy in it and we have fun together. Some husbands work 8 to 5 and are home all the other time but there isn't happiness and joy. OR other husbands may not be working but they're out at the bar after work with co-workers or they come home and sit in front of the TV the rest of the evening. I have to remind myself that even though all of the time isn't perfect we have a lot of wonderful, amazing times. But it's so easy to fall into these jealous thoughts that can create tension when I complain out loud to my husband and can make me feel ashamed of myself that I can't be content with what I have.

Speaking of my wonderful husband is he built a fort/swing set in our backyard that the kids LOVE!
We'll add a swing to it eventually but the kids have so much fun swinging and playing pretend on the fort part. What is truly amazing to me is my husband just drew this out one day, figured out what wood he needed and then built this. He didn't use plans or anything! I could never do that.

One more thing I wanted to share was this article I read today. The article got me thinking about the baby steps and how in this life it feels easy to blow everything up so big that it seems daunting and not worth even trying. I think in parenting and in the rest of life sometimes simple is easier and even better, but I take it one day at at time because life is a constantly moving, shifting deal. But the article put a huge desire into me to write this so that's how it ties into my day.

1 comment:

  1. Oh my gosh, you totally nailed it. Parenting small kids is definitely not for wusses. I hear it get worse in the teen years. I know that hearing that will totally cheer you up. :-)

    I know I struggle with jealousy too. Other people's vacations, celan houses, flat stomachs... I try to remember all of the things God has blessed us with too, but somedays I have to grit my teeth.

    ReplyDelete