It was Memorial Day weekend and my two oldest each came down with a weird stomach bug. Weird meaning they puked and pooped but no fever. They were totally drained. Went from wanting to eat to feeling too full to eat. They would be better for one day and then back down the next. The motherhood frustration was real! Read on to learn how we overcame…
MOTHERHOOD FRUSTRATION
It was frustrating because it was the holiday weekend. I had taken Friday off so we had a four day weekend together. The weather was gorgeous and I had all these ideas of lazy afternoons, family activities, campfires, hiking, pure joy. But God had other plans.
Change of plans
Saturday is when it hit. Marlee was slow. Sluggish. Not herself at all and about an hour into our afternoon graduation party, she was begging me to go home so she could just sleep. Not my normal 10-year old ball of energy.
We packed up and came home, hung out, did dinner, all the while she laid around. Late that night the puking started. Ugh. Confirmation it wasn’t just a growth spurt or too much fun at a sleepover.
Sunday came and since Marlee was down, so were we. We hung out at home again. The boys and I got groceries while the girls slept. We came home, unpacked and the boys played hard. All night until sunset. Marlee was feeling a bit better after dinner and came out and joined us for awhile. Campfire was lit and we could finally enjoy the weekend, right?
Mom fear
Not for long. About an hour after the kids went to bed, Milo was up with a belly ache. Puked. Ugh…again. My mom fear strikes…is this really going to go through all of us?!
That night I was up and down with Milo and then Monday came. Memorial Day. Sunshine and hopes for fun. Tons of prayer before bed had me hoping for the best. We would all be better and we could finally get out and have some fun.
More sickness & frustration
Again, nope. Milo was still not feeling good. Marlee was down a again and just plain tired. Erik woke up with a screaming sinus headache (thank you high pollen count!) and the day was done. Chase, Vayda and I made our own fun when we could. We took a bike ride, played outside on the swings and with some squirt guns. By the end of the day I was exhausted, frustrated and just plain bummed my weekend had come and gone.
Change of perspective
Being a full time working mom, I really savor those long weekends. Times long enough to totally forget about work and have fun as a family. This time God had other plans. He used me a different way this weekend. Instead of guiding my kids on fun adventures, I was holding their hair back and washing sheets. In my moments of frustration (and they got more frequent by the day) I tried to stop and think of how blessed I was to be able to be here with them. To care for them when they needed me.
Feeling invisible
But it was hard. It’s hard to pull yourself out of the motherhood frustration sometimes. I was constantly running back and forth for someone or something. Making food that would go uneaten. Washing towels and blankets that would just need washed again. Almost feeling invisible.
But I did it. I was able to pull myself out of these funks to think of them. How their weekend was just as ruined as mine. They would have rather had fun in the sun than lay on the couch. They wanted to eat the yummy treats and play with squirt guns. How could I overlooked their feelings?
Doing Gods Work
After times like this, once I get past the frustration and feeling somewhat ‘unappreciated’, I realize this is what we are. We are moms. The invisible forces behind our families. We are doing Gods work in the silence of the laundry and caretaking. As Saint Teresa of Calcutta put it, “Do small things with great love.” The epitome of motherhood.
Do small things with great love.
I hope my children always remember I was always there for them just as the Lord will. And I always will be in some way or another. Them knowing that is more important than the plans I made last weekend. And summer will go on and that bad weekend will be forgotten! There are always more memories to be made!
Click here to read about more fun we had that summer at our town festival!
How do you all deal with your frustrations in these moments? Don’t tell me I am the only one!
