There are memes for days of struggling moms trying to hold their shit together while they get an unwanted crash course in homeschooling. I have jumped on so many bandwagons that have cycled through from #teachersneedraises to Facebook videos of moms leading fraction lessons with the amount of wine in their glass.
Let’s be real! My prayers at night include asking God to give me strength to be a loving and patient mother. Around 10:30 a.m. everyday I almost cave and second-guess my ability to be a mother and a homeschool teacher at the same time, while rocking out in my pajamas on yet another work scheduled Zoom call (thank goodness I only have to dress my top half for video meetings).
All jokes aside, I get it. We are all struggling. Stress for some of us is at an all-time high, and with all the uncertainties, we feel like we could break at any moment. But, I am here to tell you WE WILL SURVIVE! My friend shared something on the phone with me the other day that stopped me dead in my tracks and I remind myself daily of her statement. She said, “When ever in our lifetime will we get time forced within our home to connect to our family without any distractions of things to do and places to go?” She is right. At the end of this, I want my children to remember more than just the fights over homework, or my yelling at them to be quiet so I can listen to a Zoom call. I want us to make memories and live in this moment of history. I want my children to see how resilient one can be through the hardest of times.
With this being said, I have compiled a list of things we must focus on during this time as a mother, a wife, and just a strong ass woman.
- Still wake up early. Now is not the time to sleep in and waste the days. Now is your time to put in the work, because you can. Set the alarm before the kids wake up and get in a few hours of “me time” with a routine that sets your day up for success.
- Schedule your day. Sounds too simple and is a given right? Not kidding, write it down and follow it. Schedule out when homework is, your work time, lunch, TV time, free time, etc. (Of course, if you live in Kentucky like me, you must schedule in Live with Andy at 4 p.m. CST! Our Governor Andy Beshear is amazing #teamkentucky #togetherky)
- Be purposeful. Be intentional with your tasks and try to complete one at time instead of starting and stopping because you’re bored with them. Have intentions and don’t put off until the next day.
- “Do the Thing.” This is my motto for 2020, so it had to make it to the list. Now is the time to focus on that “thing” that you have always wanted to learn, to do, to create, or to be better at but you said you didn’t have the time. Now is the time! “Do the Thing.” Why wait? You will never have this time again.
- See the Opportunity. Focus on your mindset during this time. Don’t be so wrapped up in your fear of all the uncertainties that you miss the opportunities right in front of you. It can be as simple as cooking all three meals for your family and sitting at a table to eat together or writing a letter to someone that has impacted your life. It could be writing that book you always dreamed about achieving.
- Personal hygiene. Yes, it made the list, and you’re probably laughing to yourself now. I’m serious. Do the routine of getting dressed for the day, showering, putting on makeup, or just changing out of your pajamas and brushing your hair. When you do these simple steps while at home it will help to shift your mindset to being productive and positive throughout the day, because you will feel better.
- Give yourself a TIMEOUT. Before yelling or losing your cool because you feel like a circus clown juggling so much, tell everyone in your house that you are in a 10 minute timeout AND TAKE IT. Walk away! Allow the homework to be wrong, allow the cries to continue, allow dinner to be late, and allow the laundry to pile up. Give yourself a timeout, and be OK with it.
- Set Boundaries. Setting the schedule will help with this, but setting some boundaries/rules for yourself will also help. With so many uncertainties and what seems to be endless time stuck at home, you might have a tendency to become depressed and lack the motivation to do anything. For myself, I know if I give myself a break to watch TV during the day, I will be there five hours later binge watching the entire season of “Is Love Blind.” ( I mean seriously, I might have done that). Because I know this about myself, I set a rule that I would not watch television until after 5 p.m. each day. Or another one I had to recently do is only three trips to the pantry during waking hours.
- Have FUN! This is the most important. There will never be another moment in history (or least I hope so) that we will be stuck in our homes. I understand this is a scary time, but don’t allow your fear to bring you down. Flip the script! Change it up. Breathe and just have fun.
In conclusion, writing this blog was really for me to remind myself of what I need to do to get myself through this. I hope you too can find comfort in the fact that every mom out there is struggling to put their big girl panties on and just get through the day. My biggest advice is don’t get sucked into a social media comparison game of who is doing it better. Just do you! Do what you can and focus on the priorities that are important to you. We are all in this together!
Plan over Panic ~ Strength over Sorrow ~ Faith over Fear ~ Trust over Tears ~ Most importantly Prayers over All!
