Homemaking is not my strength: Letter #1

Letter #1 Homemaking is not my strength.

Dear 30 year old self-

I have a confession... homemaking is not my strength.  The dishes pile up in my sink, I forget to make my bed, and I absolutely HATE putting away laundry.  In fact, it takes every ounce of energy to remember to do these things. I would much rather play with Little man. read something interesting, get messy in my art journal, blog, be outside, create something, paint, and pretty much anything else there is to do besides spend the afternoon cleaning floors and folding laundry.

I didn't grow up in what some may think of as a "typical Mormon" home where the house was spotless and there was a plate of cookies and fresh baked bread waiting right as you walked through the door from school. (exaggerated I know- but that is how I envisioned other families to be like)

My mom grew up in a culture where there was hired help to cook, clean, drive, run errands, and garden. I often fantasize what that may be like... but at 30 years old- snap out of it...my entourage of hired help are not knocking at my door anytime soon.

It's time to find the JOY IN HOMEMAKING. 

So to be totally serious about this qwest... I am taking the summer off from work and am on a mission to see if there is really indeed joy in homemaking and hopefully find that balance in my life I have been looking for! 

Wish me luck!

Sincerly, 

The deprived homemaker in you

Side note: 

This letter comes from an "ah ha" moment I recently had when I attended Womens' Conference at BYU a few months ago. It is a conference for women with several different topics. I had only signed up for one day due to a conflict of wanting to attend a play therapy conference instead. 

However, the Lord had other plans for me.  

 It was the final speaker of the day and I had this impression that I should get up and buy my ticket for the next day. "But why?" I thought- I am not planning on attending. And then the same thought came to me again...so, I immediately got up crawling over people and chairs to make my way to the exit.  Needless to say, I bought my ticket for the next day. Then, I told God- "Okay if there is something I need to hear please help me choose and find my way to those classes." 

 Let me just say- I needed to be there. 

It was then that I made the decision to take another thing off my plate and take care of my home.

Besitos, xo

Renewal week take 2

Today I feel blessed.

 It was not only the warmest most beautiful day of the year yesterday but it was Easter. Such a special day with such deeper meaning. For such occasion, I decided to wear a special dress my grandma gave me that she used to wear when she was my age. ( More on the dress here)

Funny thing about last week was that it was supposed to be my "renewal week"- (aka: working out, cleaning house, catching up with work, taking Little Man to the zoo, eating less oreos and more veggies kind of a week) but life had different plans. The week instead  started off with a late night ER visit followed by sleepless nights and a cranky toddler and therefore a very sleep deprived and cranky mommy... again reminder that I am NOT in control. 

 Perhaps I am not ready to go back to "normal" quite yet. Maybe I needed an extra week of madness? 

This past week has once again brought me to my knees and given me an even more focused view of life and a another glimpse into the way I believe our Heavenly Father sees us.

This week as I held Little Man in my arms as he was burning with fever and crying out in pain- I felt the a small amount of pain and sorrow that our Heavenly Father must have felt when he watched his son suffer that day in Gethsemane. I know for me watching my little boy endure such pain was difficult to bare. I would have done anything to trade him places if I only could or to rid him of  that experience... and I can only imagine what that day may have been like for our Father in Heaven.

I am so grateful to have this perspective. I love being a mother even more.

(Above: Little Man sharing kisses and his coughing germs with me.)

It is amazing how the past few weeks things have seemed so foggy yet so clear at the same time. Things that were usually every day priorities really didn't matter all of a sudden and everything that did was so clearly presented in front of me that it was easy to set those other things aside.

 Listening to conference two weekends ago I loved what President Thomas S. Monson said in his talk "The Race of Life" where he states: 

"In this fast-paced life, do we ever pause for moments of meditation—even thoughts of timeless truths?

When compared to eternal verities, most of the questions and concerns of daily living are really rather trivial. What should we have for dinner? What color should we paint the living room? Should we sign Johnny up for soccer? These questions and countless others like them lose their significance when times of crisis arise, when loved ones are hurt or injured, when sickness enters the house of good health, when life’s candle dims and darkness threatens. Our thoughts become focused, and we are easily able to determine what is really important and what is merely trivial."

-President Thomas S. Monson

What is really important? what is merely trivial?

That is my renewal. Remembering these past few weeks and the clarity I had of what was really important.

Maybe this week can be my "Renewal Week" take 2?

besitos, xo