Thursday, April 14, 2011

Visions of Grandeur... Shattered?

Last night was rough with the babe.
Waking all.night.long.  ***
I woke up in the a.m. feeling awful.
Stayed in my robe until lunch.
Mostly just kept thinking about how to get a nap in for myself.
And feeling overwhelmed about times ahead.

(I've obviously shown my crummy attitude to my kids.
My son just came in from the backyard with his hand behind his back asking,
"Are you not feeling well, Mommy?"  Then he gifted me with a dandelion.  So sweet!!)



I have been entertaining some visions of grandeur lately.
Things that are not looking like such a good idea now.
Now I am crossing them all off my list.

  • Easter Skirts for the girls ( the can-can in purple)
  • a matching tie for Peyton
  • jello eggs  (even though my girl talks about them all year round...the jello in the egg shells...)
  • invite neighbors over for Easter brunch
  • sew the same fabulous quiet time book for Moira's birthday, that my mom made for my sister when I was little.
  • make our own easter candy
  • be all around fabulous
None of that really matters.
If they stress me out, then the extras must go.

We are upon a busy season for my husband's job.  
He is such a source of sanity for me.
So, the stress & crazy kinda hits the ceiling when I don't have him right at hand.
I need to make the proper adjustments.

I need to adjust my expectations.
I need to get real.
And things are a lot better around here.

Visions of grandeur shattered?  I don't know.  Maybe not.
What would be really grand is not stressing about silly stuff like tu-tu skirts.
What would be really grand is serving spaghetti for dinner, 
because that is what is doable.
What would be really grand?  Having a happy heart & not being a stress case.

Here's a new to do list.
  • do something fun & active with the kids everyday
  • sit outside with them while they play
  • turn off the tv (& internets...)  more often
  • eat the random stuff we have here, so I don't have to shop as much
  • take my cares to Jesus every single time, instead of occasionally
my monkeys who like to cry at night


give your sleepiness to Jesus.  stuff like that matters to Him!



Do you embrace the camera yet?  If you don't, you should!
Go over to Emily's to see what she wrote about why it is so important.






***  I wrote this yesterday.  I got a good night sleep last.  Thank you Jesus!

8 comments:

emily anderson said...

amen to all of this, and SO glad you got a good night's sleep!

duderonomy65 said...

Glad that you got some sleep last night. Your kids are still super cute!

Linda said...

It's amazing what sleep deprivation can do to a person. Especially when it's crying little people causing it. Is there a name for that insanity? There should be.

erksmom said...

Wow. I feel like this post was written for me. I needed this today. As we got back to (somewhat) normal life today I had to stop so many times and remind myself to stop setting too many high expectations that clearly can't be met. I don't have to do it all today. I can't do it all today. Baby steps. The kids will enjoy ME, they won't miss the little specific outing I had in mind :)

I had this same thing happen to me after Kara was born. Being thrown into a new normal for that short time when she was a new infant.
I love the new list you made. Great way to spend a day. I bet your kids will love that list more than the one you were bummed to cross out.

Thanks for this post. The reality of it was exactly what I needed.

Charlotte said...

Oh Erin, this is so true. I struggle sometimes with over-extending myself, usually for friends or to make my house look prettier. But the best days, the most productive days, can be the ones where I hang on the sofa with my kids, talking with them, showing them Jesus and improving my relationships with those that are most dear to me. Praying you have more rested nights than sleepless ones!

Erin Adams said...

Thanks for the encouragement, Stef!
<3

Erin Adams said...

Rest & just hanging out is forgotten too often, eh?!

Stephanie said...

I like your new to-do list! (And I bet your kids like it too...). :)

Thanks for the reminder to do the most important things first.

stephanie@metropolitanmama.net