Do you ever feel like you’re just running through life and somehow unable to ever catch up?
I had this conversation with some girlfriends this week, and (if we’re being honest) we all agreed we have had days where we felt like we were drowning and there was no way out.
As moms with young kids, there is constantly something to do. Someone to feed, a butt to wipe, a meal to make, a house to clean, bills to pay… the list goes on. Sometimes, there isn’t much we can do to better the situation; this is simply where we are in life. Kids are HARD WORK. Throw in a job and managing a household, and forget about it!
True, we can prioritize, learn to say “no” when we just don’t have the time and do our best not to stress or worry, but sometimes that feeling of drowning is inevitable. So how do we navigate through it?
I’ve found, sort of by accident, that looking back though the pictures I’ve taken during the week (thank you, Instagram) reminds me of the moments of true {JOY} that I had in the midst of the insanity. There is SO much to rejoice in, be thankful for, and celebrate. Why is it so easy to forget all the good and many blessings we have when we are in the thick of it? And somehow, the bad moments are the ones we dwell on.
If I can, I would encourage you to take as many pictures as you can during the week – even of the mundane and silly moments. A boring photo of you sitting at your desk might remind you of a moment of silence you had throughout the week. A picture of a screaming toddler might actually make you laugh, even though in the moment you had steam coming out of your ears. Make a habit of going back to look at these photos and relive the moments, and you might just find that things weren’t as bad as they may have felt; and hopefully over time you’ll be able to remember to look for the joy in the rough days and weeks instead of dwelling on the worst of it.
And so, here are some of the moments that brought me joy this week (and friends, it was a rough week emotionally, so I am thankful to have these to reflect on!):
1. My baby girl had her very first dentist appointment. She was such a big girl and did everything the dentist asked. I found so much {JOY} in seeing how brave and grown-up she was.
2. My little Lincoln is growing each and every day. He likes to play under my desk by my feet, and when I looked to see what he was doing one day, I found him standing proudly and smiling ear to ear. I already find {JOY} in his accomplishments.
3. I attended an event at DownEast Basics with a girlfriend and a bunch of local bloggers and found {JOY} in some much-needed retail therapy and girl time.
4. I always find {JOY} in being creative (it’s my stress outlet), and this week I got my craft on by testing out the sharpie method for mugs found on Pinterest. The review is on my sister-site, I Tried A Pin.
5. I finally took Lincoln’s 8-month photos (his birthday is on the 6th of the month). Words can not express how in love I am with this little man. His smiles, laughs, and cuddles bring me {JOY} each and every day!
6. I found a ton of {JOY} in going grocery shopping by myself this week!
7. Perhaps one of the best moments of the week was spending 4+ hours watching the red carpet and Oscars with my close girlfriends. We laughed, chatted, ate, played Oscar games… and I am SO thankful for the {JOY} they bring to my life with their friendship! Every mom needs to take the occasional break from mommyhood and just be herself with her best friends.
So what brought YOU joy this week?