Thursday, April 28, 2011

Finding the joy

 

 

I find that it is easy to lose the joy in motherhood.

I can quickly be caught up in the “have tos”; errands, dry cleaning, post office, making a meal, serving a meal, cleaning up a meal, laundry, folding laundry, putting away laundry, wiping counters, wiping noses, wiping bottoms (repeat).

And before I know it I have lost sight of the fact that, HOLD ON, PEOPLE! 

I don’t have to work outside the home.

I can stay in my sweats all day. 

I get to devote my ENTIRE DAY to people that I love the most: my husband and children.  Almost everything I do directly benefits my family. 

I can take these children and do whatever I want for a day! 

That is pretty freakin’ amazing, am I right?

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So on Monday night, after another long bedtime battle with Joseph, I was laying in bed “talking” to Brian (no, just kidding, I WAS actually talking. Ha!) and saying,

“I just want to go do something fun!  I really just feel like I need to get out of this house where I can stop looking at all of the messes and have a good time!”

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I was stil lso torn about the things that I SHOULD be doing on Tuesday, our fridge was bare, Joseph had his Little Gym class, etc.  So I deliberated and deliberated and deliberated and then

Cancelled everything, threw some stuff in a laundry basket that I hauled out to the van, slapped together some PB&H’s , and drove my kiddos to the beach!

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The kids were naked almost the whole time (we were the only people on the beach for the whole 3 hours we were there!)

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they got filthy and soaking wet

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they played with sticks and rocks and shells

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We laughed

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I froze my toes off in the Atlantic

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I sat in the sand and watched my happy, naked, sandy babies

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I built a sandcastle and watched Isaac laugh his fool head off every time he smashed it. (video coming as soon as I can edit-out my little Joseph-streaker!)

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In other words I was present.

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I was soaking it in.

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I was JOYFUL!

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It was just what I needed.

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8 comments:

Jen said...

This totally makes me smile because it is so easy to lose that joy.

And it needs to be found.... often.

ter@waaoms said...

That's exactly what I need... a break from it all... a day to just... be... Glad you had that opportunity! :)

Miss Kendra said...

Good for you. We all need days like that, and we should all take more of them!

Unknown said...

This made me want to just drive to the beach tomorrow. Looks like a lot of fun.

suzy said...

that's SO happy!!!!!!! Yay for being present... I need to do that more! go caitlin go!

Jenners said...

Good for you for finding that joy. You ggotta find it every so often or you'll lose your mind!

grandma said...

What a special day you had with your boys! You will remember it far more than they will, but that's the point, right? Plus, when they are teenagers you can always haul out the photos and force them to acknowledge that they once had fun with their mother!!

septembermom said...

That's what life has to be about.

Great post Caitlin!