Mommying Made a Little Easier

One of my daughters, the mother of an 18 month old and a 3 year old, just left our home, with two tired, one teething and one poked in the eye bundles of joy. As the 18 month old was crying on my lap, “hold me, hold me,” the other child was saying, “I want to go home, I want to go home.” I declared aloud, “the one who needs a nap and needs held is your mom!” Laughing aloud together, my daughter and I buckled the little tikes in their car seats and I sent them on their way.

Having raised five children, now all grown, and three parents themselves, I will NEVER forget those restless and LOOOONNNNNNG days, when it felt that the laundry was closing in, I would never feel rested again and that I was the most misunderstood person on the face of the earth!

Thankfully, as a testament of God’s grace, I can say that we all made it through growing up together and we are ‘mostly’ normal (whatever normal is…smile). I did learn a couple of things along the way and I hope these little gems will be a blessing to you as you raise your children and grow in marriage with your spouse.

1. Start EVERY morning with an “Attitude of Gratitude” to God with a whispered prayer, acknowledging God’s goodness and thanking Him for His help, protection, guidance and presence.

2. Hide the Word of God in your heart so that it flows through your mind and spirit throughout the day. My favorite is Deut. 33:27 “The Eternal God is my Refuge and underneath is His everlasting arms.”

3. Build patterns in your daily routine that become second nature such as:

• Throwing a load in the wash first thing in the morning, even if it means placing the completed load from the dryer on a counter or basket, but do not go to bed until it is folded and put away. If every day you do at least one full load of wash and drying, you will be surprised how you can at least keep a manageable system going with laundry.
• Keep the sink filled with water and detergent so that whenever you are done with a utensil, plate, pan, cup, etc., you just drop in the sink. We all hate scrubbing those grimy dishes so just knowing it is not grimy can be a great motivating factor for getting those dishes done before you go to bed.
• Prepare for the next day by setting out the clothing, including shoes, socks as well as what you will eat and need for breakfast.

Beginning the day with an attitude of gratitude, allowing God’s Word to dwell in you with richness and frequency and building patterns in to your routine can make a difference.

Tune in next time…”Do not be too hard on your self.”

Happy Mommy-ing…Carol Danna

The Cornerstone Women’s Ministry

www.thecornerstone.net