Good for ME!

My WONDERFUL Grandma has been coming over for a few hours weekday mornings (she lives 7 minutes away), to help me. Mornings are the hardest, because I have to get Spencer(8) and Jordan (6) off to school and then feed the twins (2) and Ethan(4) before they "starve" to death, or find a box of fruit snacks or oreos for breakfast (I won't deny it...it's happened a few times, lol), while Liam(2 months) may wake up and want to nurse at any moment during all this.

2-3 weeks ago, I "weaned" myself of her help (although either my Grandma or my dad takes the boys to and from school, saving me about 20 minutes of "prep" time twice a day to get everyone in the car for a 5 minute round trip car ride!) . The first few days went pretty well. Probably too well. I knew something was about to happen. Then life happened.

It was just normal things: Wake up to the twins jumping nek-kid in their cribs, laughing gleefully, contents of their diapers no longer *in* their diapers. Liam waking very hungry and wanting to nurse while I'm bathing other kids and making their breakfast AND kicking Spencer and Jordan out the door to school, BUT I have to change all his clothes first because he's pooped through it all...and his blanket...and on *MY* bed. Liam has also been quite fussy and wants to be held *a lot*. Ethan went to bed without a pull-up and of course, is wet. Allie has been throwing up for 9 days now, usually at night in her crib and she doesn't wake us...she just goes back to sleep in it *YUCK*. The amount of barf, spit up, poop and pee I have to deal with on a daily basis would seem insane to a normal bystander(Hey, I wouldn't stand by so close...you might get something on ya!). I think Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs would be impressed. These kids better NEVER complain about having to change MY diapers when I'm 102. And once they are old enough, all my kids have learned to do laundry. Bleh.

So, aside from all the bodily fluids and resulting nasty laundry, there's feeding 15 kids...oh wait, there's just 6...several times a day. I don't think an hours goes by that I'm not feeding somebody! (This is why I won't get a pet until the kids can take care of it. Like I need one more thing to feed and clean up poop after!) I usually "forget" to eat until about 2pm. I did manage to make pretty decent home cooked meals, and have them ready before my hubby got home (he's usually the cook. He enjoys it, ain't I lucky?!). Eric has been working long hours too (6am-7pm).

I ran errands with 4 small children, kept my house "clean" (I don't care what your definition is, but mine is floors you don't stick to or trip over anything, dishes that don't tower above the sink, you can see what color my counter tops are, there are no more than 3 baskets of dirty laundry waiting to be washed-remember, there are 8 people here, PLUS all that bedding from the morning and after the twins naps, and there is not a funky smell anywhere in the house)did homework with the kids, did church calling stuff (visiting teaching, made food for a funeral), paid bills, kept 6 children age 8 and under and one husband relatively clean, fed and happy. All by myself.

As I was telling Eric about some of the stuff I got done that week, and he said, "Good for you." I thought for a second and said, "You're right! Good for ME!" Then I got sniffly and teary-eyed as I decided I *DID* do a good job! I kept things running in a house that most often resembles a refugee camp. If you'd asked me 10 years ago (or even just 3) if I thought I could even do all this and NOT end up in a cute little white jacket with extra long sleeves, in a little white house on the hill, I'd politely tell you HECK NO! It's amazing the things we can do when we just get going.

Why, why, why do we, as moms and wives, not give ourselves credit for the good things we accomplish? Why do we only focus on what went wrong, or what we didn't get done? This was a HUGE thing for me, to realize this. I have gotten many compliments (most unfounded *wink wink* but there I go again...lol) about how I must be some amazing woman to do what I do everyday. I immediately tell them how wrong they are and really how horrible I am, lol. What in the world is wrong with just saying "Thank you"? I have to say, I'd feel awkward saying that and not following it up by a list of my faults. Can I issue a little challenge to anyone reading this? If someone compliments you on something you don't think you're good at, or think you could have done better, simply say thank you, and nothing else.

None of us do things perfectly, and we all know we can't become perfect in this lifetime on this earth, so why do we beat ourselves up over dumb things that won't matter in a week or a year or a decade? I think this is one of Satan's biggest tools. If you discourage and break down Mom, who is, let's be honest, the one with the most influence in the home, who is it going to affect? Um, the WHOLE family! This is how Satan is trying to tear us apart, by ruining the place that should be our "heaven on earth", not just for us, but our children. It's supposed to be a safe place to come to as shelter from the world. Our kids are listening, and they hear when we put ourselves down. Don't think they won't learn to do it too.