Not 30 minutes after posting that photo the kids got in from school and 3 out of six of them would have nothing to do with my yummy after school treat.
And then, just minutes later, I smelled something burning...it was dinner.
I froze.
I literally couldn't think of what to do next.
My planned out, home cooked meal, with all it's healthy benefits and monetary savings, went right in the trash can.
I picked up the phone and called Josh in tears.
I know, it's a silly thing to cry about.
But my body was emotionally tired, and that's all I could do.
I've been working so hard on feeding this family within a budget, and with certain healthy limitations.
I had failed!
What kind of mom was I?
What kind of home keeper am I?
And I only had 2 kids with me all day.
What is wrong with me?
Now Josh is going to pick something up on his way home (we NEVER do that)!
That means using money we hadn't planned on using.
And most definitely not in my realm of healthy eating I'd been striving for.
I had failed.
I am a failure.
These are the thoughts that swirled around in my mind as Josh talked me off the ledge.
(what a sweet, level-headed husband the Lord has blessed me with)
We are in a country that has fast food
(thank you Jesus!)
And what's a few kids with tore up tummies for just one more night of their lives, right?
(nothing a little oil can't fix, ha!)
I'm sure NONE of you can relate to my petty little breakdown, but don't be too quick to judge.
Everybody has a breaking point and some days they come quicker than others.
You were planning on hanging out with some friends (or another family), but life got the best of you and something came up. You have to choose what your priority is going to be, so you have to cancel at the last minute.
You can't seem to get everything organized for a family and you miss an important game or recital. Or maybe it was the end-of-year report your daughter was giving on the digestive system that you promised to be at.
Or maybe you decided that you were FINALLY going to...
start getting up on time
exercising
eating healthy...
and you mess up one day.
You can't seem to get your home as clean as ________, or bathe your kids as often as __________, or get your body to look as good as ___________.
Failure. FAILURE. FAILURE!
These are all defining moments.
Don't let thoughts of failure define who you are!
I am NOT a failure just because I burned dinner one night.
That has nothing to do with the kind of mother I am. I was striving to make a good dinner for my family and my plans just needed to change. (maybe I needed a little lesson in flexibility)
This also doesn't need to define me as a junk eating, junk feeding, frivolous spender.
You see how silly that all sounds when I speak truth to myself?
You are NOT a failure as a friend just because you can't do everything your friends do or expect you to do. We are all in seasons that require us to be different places and different things and it is ok to say no sometimes.
So you missed one of your kids' million activities. It happens and you can be sure to love on them, apologize to them for missing it, and then graciously ask for grace because mommies are not perfect and just forget things sometimes. This does not mean that you are a failure as a mother or prove that you do not love your child.
You are not destined to be lazy if you can't get out of bed one morning, or to be a fat slob if you can't find time to get that workout in, or a junk food addict because you pick up McDonald's to eat every once in a while. Nope, life happens, and one day CANNOT define who you ARE!
And don't even get me started on the comparison of other women and the way THEY keep their home, how often THEY bathe their children, or what THEY look like! You are who Christ made you, with your own unique form, characteristics and gifts.
Let's not let these defining moments scream failure!
Speak truth to yourself and give yourself the grace you need to pick yourself up and try again:)
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
Philippians 4:8
2 comments:
I love reading your blog! You are so real and that transparency makes you more amazing than any other wife or mother who appears to have it all together. You love your family and you trust the Lord and that is about as close to perfect as I think you can get! :)
Had a moment like that just yesterday. I carefully took a WHOLE MONTH to plan out a monthly menu and then spent so much money on groceries for said menu that I was in tears driving home from the store last night. I had to put my big girl panties on, suck it up and not sink into despair. I noticed I started getting snappy with the one daughter who came with me so I chilled out and made the choice to have a good attitude. I was buying healthy foods to make home-cooked meals, rather than take-out or junk, and by golly I wasn't going to make everyone else suffer for my sour mood.
I honestly probably saved more money than I realized because I was doing some pantry stocking and we aren't going to be eating out. It was just so much upfront that it was nauseating. I was just about to write up a blog post about it. Maybe I should crunch my numbers first!
Post a Comment