Friday, October 7, 2011

{Day 7} Real Motherhood: Feast on Today




Today I leave you with my last post for the mamas: Feast on Today.


I'm at that stage of motherhood when the bizarre and the comical collide on a daily basis. It's so familiar that sometimes I don't even notice the wonderful ridiculous right in front of my eyes.  


Mom, what's taller? Three T-Rex's stacked on top of one another or a skyscraper?


Does hot wax melt other hot wax?


Mom, I'm practicing cursive. Do you know what my favorite word to write in cursive is? Maggots. 


Honestly, I don't know whether to cringe, cry, or roll on the floor laughing.


From random queries to scary heads stuck to bathroom mirrors,




Lego explosions and Sharpie Monet on the walls,




life right now is a feast of the random, the ridiculous, the real.


Sometimes it feels as if life is mundane. Where is the glory in sippy cups and toothpaste globs?


Sometimes it looks like a circus. Where is visual peace in the midst of three kids, a million legos and dishes that refuse to wash themselves?


Sometimes it feels overwhelming. When will they stop being so messy and needing so much?


One day I'll have only glassware in the cupboards, clean sinks, and vacuumed floors with nary a lego in sight. The dishes will be easier to keep up with and my kids' neediness will come in the form of phone calls from college or from their own homes when someone needs a recipe from good ol' mom.


And while that will be a beautiful season in its own right, it's a far cry from the noisy, bursting-with-life, peppered-with-crazy-questions, toy-strewn days I get to live right now. 


You have to choose to see it this way of course. I'm not always so good at choosing to savor and smile and notice. But I'm getting better. Like all worthwhile habits, it takes practice.


In this case, practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes joy.

.........................................



I've written for 7 days in a row on motherhood. I hope that just maybe you've felt inspired to recapture some of the mama joy that comes simply from trusting your instincts or noticing who they're becoming or knowing that the little things matter most. 

Real motherhood is about embracing this journey of raising kids one day at at time, leaving fretfulness behind and walking in Grace. 

Tomorrow I begin some new stuff. I'm excited. Join me?




{Click on the button for the list of all the days 
& topics thus far.}

12 comments:

  1. You are kidding me??!! You actually posted a photo with your kids eating THE DONUTS knowing I'd see them,,,,want them,,,,,and be mad that I'm in Fla and you are NC picking apples!
    Oh my goodness and I thought you were my friend!!
    sniff sniff
    julie

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  2. maggots. giggle.

    I agree. There is a feast of joy to be enjoyed here if I just take a moment to notice it. Thank you for the reminder.

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  3. "Sharpie Monet" . . . now that's beauty in the eye of the beholder! Reminds me of a "Lipstick Renoir" you did for me when you were three! Please accept my belated apologies for not appreciating it as I should have.

    Loving your "real' posts.

    LYF,
    Mom

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  4. This post spoke to my heart. Oh, how I can relate to legos, sharpies and days filled with chaos, (and in my case, puffed rice all over the living room floor) but life is good and so full of joy. Thank you!

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  5. Amen! I am learning to savor our chaos. In our case, it's a living room strewn with cardboard robot parts (my budding engineer) and walls decorated with sticky note lists of rhyming words (my budding poet). I just found your blog and I love it. It sounds like we're in the same season of life. =)

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  6. So tearfully sweet. Practice makes joy! :) Seeing it today in my little white house. :)

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  7. Love the ending to Real Motherhood. Kids really say the darndest things. Looking forward to the next batch of Real. I will of course be there.

    xx
    Tey@Supermac'sThoughtBalloons

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  8. You'll miss those noisy, bursting-with-life, peppered-with-crazy-questions, toy-strewn days ... and I'm here to tell you that the days when there are Legos, binkies, sippy cups everywhere at my house are THE. VERY. BEST. days of my week! <3

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  9. I so needed this today, I'm buried in the mundane lately and often feel more resentment than joy. Thank you for reminding me how wonderful this season is right now.

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