{tired mama}

I missed a day of this fun #write 31 days. Let me tell you why. Yesterday I was a tired Mama and I must admit that I was grumpy about it at times. I ran around all day and really didn’t stop & sit until about 8:30 when we started Movie Night.

Driving in the car doesn’t really count as sitting right?

I only made it one hour into Wreck-it Ralph {talk about grumpy} before falling asleep on the couch. I am a night owl but 9:30 PM feel like 3 AM these days! Even though I love a good Disney movie on a Friday night I was toast from running around all day, feeding a newborn, making dinner, cleaning up dinner & the sugar overdose during movie {not to mention that I had very little down time the entire week}.

Raising little human souls is not easy stuff. The constant instructing and training and sacrifice is tough. It’s mind-bending and tiring. Having a newborn just means less sleep than usual. Trying to love my husband and keep up other relationships and serve in ministry is a lot to balance as well. The Lord has been kind in this process of helping me learn to balance it all {especially during some very difficult parenting stages that I was certain I would not survive}. I’m not “there” yet when it comes to balance but my focus is now more fixed on the long-term rewards of parenting {not the daily inconveniences of parenting}.

As mommy’s it seems there is a focus on sleep and how much we are or are-not getting. It’s well-intentioned but people constantly ask me if I am getting any sleep. I don’t mind but sometimes I don’t even want to think about how much sleep I am actually missing! I just try to focus on being thankful because truly I’m right where I want to be. Tired and yet incredibly full of life-giving love from my sweet little family and a loving husband who is willing to provide for us in more ways than I can count. I wouldn’t trade my crazy-tired life for anything.

My little beautiful children look in my eyes and tell me they love me. They are quick to forgive. They still want to hold my hand. They are precious. They will bond Aaron and I together forever. They teach me so much about life. They keep me silly. They are inquisitive and relentless. They are a part of us. They look like us and have some of our strengths and some of our weaknesses. They make us laugh and make us cry. They remind us that we are very flawed and that we all need Jesus. And they teach us about God’s unconditional love by their unconditional love. They are forgiving & loving every day {even on hard days}. They are a sweet gift from the Lord.

While I do joke and complain about motherhood during these very tired…falling asleep on the couch…cannot remember my name…DAYS…I am also incredibly grateful. I will continue to keep going and to thank sweet Jesus for the gift they are, reminding myself that someday they will be out of the house and I will long for these sleepy days. If you are in a sleepy or tough stage of parenting I encourage you to just focus on what you have or what you will have someday. Pray for help and sleep when you can. And keep that coffee coming, right?

So while we are on the subject of sleep this somewhat grumpy Wreck-it Laura is heading to bed. Night, Night!