The Many Hats of Alison and a CHALLENGE!

This is something that I am realizing more and more as my kids grow older.  I have many hats.  I am a Mom, a Wife, a Housekeeper, a Cook, a Chauffeur, a Personal Assistant, an Organizer, an Event Coordinator, a Support System, and oh yeah, I am a Woman. 

I chose my career.  I chose to be a stay at home mom.  And most days I love it.  But, like most jobs, there are days that I don't.  I dislike when working moms and dads don't give credit where credit is due.  I chose my career, you chose yours.  I respect what you do, why can't you respect what I do?  Do you honestly think that I sit at home and eat bon bons all day?  If that is your portrayal of what a stay at home mom/dad does, then you are in for a RUDE awakening.

My husband is great.  Just last night, while talking with a friend about stay at home parents, both my hubby and our friend gave immense credit to those who can stay at home.  They both admitted that they could not be a stay at home parent.  They actually made sure I came back in the room to hear that point...lol.  But it was nice to hear.  It was really nice to hear that they both value their wives (our friends wife is a stay at home mom too) for what they do.  It isn't often that we hear the value of our work. 

Most days our kids are up at the crack of dawn (and I am VERY thankful that my hubby get the kids fed so I can catch a few more winks before I have to get up) and are into everything from that point on.  It is Veggie Tales, Barbies, Polly Pockets, and playing house.  All the while, I am trying to clean the house, make the food, and keep any fighting at bay.  Not to mention doing the laundry, getting it folded and put away.  At my worst, which is right now, I pull the clean dry laundry out just to shove another load in the dryer and walk away to tend to something else, whether it be a crying kid, a hungry kid, an appointment we are now running late to...you get the drift. 

I love my kids, I love my husband, I love my famliy!  But I forget that I need love too.  Now, don't get me wrong, my husband and kids love me immensely!  And they show it to me daily.  I just don't always remember to show myself love.  I am my own worst critic.  I see all of my flaws.  I see all of the things I wish that weren't there.  I hear all the things that I think.  I know my heart.  I know where my faults lay.  And because of all of that, I forget to love me.  I forget that God has created me to who I am.  He has brought me through life specifically to be at this point.  He knows what he is doing and HE LOVES ME!  So if God and my family love me, and show me daily, why is it so hard to love myself? 

I wish that at the end of the day I could sit back and think, ya know what, I did good today.  I fed the kids, clothed the kids, bathed the kids, kept them semi happy, and now that they are in bed, it is time for me.  But that isn't how most days go.  Most days it is, the kids are in bed now it is time to finish everything I didn't get done or re-do the things I did get done.  I need to go clean the bathroom again, I need to finish folding and putting away the laundry (wait, kids are in bed I can't put it away, that will have to wait til tomorrow), and the dishes, and the kitchen......

I am going to challenge myself, and you!  I am going to challenge us to take one evening, afternoon or morning (where ever you find the time) a week to take care of you.  It doesn't have to be an afternoon at the spa or anything huge.  Just find something to do for YOU!  Read a chapter of a book (cuz if you are lucky that is about as far as you will get before someone needs you...lol), go paint your toes, go sit in a bath, go for a run/walk, listen to your favorite CD, whatever it is, do it for you.  If you find you have the time go to the bookstore or coffee shop or, heck, Target. 

I want to know how this goes so I will ask next week.  Good luck!  I hope that we all find a few minutes this week to take care of us.   Have a good weekend!