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?

.

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!”

.

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!

.

  

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

they got filthy and soaking wet

they played with sticks and rocks and shells

We laughed

I froze my toes off in the Atlantic

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

                                       

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!)

In other words I was present.

I was soaking it in.

I was JOYFUL!

It was just what I needed.