Mommy Days

A soft brown dog is sleeping at my feet. A blonde sprite is beside me eating muffins and chugging protein shakes while a sweet, chocolate-brown-eyed red head is sitting to my right mastering triangular puzzles. I am drinking hot coffee – not lukewarm or even cold! There is hope I might even finish the entire cup before a sweet baby, who’s asleep bundled in a cozy blanket, wakes for another feeding.

Normalcy, balance, old habits that often give us a sense of security and evident peacefulness are being utilized this morning. As much as I have enjoyed Chris having time off, holiday excursions to visit friends and family, there is a calming effect we have in healthy habits. We gather around the desk, one kid to the left and one to the right, we are choosing to act with order. Order that will undoubtedly need room for flexibility because, let’s face it, I am working with three kids under four. But I am appreciative that they respond to our elbow-to-elbow mornings; each with their own task to complete until we break for lunch (or muffin breaks, or potty breaks, or “the battery died!”…).

Growing up my mom was determined to find ordered balance with certain priorities, one being individual attention with her children. She lovingly called these times a “mommy day”. As a third child I appreciated my “mommy days”, even scheduling them weeks ahead. Riding shotgun and then eating a meal alone with her. I know there was wisdom in her determination to do this, I benefited from these days greatly. It was one of the many things that have made her a great mommy.

I now know how much it requires determination to make such events happen. I tried to attempt a “mommy day” the other night with Ryder since he has borne the brunt of having to take care of himself while Cody dominates my attention. Our mommy time backfired a little bit. We barely got to the car before he started bawling in the driveway. He wanted his Rory. Did not care to go unless she came. I explained this was time just for him and yet he insisted it would not be successful without Rory’s presence. So mommy-night became three.

Ryder chose a burger adventure for his time and it did not disappoint. The hour and a half I had between feeding Cody was utilized by cars racing up ramps, shooting cars through flaming rings, and trains circling bright yellow tracks.  Greasy, non-healthy food, stuck to little happy fingers as we gleefully, rambunctiously, joyously made a ruckus in the dining room of the restaurant. We determined to make memories because that’s what being a mommy is all about.

¹² Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:12-14

 

Parenthood is tough. But with determination and the occasional successful habit, parenthood can be one of the most rewarding adventures of life. I am grateful to have the opportunity threefold.