"Soup"

Ok, it's been one of those days. I'm sure everyone feels the same sometimes. It just stinks when I have one! It's a day when I look at my life and think "why, oh why did I sign up for this?" Really.

Being a wife and a mom is not fun. Maybe if you have a super husband with no flaws (and I have yet to meet a woman with one of those). Maybe if you have one of those super perfect children with tons of friends, perfect manners, and straight A's (again, if there is one out there I doubt there is a family with 2 of them). I look at the messy house, the car needing new brakes, the dwindling funds, the pile of paperwork I've been procrastinating, one kid recently diagnosed as ADD, another is dyslexic, and another doing everything in his power to not be potty trained, and I get a bit crazy. At least the baby is good. For now.

On top of that we live next door to my husband's grandparents. I love them. They are very good to me and my family, but it's getting to be more and more work to help them out so they can stay at home- not the nursing home. I don't mind, but it is just one more thing on the endless "mommy list."

I try and take a second to breathe. In... out... in... out... I close my eyes and take a moment to get a little sanity. I take the preschooler to the potty and he doesn't fight me this time. Yay! And then the baby falls asleep. SUPER YAY!!! I'm taking my victories, as little as they may seem.

Ok... things aren't too bad. I can do this. There are brief moments of peace, like yesterday when the kids and I went for a walk. I even laughed when they all tried to ride in the stroller at the same time. I need to laugh more often. Heck, just finding a reason to smile would be a good start.

I taught a lesson to my primary kids on Sunday about priorities and perspective. Time for me to listen to my own sermon! Yes, there are a lot of immediate needs to be met, but there are more important things out there. "Step away from the dishes for a minute" I tell myself. I get 5 minutes of scripture study in before the phone rings. Not too bad. I give my 3 year old a big snugly hug and kiss. I plan another walk with the big kids tonight so we can have a nice chat without the "babies." Hmmm... and I need some time with my sweetheart, too. Maybe we'll make tonight a no TV night and actually spend time together, not just in the same room. That all will help, I think.

It's my mommy way of making sure I don't sell my birthright for a bowl of soup. As moms our lives are full of "soup." Dishes, laundry, bills, diapers, mops, homework, whiny kids, grumpy husbands, dinners to be made, cupboards to fill, closets to clean out, and for a lot of us there is a job of some kind, too. We expect ourselves to be the perfect maid, nanny, nurse, therapist, best friend, teacher, financial advisor, nutritionist, ardent lover, and so many other things for our families. Oh yeah, and we feel the need to look like a super model while we do it. I think there is something wrong with us.

"Soup" is necessary... but I'm in real need of remembering the birthright part. My kids and husband need more than a glorified, maid/nanny. A mom does all that stuff, sure. But we are more, and that is the part I forget when I'm sweating all that other stuff.

So, if you are a mom- let go of some of that "soup" for a few minutes today. It's Ok. Find your birthright and work towards it! Smile with someone you love, have a relaxing or deep conversation. Laugh at something. Find the part of being a wife and mother that makes you happy, and then do it! It makes the soup taste better anyway.