Tuesday is what I like to call my "this is what it would be like if you were a single mom" day. I honestly don't know how you single moms do it.
Tuesdays are the day that my husband is at school all day. He hates Tuesdays too. He leaves here before 8am, then doesn't get home till after the kids are in bed, usually, 8:30ish.
That means that the usual 5:30pm break I count on, no, live for, doesn't come! Even if he just takes them out to jump on the trampoline while I finish making dinner, it is a much needed break to keep this mama sane!
So what usually ends up happening is that I get frustrated, the kids gets hungry, they get bored, I start something, they interrupt, so I get mad, do a little scolding, then there's some crying, you know the drill.
Stay with me, there is a good message here somewhere...
Today, I was determined to make Tuesday "if you were a single mom, you could totally do this" day.
So, after a very long day with my early rising, short napped and grumpy two year old, we picked her brother up from school and headed home. They watched a little TV, colored, played with ink and stamps, jumped on the trampoline, ate dinner, then we went for a walk, came home, bathed/showered, read books, brushed teeth, said prayers, then went to bed.
After not having time to eat lunch, I finally ate dinner at 8:30 as my husband was walking in the door. It was the first time I had sat down all day.
I know most moms (and dads too!) go through this same routine, or worse, every single day. I certainly know I am not the only one with a busy life and two kids in tow.
But on this Tuesday, I am grateful. Grateful, yes, that it's over!
But also grateful for what I have. I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and two of the most amazing kids in the world.
And even though it's easy to say that, sometimes I have to remind myself.
Especially when the word "mama" has been used 100 times in a row by two very persistent kids who don't understand that when a phone is pressed to my ear, it means I'm talking to someone!
Then my mind wanders...and I think of all the children in the world with no homes, no parents, no family, nothing to call their own. No food, no clothing, no shelter, no one to watch after them or keep them safe. It's heartbreaking.
So the truth is, yes, I hate Tuesdays.
But somehow, today, I've managed to be grateful for them too.
I really am one lucky mama and would happily make every day a Tuesday if I had to, in order to have these three most precious people in my life, with a roof over our heads, food on the table, toy bins overflowing, warm beds and enough love for eternity.
Thank you God for allowing me to be their mother and wife.
(And by the way, as amazing as I think this picture turned out, it was THE only one I could use because a certain little someone with a determination to outsmart me, because she didn't want to take pictures, strategically placed her tiny hand on her brother's, well, her brother's tooshie in every single shot! No wonder she stood still so long for these and giggled, now I know what she was doing. That is so Zoey.)
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