Last night I hit a bit of a low. It’s winter; it’s (very nearly almost) post-Christmas; we’ve got a bad case of cabin fever.
Still. Why can they be creative and neat?
So I ate.
And I ate.
And I ate and I ate and I ate and I ate.
Feeling dull (mentally) and thick (physically), I crawled into bed at 7:00 p.m. “I simply cannot handle making supper,” I told John, “and so I’ve dictated the recipe for pancakes to Cate. ”
He understood.
And yet…and yet…something happened then—something electric, something unexpected. Cate thrilled to the thought of cooking supper. She bounded off with her paper in hand and set to work with John overseeing.
“She likes the responsibility, you know.” My husband’s eyes were twinkling as he stopped by the bedroom with a progress report. “And you look really cute, for what it’s worth.”
(I had crawled into bed with my makeup still on and had the covers pulled up around my head.)
(And for what it’s worth, it meant a lot.)
Angela poked her head in the doorway and saw—not the pathetic beached whale of an overeating, overtaxed mom but rather, a Golden Opportunity. “Will you read me a book?” she asked, already climbing in beside me.
Felicity overheard this request from her bedroom and was there in a flash with me in the middle. Mom in the Middle: that’s us, isn’t it? So I read them the book that I’d found the day before—Little Polar Bear and the Whales
I fell asleep—face unwashed but at peace—and I woke up at 2:00 a.m., fully rested. What a difference a few hours can make! I’m thinking it’s actual grace at work and for that, I am grateful—truly and deeply grateful.
I think—no, I know—I can tackle today.
There but by the grace of God go me.
Cate is maturing into a wonderfull young lady, and the "challenge" of making supper is the minnisota mom's version of learning to work cattle.
Thankyou for snuggling with your girls and reading a book….at that age when I wanted to do this with my mother (she suffered from cronic back pain and was in bed a lot)she told me to "go away" :*-(
signed
Theresa in Alberta
Boy, I've had days like that. I wish I had the courage to "let" the kids make dinner on such evenings but frankly when I'm feeling like that I can't bear the thought of what will happen to the kitchen.
Perhaps I will teach them how to order pizza.
My mum was much like yours, Theresa: a good heart but not a lot of interaction.
Bearing, I was nervous to go downstairs thinking there'd be pancake batter dried on EVERYTHING…but my husband, God love him, oversaw the clean-up as well as the cooking.
Phew!
Thank you for posting about the winter blahs! Those have been hitting me, too. Unfortunately, the "something electric" that happened when I settled down to make dinner the other night was a huge electric explosion from our stove. This did give me a good excuse to order pizza last night, though, which was a good equivalent to having someone else make dinner.
Glad to know that there's light at the end of the child-raising tunnel, and that my toddler may one day, God willing, mature into a young woman that can help with dinner 🙂
That means your hubby also put the kiddos to bed too!!
He's a saint.
I had a night where I wanted to go to bed early. I just couldn't, so I trudged on. (I still nurse) but I'm so proud of you for doing it!!
It must have been the day as I anticipated going to bed early anyway (like 10 pm) but fell asleep with the kids at 8:30, woke up at 10:30, crawled into jammies, and back to bed I went until 8:30 this morning. The world has a much better outlook now I must say. 🙂 Hope your day is off to an excellent start as well.
Living in Texas for 7 years I never understood the "winter blues". We're from "up north", but I grew up in a place that saw the sun in the winter. Now that I'm "up here" in the dark winter, I totally get the winter blues.
Glad you got some rest and are feeling better!
Good for you for letting your family rise to the occasion! I'll bet Cate felt so proud and happy. I know my girls want to step in and help and it is sometimes so hard to just let go and let them help (because sometimes the mess afterwards is not worth the trouble.) (isn't there a saying "Let go and let God").
So glad you came back. 😉 Call me the next time you crawl under the covers — we'll chat.
I agree with Jamie — he's a saint.
Good for you for just calling it in yesterday, Margaret! Somedays are just like that and starting afresh with sleep and prayer do wonders. I've so been there… (but usually my hubby is out of town when that happens!)
God bless you and your sweet family today! Love you!
If you haven't read this book, you must! I laughed out loud the first time I read it, and it's still one of my favorite kids books. Just hits the spot. It's what I thought of immediately when I read your post.
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Minutes-Peace-Jill-Murphy/dp/0698117875
I understand–I know it's going to be a bad day if I let the butter come to room temperature while putting breakfast dishes in the sink–Cookies by noon!!!
I am also in the midst of the homeschooling post two week bliss-overwhelming period. Last night I cried on the couch about our history curriculum and my husband permitted me to buy SOTW on the spot. Ahhhhhh…..
We will see the sunshine again.
Funny – I teach 6th grade and these past few days have been among the worst of the year for me! I also went to bed early last night…and today went much better! Reminds me of an old saying my mom used to tell me:
"When the whole world's wrong and you're the one who's right, it's time to say goodnight!" 🙂
Jessica,
That's a great quote. You mama was right!
Thank you for your comments, everyone. I agree–my husband's a saint! Except when I told him that, he just snorted. Does that make him even more of a saint?
I love the book recommendation, Tracy, and was quick to request it at our library. That's how I cope with the winter blahs–I check out lots & lots of picture books! (And pay lots & lots of late fees, 'cause it's too cold to return them. 🙂
Oh, and that quote's a total keeper, Jessica.
This is just what I needed to read before heading off to bed…my house quite a mess. Lovely post :)Thanks for sharing!