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Friday, February 4, 2011

Super Mom or Slacker Mom....That is the Question?

And one I refuse to answer because what I have taught myself as "stay at home mama" is that I am my own worst critic!  I feel the constant need to be super mom and accuse myself often of being slacker mom, although I know that is not the truth.  I look around my house and I see "stuff" in places that "stuff" shouldn't be, mail stacked on the counter, books and toys all over the floor, folded laundry begging for me to put it up (hey at least I folded it, right?).  I then turn and see that I have probably 200-300 pictures that I recently printed just patiently waiting to be put in an album.  I will get to them eventually when there are no more clothes to wash, meals to cook, kitchen to clean etc...you get the idea.  The problem is there will ALWAYS be something that needs to be done and I have to learn to relax in some areas a little.  I find myself often looking at the amazing blogs of other creative and crafty busy mothers and wonder "how do they do it".  I can barely make time to blog although I love it passionately, let alone find time to "create" and take pictures AND put them along with  detailed instructions on how someone else can recreate the exact thing.  I get ideas from other professional bloggers and I find myself in envy of their, well time I guess.  I must admit that my first thoughts when I am looking at their beautiful "things" is "what are their kids doing while they are doing this"?  Seriously, I LOVE to sew so much but don't have a "sew room" so when I do start a project I have to pull out the machine, the serger and everything else that my new project entails and I can't even think of starting something when my kids are awake because I have only been sewing for a year and well, I just have to concentrate and I just can't do that when I have to stop every ten minutes and take care of something for them.  This is my season right now.  I juggle what I can and what I can't I am learning that it is not my "battle" and these are NOT the things that matter.  What matters really is am I following Christ, am I seeking His truth every morning so that I may somehow in my "slacker" mom way resemble His love to my children because that is my MOST important job.


I am in the middle of a Bible Study with some of my "Jesus Girls" at church, it is called "Creative Corrections" by Lisa Whelchel and I highly recommend it to mother's.  One of my favorite quotes from this study is "Jesus is more concerned with what is going on in our children's hearts than He is about how well-behaved they are".  Wow!!  So my most important job and passion right now is my children's hearts.  I pressure myself into believing that if my children aren't well behaved then others are judging me and assuming that I am not a "super mom".  This is a tough for me because I am so critical of myself but I am learning to stop judging myself and start fully asking God to reveal Himself to me every morning and all day long so that I may invest in my children's hearts.  So next time you see us out to eat and Arden throws her food on the floor, along with 14 forks and Cash is up and down climbing on Arden's chair being loud and totally interrupting your meal, you can relax...their behavior may be completely obnoxious but their sweet little hearts are filled with love!  Oh and if you do see us out, you may just want to ask to sit across the restaurant, or better yet, you may just want to find another one entirely!  :)


Loving this "season" of our crazy lives,
Julie

2 comments:

ccrager

Oh Julie!! I felt this EXACT way when I was home full time after B was born. I had this idea that everything HAD to be perfect or else I was slacking or not pulling my weight... to the point that I even went back to work! I see now how distorted & silly that view was. There is NO such thing as perfection, but I know you are a fabulous mommy! This time will be gone in a blink. Also, there is a difference between "childishness" and "disobedience." I have to be reminded of that sometimes. This is just a messy, wild and crazy time - ha. Take care!!

Julie Ard James

Thank you Courtney!! I am embracing it, loving it and knowing they will only be little once. One day I will sit down at that sewing machine and I will cry because I will wish that one of them would need me! :) I just wonder all the time "does every other mother get it ALL done because I just can't?" :) I appreciate all your sweet comments! :)