Mommy Burn-out!

My day starts out with a wake up call from my 9 month old nursling daughter around 6:30am or so. This is followed shortly by a knock on the bedroom door of my two Sons around 7:00am, give or take about 20 minutes. After everyone is up and diapers changed and dressed for the day, breakfast preperation takes place. Breakfast is always crazy because inevitably someone doesn't want whatever I've made. Breakfast with 3 very young children is messy and always results in 20 minutes of clean up, including an outfit change for at least one child....Maybe I should stop changing them out of their pj's before breakfast and just do 1 outfit change in the morning??? Anyway, following breakfast and all of its clean up we end up involved in some train track building or tower constructing. Next is another round of diaper changes followed by more free play. Once the kids get bored with said free play we head into the kitchen for some painting or play doh which again results in more clean up. Now it's lunch time so the kids typically watch a quick show while I'm cooking. Lunch time is again messy and results in another outfit change and diaper change right before nap time. If it's a "good day" the boys will go down easily and I'll be able to nurse Shaelyn to sleep shortly after they're down. I'll hopefully get in an hour nap, which honestly never feels long enough, although I'm very thankful for any amount of rest I get during the day! Post naps means another round of diaper changes followed quickly by snack time! Snack time is always intented to be something easy yet healthy, meaning grapes and cheese or strawberries and yogurt, etc....although I must admit popcorn is easier in my opinion! Post snack equals books and a good try at time outisde. Quite frankly I find it almost impossible to get outside everyday during the winter simply because it takes 20 minutes to get everyone bundled up in their snow gear only to be outside for 5 minutes before someone is complaining of being cold. My children run circles, no seriously, they literally place any toy on the middle of our living room floor and run circles around it for 20 minutes at a time, 2 or 3 times a day, so I'm not too concerend about their physical activity level, but the vitamin d we're not getting from the sun is annoying. Anyway, after our afternoon activities have commenced it's time for dinner prep which is my least favorite time of day because my daughter begins to melt down around this time making it torture for her if I leave her to play by herself, or for me if I choose to struggle to cook while holding her. Dinner is eaten around 6:30pm and then it's bath time for all 3 children at the same time followed by another diaper changes, brushing teeth, and a movie before bed time. Bed time never comes soon enough and the count down typically begins around 8:00pm with the "30 minutes until bedtime" warning that I excitedly share with the boys. If all goes well the boys go down without a fight, which is rare...although, they really do go to bed easily compared to a lot of other children and I'm so thankful for that (I contribute it to the bed time warnings that we provide in order to prepare them for the dreaded time)! Once they're in bed, Shaelyn is fed and put to sleep. This is the time I can either go to bed at a decent time, (Ha, I'm a total night owl) or I can watch tv or read to "unwind". I almost always choose to stay up far too late watching tv. I hit the hay around 10:30pm only to get a few hours of sleep before one of the 3 children needs a drink of water, nursed, a diaper change, a bad dream prayed for, etc.

How many of you can relate to a schedule somewhat like this one? Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE my children and I am SO THANKFUL I get to stay home with them! However, if a Banker or Butcher, Doctor, or Teacher had to work 7 days a week, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, they would go crazy! They get weekends (or days off during the week) off as well as vacation time and sick days. They get to step away for a lunch break, etc. Mamas are typically home all day everyday except for the occasional Moms Group or Church service, if they're so lucky to be able to attend such events. A Mamas job is never over and is a lot more emotionally involved than most jobs. I'm not saying that my Husband doesn't work hard day in and day out. I'm so thankful he works hard to support us. I'm simply saying, Mama burn out is inevitable IF we're not drawing from our Maker! It says in the Word that we are to do everything as if we're doing it for God, Colossians 3:23. If the Lord was here and I was doing these things for Him would I grumble or be thankful for the opportunity to serve Him? It also says what a gift children are, Psalm 127:3. Children are a heritage from the Lord, meaning he's gifted them to us, not the other way around!!! God tells us to seek him for our strength, Isaiah 40:29. If we cling to the Lord and his Word we will have the endurance to run this race of Motherhood! He chose ME to parent these children and He chose YOU to parent your children! Seek Him and he won't let you down! I promise!!