Fri-YAY! Oh, wait… It’s SUMMER BREAK!
It’s summer break -
In a child’s brain: FREEDOM!
In Mommy’s brain: When am I able to have ‘me’ time again and WILL I EVER?
For the “working-life” mom - Fridays are loved and cherished just as much as their first-born child. Friday night celebrations usually consist of a much-needed date night, stay-at-home family night, or bellied-up at the friendly-neighborhood adult daycare (bar) night. In this way of life each Friday is the opening to ‘sleep-in’ Saturday, in which leads to the ‘early-morning to Worship’ Sunday, then after Sunday evening here comes the — you guessed it! The ‘dreadful’ Monday. The escape or ‘pause’ that comes with Friday is needed by most to keep your ever-living sanity. This is what I call the “working-life” hamster wheel.
The stay-at-home (SAH) mom’s (like myself) usually forget about the Friday feelings and its exciting “working-life” attributes, unless it is summer-time. During the summer we do not have to make school lunches every morning or race the tardy bell. This is our break. But, without a doubt, if we forget to put cold drinks in the fridge the world WILL come to an end. According to my kids this is a straight FACT and really one of the only things they really worry about. My bosses are pretty easy-going. :)
As a SAH mother that has lived many years in the “working life” - it has been difficult to adapt to this new way of living.
When do I get my “escape”? Who has the remote for the ‘pause’ button? Can someone else please teach the kids to not accidentally self-destruct while I turn my back for 2 seconds? Can anyone hear me? No? OK.
If a mother has mentioned she has not felt the need to lock herself in the pantry and stress-eat a single snack alone for 5 minutes… She is LYING. I’m joking — kinda. But in all seriousness, I love being home and able to spoil my Husband and kids with meals and a clean home.
I truly love making meals, cleaning, and juggling extra activities my daily life for my family. That is my job. That is what I want to do. What do people typically say when they love their job after 10+ years? It just comes naturally, and it doesn’t feel like work. A little vacation here & there never hurt anyone — even if it’s only a trip to the fridge for ice cream at 3 am for some quiet time.
Mommy-life AKA:
“Every day is a Friday” life
No alarm clock slappin’ life
Fixer of all boo-boo’s life
“Can’t call into work” life
Light-hearted laughs are what makes my M-F & Sat., Sun. keep spinning — if you couldn’t already tell.
Going back to the beginning, “In Mommy’s brain: When am I able to have ‘me’ time again and WILL I EVER?” the answer is — Get out of your own headspace and look around you.
Trying to find where you’re happy in this life with tiny, beaming eyes and little toes following your footsteps is not easy. Honestly, nerve racking is a good way to describe the feeling. With that being said, I have a challenge for you. Write down ONE thing each day that makes you happy for a full week straight. Come back to the comments or email me with your list with a response to why and how these things make you happy. Reason? We get so lost in our everyday life that we forget what the good things are and the happy feelings.
This goes out to the “working-life” moms, the SAH moms, the empty-nest moms, fur-baby moms — if you’ve birthed a kid, a village, or your baby is around God’s Throne… Everyone deserves happiness. Our happiness looks way different as mothers. We sometimes get so lost in finding “a break” because we are emotionally and physically exhausted that we forget what really matters. Our life is not just sliding down the metal slide in the summer heat and blistering our butts on summer break from school. Life is a little more complicated when it’s not just your butt you’re looking after.
We are all in this together. ❤️
Thanks for reading!
-Forever, Paige
REMEMBER: Write down ONE thing each day that makes you happy for a full week. Come back to the comments or email me with your list with a response to why and how these things make you happy.
FUN FACT: I have learned that my name is now “*Insert kids’ name here*’s Mom”. Little do they know; I am Forever Paige. ;)
