Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Just Relax
I have been thinking a lot lately about relaxation. I know I am supposed to be getting some of that. I have been racking my brain and trying to figure just what that looks like in my life. There is always a little boy playing in the toilet, getting rough with the cat, coloring the walls, pulling someone's hair and dumping over the garbage. It is hard to relax with that action going on. When I am sitting down I am folding laundry, doing data entry, two are fighting over my lap, or I am eating, helping with homework or blogging. Nope, no relaxing going on there. It is not happening although I am longing for it. With all of my heart and soul I long to be still. At 9pm at night when I am relaxed, I'm asleep.
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8 comments:
I was in your position a number of years ago. One day I heard a radio program featuring Elizabeth Elliot, and she was talking about the importance of training your children to be quiet in their rooms for an hour every day, basically so that Moms could have a quiet time alone with God, and because it's a necessary skill kids need to develop.
That was the best thing I ever did. It wasn't easy at first, and I really had to hold my ground, but I was a better Mom for it - that one hour of alone time did wonders for me! Even now, my kids are in 1st, 2nd, and 4th grade, I send them to their rooms for quiet time during days off from school (not weekends) and it's energizing/calming for all of us. Time alone is good for kids, and especially for us.
Relax? Hmmmm... I have to think about that.
Elizabeth,
We do have roomtime. We had to rename though to Screaming in Your Roomtime. Timmers is not catching on yet.
I'm hearing what you're putting down, sister. One author suggested scheduling it in. I think there's wisdom in that. Maybe it's one evening a week that you go to a coffee shop and read, or meet a friend. It may not be a long time every day right now, but it could be moments..planned moments where you say no to the laundry and the list. You set it aside. Which is a challenge because we always see the next thing to do. We don't leave the "office", we dwell in it. So maybe relaxing is leaving? Just a thought.
I was actually thinking this morning when older mom's give their advice about enjoying them when they're little..yes..it's truth. But, it doesn't help the weariness of the day to day. Maybe a better thing to say is, "Hey, can I come over for a couple of hours while you go out?". I know I always appreciate my littles more when I've had a short break. But, beating us over the head with..enjoy the exhaustion..just isn't helpful. Or, my second favorite piece of advice is..."Just wait, when they get older, you're not physically exhausted, you're emotionally drained!" And this is helpful because?????????
I'm not bitter...passionate, maybe.
Thanks for letting me blog on your blog.
...relax....unclench...look out the window....
Love you, girl.
Or enjoy it because it goes so fast.
Yes. Sometimes that is ok with me. Fast is just fast enough.
I know I'm not a mother yet, but I REALLY look forward to my lunch hour. It's a scheduled hour away from my desk that I can do WHATEVER I want with. Sometimes that means napping, reading, shopping, eating.
I'm with Sheri. Scheduled relax time rules. I always get more done when I get that hour.
I hope you get 15 minutes some time today.
Well, Carla it's clear that you need to bring them here and let them play with our kids while you drink coffea and eat cookies.
I am so with you on this one. I find it funny though. I can feel the need for a break building up with in me. It usually takes a couple of days, and then I am done. I need a break. In my mind, I thinking I need a whole day, maybe even a whole weekend. I daydream about my break and all the things I would do while away. But after a couple of hours (usually spent walking up and down the isles of Target), I'm good. I am ready to go back. That is for the first half hour or so, then it starts all over again, and I am wishing I would have took a longer break and the daydreams start all over.
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