The Modern Day Proverbs 31 Woman

Once upon a time, in a land far FAAARRR away lived a woman. Her closet was filled with size 2 clothes. Her home echoed the sound of 4 children. Every morning she awoke at 5 am to pray for a half an hour, and then step on her treadmill while reading her Bible. She was working on memorizing the book of Philippians and was ¾ of the way done. At 7 am her children awoke, and she greeted them with kisses and big smiles on her face. She had so much energy and excitement for what the day held. As she made her four children eggs and pancakes every morning, they quietly got dressed, brushed their teeth, and made their beds. Breakfast time was the children’s time at memorizing scripture. Morning was devoted to memorizing the book of Proverbs. Kisses and smiles and they were out the door on the bus to school.
While the children were in school, the women devoted an hour to cut out soup labels for the pta for her children’s’ school. (Did I mention she was the president of it?) Then she devoted an hour every day to volunteer in one of her child’s classrooms. For the rest of the time her children were in school she devoted her time to her ETSY online shop where she tailored the cutest children’s clothing. With the earnings she made from her shop from the last year she guaranteed a full year of college for her first born.

Dinner was served promptly at 5:30pm as soon as her husband walked through the door. All food groups were presented on the plate, and her children devoured her meals while her husband raved every night, “Wow..this is the best meal you’ve made yet!” Bath time, bed time, and Bible stories breezed through the remainder of the evening as she quietly tucked her 4 little munchkins under their warm covers as she couldn’t wait to tend and focus on her husband for the rest of the night. AHHH..such as a day in the life of the woman. A woman who never complains…..and each night they live happily ever after.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! When I read Proverbs 31 is it wrong to say that I want to just laugh? “There is NO WAY I can obtain that”, I think. Here is the day in the life of ME---
After being up numerous times in the night with a spoiled 6 month old, I groggily hit the snooze button on the alarm for the 10th time. I fall out of my bed with a TOO BIG OF THUD (thanks to child bearing butt!) when I notice that thanks to my snooze a rooze I now have 30 minutes to get my kiddos ready and out the door for the day. Oh wait—I DON”T have to wake my kids up as they come up when the sun comes up….E.V.E.R.Y. M.O.R.N.I.N.G. Yes, you would have thought that I birthed roosters. But alas…the difference in the mornings are no crowing is heard when the sun comes up, only the toots of my 5 year old pooping on the toilet (EVERY MORNING!) and the screams of my 3 year old yelling at her sister.

“Kids! Hurry and get dressed and come down for breakfast! I laid your clothes last night on your floor.” I yell as I try to brush my teeth to get rid of the Grinch stench that erupts from my mouth each morning.

“NOOOOOOOO!!! I DON”T want to get dressed. I want breakfast. I’m NOT GOING to school today!” Reese yells. Finley is not far behind, “I DON”T WANNA…” And so it starts. I take one quick look at myself and am almost startled myself with the big purple bags and the funky, greasy hair. Oh well. No time today. I convince Reese to go to school, do her hair (only to have her cry about the way it looks after I’m done), and move to Finley. I have to physically stop the fit throwing by holding her tightly and maneuvering the clothes around her body. It’s like the workout I never had in the morning.

While both girls are crying (Reese is still upset that God gave her a colic in her hair), I hear a peep from my third precious bundle that kept me up all hours of the night. Change diapers, change clothes. And while she is attached to the ol’boob, I race around to get Reese’s lunch packed. (That is a learned skill….don’t try it at home, kids). By the time I get all three loaded in the car I forget they haven’t had breakfast. I run back inside and grab 3 pop-tarts (hey I have to eat too!) and throw them to the backseat for them to inhale down on the way to school. Drop Reese off and head to Harper’s Dr. appointment. Wrangling the typically “MOM VAN” in the parking spot I look down and notice I am still wearing my polka dot pajama bottoms.

Sigh

I’ve felt like I’ve run a marathon and it’s not even 9am.

Well that is how a lot of my days go. And I’m lucky if dinner is more than spaghetti or a hamburger. And then…I envision the biblical Proverbs 31 woman having all this energy for her husband in the evening. HA! Poor Steve…in the evening I’m spent. I want to be with him, to spend time with him, but I’m tired. Shhh…don’t tell him…but some nights I’ll even dress in the closet so….well…you know….I don’t want to tempt! Ha! Is this what motherhood should look like? A marathon of pure pandemonium? Then I feel guilty for not being this Proverbs 31 woman---I’m perfectionistic like that.

I get depressed with the mundane of my marathon. I sometimes get to the point where I don’t even enjoy it. Even some hours where I don’t enjoy my children because I put so much pressure on myself (I even hate to admit it!). But then I studied those verses a little more in Proverbs. That virtuous woman didn’t necessarily have it all together, like I don’t have it all together. But she did do something that showed in every other aspect of her life-she enjoyed her job as a mother and let it fulfill her. She was allowed to be BLESSED by her children and her husband. I had been looking at it wrong. I thought I was to do the blessing to my children and husband. If I look at my children to bless me, my outlook on my day is totally different. Sure, it’s not going to change the crying and fit throwing of a three year old. But it just might change my attitude on those mornings I don’t feel I have any more energy to give.

So this blog is being started as a way for me to find that God given joy in all aspects of my Motherhood. To allow my children to BLESS me. And even though I know many will not read this, I want to capture my every day journey for me to share it with my girls some day.
So here we go….Let’s go on this journey beyond the Puke, Poop, and Pandemonium!