Being Grateful for the Hard Days #LifeIsASpecialOccasion
I waited for this for years. I always wanted to be a stay at home mother. The cupcake making, PTA meeting, apron wearing, soccer mom. Seriously.
I was going to be so good at this. It was my element. I always felt so guilty that I worked when my oldest was little.
I came home in December 2005 on bed rest when I was pregnant with the twins. That was the end of corporate America for me. My oldest was in first grade when the twins were born. Anthony (my step son) would come to live with us less than a year later and then in 2006 we welcomed baby surprise, Matthew.
Now we homeschool and life is even busier. There are days I wonder if I am doing a good enough job.
The laundry piles high. Dinner is made late sometimes. Dishes are in the sink. Science did not get done. But when I go to bed at night I know this is where I can make the most impact. Right here in this house- within these walls. This season is very short.
Right now little Matthew is sick. Saturday he was not feeling like himself. By Saturday afternoon he was complaining that his cheek was hurting. He had a lump near his jaw.
By late Sunday morning the one lump turned into three going down his neck. I kinda freaked.
Then I Googled it and freaked some more.
A visit to the local clinic and it was quickly determined he has an ear infection and throat infection (possibly strep) that is presenting itself in his lymph nodes. Today is day two of antibiotics. I am so grateful there is no one I have to call in sick to for permission to stay home with my sick little guy. He needs his mama here.
Nicholas made the statement today the he is homeschooling himself. He is such a little leader.
There are days my schedule does not move as fast as Nick wants it to, so he moves ahead in his school work without me.
There are days I feel like I am falling so far behind, but I try to always sit back and remember that these are memories we are making. After all, life is a special occasion and I am so lucky to have this time with my kids. This I know.
And teaching a sixth grader has it’s challenges. I am learning just as much as he is along the way. Funny how life is, hua?
While he is struggling to write a short story that focuses on the tone being “scary”, I can’t help but wonder how I survived sixth grade in 1989. It was the year I moved to a brand new school and made a new group of friends and spent a week of my life determined to find an alternative to long division.
I finally just bought a calculator.
True story.
At 5:30 today I pop a casserole in the oven on low (200 degrees) and ran Anthony to football. Nick and Luke began flag football today that started thirty minutes later than it was scheduled due to field conflicts. Kids practiced in the dark while parents shined their headlights on the field.
I placed a phone call to remind my husband we are tag teaming today to get everyone picked up from football (huge challenge when multiple kids play sports). We all walk in the door at the same time to dinner bubbling in the oven. Oh, it tasted like heaven.
(Oh, and Anthony found his football jersey that he misplaced. Luckily his coach grabbed it off the field where Anthony left it behind. The story of our lives.)
I ended the day utterly exhausted. It is days like today I feel pulled in a million directions. I know you can relate, I am not alone. There are moms doing what I do and working full time jobs supporting a family on one income. I get it.
I am constantly reminded that every day is a holiday and every meal is a feast- life is a special occasion. I am grateful for the hard days, they teach me so much.
How do you remind yourself that life is a special occasion?
Hallmark wants to know why it’s important for your family to create new memories and commemorate them. Visit Hallmark.com/Explore for product news and special offers. Life is a special occasion.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hallmark. The opinions and text are all mine.