One of THOSE Days

Let's start at the beginning.

Crib Climbing.  The two words I've been dreading most.  Well, other than potty training.  I was really hoping the Little Guy would stay in his crib until he was at least 17.  Fine.  At least 2.5.  My sweet husband is going to be traveling a lot in the Fall again and I was just keeping my fingers crossed that somehow the love affair with the crib would last until he was back.  I have to admit I've had it pretty good.  My Little Guy is a great sleeping and napper. If he isn't napping he will often play in his crib for up to an hour or so.  This is fabulous for a Mama who thinks 8:30 is the ideal time to start the day.

So anyway.  I woke up yesterday to the usual.  Little Guy yelling "hi hi hi" from his crib.  I figured I had at least 20 minutes to roll back over and sleep before the hi-ing became more insistent.  Only all the sudden a small man materialized beside my bed and was calling me Mama.  I seriously wanted to cry.

Fast forward to our "coloring" session.  Aka my dear child found paint and decided to color his clothes, body and the floor.  Thank goodness it was washable!

And the best part of the day had to be the 20 minute episode which can only be described as a fit during which is prostrated himself on the kitchen floor and wailed that he did not want milk.  The only dinner he ate went up his NOSE in the form of a pea.  And thankfully Peter noticed this.  Fishing small green vegetables from my dear son's nostril wasn't the way I anticipated spending my dinner hour.

All this being said, I'm not sure I handled my day correctly.  I made myself a promise when I was still pregnant with Stafford that I would try to always be thankful for him.  Clearly I don't always succeed in that.  I let him drive me crazy yesterday.  He wasn't happy and neither was I.

And you know what?  All he wanted was some loving.  He wanted me to scoop him up and tickle him.  He wanted to sit in my lap.  He wanted me to give him "muahs".  He wanted me to set down what I was doing and focus on him for a little bit.  And in my mind I was doing just that.  I was making decorations for his birthday.  I was cleaning his room.  I was fixing his lunch.  I was taking care of him but I wasn't serving him.

A lot of people have misconceptions about stay at home parents.  Some people think all we do is sleep in and take a nap and change an occasional diaper.  Some people think we work all day long doing crafts, dishes, laundry and never get a break.  For me those are extremes.  There are days when I am caught up that I let myself take a nap.  And sometimes I even nap when I'm not caught up.  For me staying at home takes a different set of skills and uses different parts of myself than my 40 hour work week used to.  Sometimes my house is spotless and sometimes I can't find a spot to sit down.

But no matter how the house looks my attitude should be the same.  My job right now is to love my children and point them to Jesus.  I'm not sure Jesus would have enjoyed being around me much yesterday.  Except for the pea.  Who wouldn't love that?

Thankfully each day is a new day.  I woke up today and re-set my mindset.  Being Christlike is no joke.  It is hard.  It takes work.

My babies aren't going to remember is the house was messy when they were little.  But they will either grow up with a grumpy mother or one who is continually striving to point them to Jesus.  That is the Mama I want to be.  Matthew 5:16 says to let your light shine before men.  I have 2 little men and I want them to grow up confident of 3 things.

They have a Mama who loves Jesus.

They have a Mama who loves them.

And they should never, ever stick their dinner up their nose!