In Which I’m Brutally Honest About My Mothering Journey

This mothering journey can be complicated at times. I thought I’d be brutally honest, and share with you a recent experience I had!

I invited my sister and her family over for lunch on Sunday morning, but I extended the invitation at 10:00 on Saturday night (normally the way I work!). The house wasn’t horrible, but I wanted it cleaner for them to come over. I knew if my children would get up Sunday morning and quickly pitch in, they could get it tidied up while I got lunch going in the crockpot.

It all sounds good in theory, right? Cheerful children, a happy mom singing as she cooks, a husband downstairs diligently preparing his Sunday School class (he has taught a class on the book of Acts for the last 2 years at church!).

Home from church, with a big smile because his class of 2 years is finished! 

The only problem is, my children don’t always catch my vision. 

Instead of it taking 15-20 minutes, I spent the entire morning asking 2 of my children to keep working. Thankfully I had 1 diligent helper, but the rest of the morning I was scrambling by myself to get the parmesan chicken in the crockpot, baths done for two of the girls, clothes ironed, girls dressed and makeup on. There was no time for breakfast, and the girl’s hair was fixed at church.

It’s real life over here. I wasn’t yelling at the children on the way to church, but I was very firmly talking to two of them, and grounded one of them who really struggles with laziness.

I arrived at church in a funk, but was hopeful that things would improve. It wasn’t meant to be though.

My 12 month old fussed all through Sunday School class. I walked all over the church building, gave her a bottle, tried to entertain her with a neat book, a squishy block that she normally likes, but she was having none of it.

Our first baby to be on formula. Yes, we are done breastfeeding. It’s a long story! I’m at peace though. 

Finally, I just gave up. My husband was finishing his very last Sunday School class, and I really wanted to hear it. Instead, I choked back tears, got in the van, and went home with the baby.

She was laid down for a nap right away, and I threw myself on the couch. A number of things popped in my head that I would like to do, but I decided to read the last chapter of Acts myself. At least I could finish the 2 year long journey that way.

It’s always amazing how the Lord can turn rainclouds into blessings.

I turned on some music, and enjoyed the quiet house. I’ve been working on keeping the house cleaner, and putting more effort into cultivating a lovely environment for my family.

Wildflowers given to me by my children. 

Instead of the paper plates I was planning on using, which would be served on our old, desperately needing refinished table, I got out the new tablecloth I had just found at Target. My husband had just blessed me with a brand new set of dishes, and so I unpacked those and set the table.

Lunch ended up being a success, and I was able to bless my sister with not cooking for a change, and to enjoy a pretty setting herself.

It was a short moment of encouragement. The baby woke up, fussy and in a bad mood again. But the Lord had given me that brief period of time to be refreshed.

We are tempted to think we are all alone in this mothering journey.

Discouragement can weigh us down, and we begin a pity party. Our children will never behave the way we want them to, the house has never in the past, or will never in the future be clean, we are destined to live our lives with clothes that have spit up, food (and worse) on them. Our life feels like it’s over, because it only consists of baby toys, how long do we have until we nurse the baby, change a diaper, or hear the next argument taking place.

Don’t believe the lie that you are alone! I’d love to encourage you, by sharing with you a short series of free videos that two mommy bloggers put together. It’s real life conversations between two popular mom bloggers, who have 8 children and 20 years of mothering experience between both of them!

Here’s another brutally honest statement. I didn’t get anything out of the first video when I first tried to watch it. However, I turned it on again when I was really needing some encouragement, and I did receive a big pick me up from watching it. So give them a try, you can watch them here.

*FYI – you will want to watch all three videos, because something super, duper special comes at the end!