FMF: Because I'm a Mom...

Welcome to another instalment of Five Minute Friday where I join Kate Motaung and many other wonderful people world-wide to write on a word prompt given to us by Kate. Come join us! Either read the posts already written or write your own to add to the link-up! :) It is a wonderful writing exercise, sometimes more challenging than other times but always worth while to participate in!

This week the word Kate gave us is "because". The following post is not the post I intended to write but, as I sat in the salon chair this morning (yes, I know it's a day late), this is the post that came out. so I guess that means it was the post I needed to write.

START

Because I'm a mom, my life is often centred around children. My pre-mom life was too, being an elementary school teacher. But this is different - this is 24/7. (Teaching was more like 18/7 ... except in report card season! ;) )  And this also involves more of the heart (though, when I was teaching I wouldn't have thought it was possible for my heart to be even more involved in someone's life.)  But, being a mom (and a wife) makes your focus in life chance. There are new roles in which to bring glory to God and the weaknesses I have are suddenly more apparent, making that glorification more challenging. What's amazing its hat my husband and girls (and God) continue to love me through it all!!

Because I'm a mom, I start caring about more than myself. Though I care more about myself too - because if I don't take care of myself, how can I expect to take care of my family? Because I desire to take care of my family, it means making changes. It means a simpler life. It means removing clutter from my life: physical clutter (things; activities), emotional clutter (attitudes; people who bring you down; but doing things like downsizing Facebook use; and/or instead, surrounding yourself with positive, like-minded people), spiritual clutter (attitudes here too!; anything that keeps me from drawing closer to God; people with really messed up theology; instead, spending more time in the Word, in prayer, with God).

Because I'm a mom & wife who wants to take care of my family, it means saying "no" to many extra-curricular activities (even when all your peers are putting their kids, preschoolers and toddlers included, in various activities & playgroups nearly every day and evening of the week!!), saying "no" to participating in various groups, not jumping on every popular bandwagon that everyone around you seems to be jumping on. For me, it also means: making an effort to keep the house tidy, making healthy meals, cooking & baking from scratch. It also means not hovering over the kids and spending every waking moment with them but, instead, letting them learn to entertain themselves and develop their own imaginations.

Because I'm a mom ... things (blog posts?) can be late! :)

STOP