It's 5 o'clock somewhere...
T.G.I.F!
So what's on your agenda today? Most folks keep an eye on the clock, waiting and watching for five o'clock to roll around so they can get their weekend started. They dream of how they will spend the
weekend (the 63 hours between 5 PM Friday and 8 AM Monday). Some dream of relaxing or sleeping late. Some dream of sitting around a bon fire with friends or enjoying their favorite hobby. Some dream of spending time with their significant other...
Well snap out of it sister! It doesn't matter if you are a stay-at-home mom, a work-from-home mom, or a work-outside-the-home mom... when young children are involved, the weekends can be anything but relaxing. I used to get anxiety attacks regularly, every Friday at 3 PM when school got out and would dream of 7 AM Monday when the big, yellow bus would take them all away again...*sigh*
There's nothing relaxing about running seven kids in seven directions and trying to keep a husband happy who wants nothing more than for you to sit down and relax on the couch and stare at mindless television shows...can't men hear the sound of dirty dishes, crying out from the sink, "Wash me!!" (in a creepy horror show voice that sounds like a shaky, old-lady.) Probably not, since they can't even hear the 12 year-old screaming at the 8 year-old upstairs about a Lego tower that was mysteriously hit by a tornado.
For a mother of young children, weekends can be especially trying. You want the privilege (and luxury) of spending five minutes alone, or doing something you enjoy...like using the toilet in peace. But the reality is that your family feels like they OWN you on the weekend. So many people expect so many things from you...and somehow you're relieved when your alarm clock goes off on Monday morning. (Unless it's summer break...Oh, the horror!)
63 hours is a long time...If everyone spends 24 of those hours sleeping, that leaves 39 hours. That's a FULL-TIME JOB packed in to ONE weekend! No wonder we are exhausted.
The good news is that God sees your suffering. 1 Peter 5:10 offers this hope:
I handled weekends the same way I handled every other daunting task that I ever faced, like pregnancy or driving 8 hours with the kids. I would start by reminding myself that millions of other people do this task all time and they survived. Then I imagine myself at the end of the task, doing the Wonder Woman pose and saying, "That wasn't so bad."
It also helped me to remind myself that children really are blessings from the Lord. Sometimes I would find myself sitting beside the bed of an especially unruly child watching him sleep. There were days when it felt like that was the only time I could look at him and feel an indescribable love. And it was always enough to carry me through to the next time.
I wish I could give you a magic formula to make weekends actually be the blissful, all-smiles, everyone-gets-along, laundry-smells-like-flowers sort of time that television commercials try to sell you. The best advice I have for you is to follow the example of the Proverbs 31 woman.
(Verse 15) Get up while it's still dark, so you'll have time for God and time for yourself. Ask God for supernatural strength and patience. And get HELP. Everyone wants to believe that Mrs. Proverbs 31 is so fabulous, but she had servant girls. Helpers. Recruit a college student to spend some time playing with your children so you can relax and enjoy the man in your life, or spend time with friends, or just go to the grocery store alone. You'll be a nicer mom for it, and you know how the old saying goes...If momma ain't happy...yeah. It's true.
And remember, when you get to the other side...when the task is done, don't forget to thank God and give yourself some credit. And some Starbucks. :)
Be blessed!
So what's on your agenda today? Most folks keep an eye on the clock, waiting and watching for five o'clock to roll around so they can get their weekend started. They dream of how they will spend the
weekend (the 63 hours between 5 PM Friday and 8 AM Monday). Some dream of relaxing or sleeping late. Some dream of sitting around a bon fire with friends or enjoying their favorite hobby. Some dream of spending time with their significant other...
Well snap out of it sister! It doesn't matter if you are a stay-at-home mom, a work-from-home mom, or a work-outside-the-home mom... when young children are involved, the weekends can be anything but relaxing. I used to get anxiety attacks regularly, every Friday at 3 PM when school got out and would dream of 7 AM Monday when the big, yellow bus would take them all away again...*sigh*
There's nothing relaxing about running seven kids in seven directions and trying to keep a husband happy who wants nothing more than for you to sit down and relax on the couch and stare at mindless television shows...can't men hear the sound of dirty dishes, crying out from the sink, "Wash me!!" (in a creepy horror show voice that sounds like a shaky, old-lady.) Probably not, since they can't even hear the 12 year-old screaming at the 8 year-old upstairs about a Lego tower that was mysteriously hit by a tornado.
For a mother of young children, weekends can be especially trying. You want the privilege (and luxury) of spending five minutes alone, or doing something you enjoy...like using the toilet in peace. But the reality is that your family feels like they OWN you on the weekend. So many people expect so many things from you...and somehow you're relieved when your alarm clock goes off on Monday morning. (Unless it's summer break...Oh, the horror!)
63 hours is a long time...If everyone spends 24 of those hours sleeping, that leaves 39 hours. That's a FULL-TIME JOB packed in to ONE weekend! No wonder we are exhausted.
The good news is that God sees your suffering. 1 Peter 5:10 offers this hope:
"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."That verse gave me strength to push on. Surely I could press on for 'a little while'.
I handled weekends the same way I handled every other daunting task that I ever faced, like pregnancy or driving 8 hours with the kids. I would start by reminding myself that millions of other people do this task all time and they survived. Then I imagine myself at the end of the task, doing the Wonder Woman pose and saying, "That wasn't so bad."
It also helped me to remind myself that children really are blessings from the Lord. Sometimes I would find myself sitting beside the bed of an especially unruly child watching him sleep. There were days when it felt like that was the only time I could look at him and feel an indescribable love. And it was always enough to carry me through to the next time.
I wish I could give you a magic formula to make weekends actually be the blissful, all-smiles, everyone-gets-along, laundry-smells-like-flowers sort of time that television commercials try to sell you. The best advice I have for you is to follow the example of the Proverbs 31 woman.
(Verse 15) Get up while it's still dark, so you'll have time for God and time for yourself. Ask God for supernatural strength and patience. And get HELP. Everyone wants to believe that Mrs. Proverbs 31 is so fabulous, but she had servant girls. Helpers. Recruit a college student to spend some time playing with your children so you can relax and enjoy the man in your life, or spend time with friends, or just go to the grocery store alone. You'll be a nicer mom for it, and you know how the old saying goes...If momma ain't happy...yeah. It's true.
And remember, when you get to the other side...when the task is done, don't forget to thank God and give yourself some credit. And some Starbucks. :)
Be blessed!
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