Surviving on the Mercies of Motherhood

I just read a really good article on LDSLiving.com, and just like all really good articles, it made me laugh and cry! In honor of Mother's Day (or rather the day after) I'm posting it here on my blog. Enjoy!

Surviving on the Mercies of Motherhood
by Whitney Permann

People think I’m crazy when I tell them I love childbirth. It’s not that I like pain—I don’t. But there is just something about working really hard to get something really good. My husband and I have the routine down: we do whatever it takes to get through a contraction, then I slump back on the bed, as limp and peaceful as a noodle (as peaceful as a noodle can be) and rest before the next one hits. It’s hard work, but when the baby is finally born, the pain doesn’t matter anymore—and I experience joy beyond description. (Then I swear I’ll never do it again.)

It has recently occurred to me that childbirth can be one huge metaphor for motherhood. We “labor” day in and day out, moment by moment—scrubbing, brushing, wiping, flushing, buckling, holding, washing, folding—it’s a wonder more mothers don’t drop dead from pure exhaustion!

So here’s my theory: Heavenly Father knew how challenging motherhood would be for each of us—physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. So He sends us “mother mercies.” You know the moments—the ones that sneak up on you and make you smile or laugh—or teary-eyed. It’s like the time I caught a whiff of my five-year-old and realized he’d put on his daddy’s deodorant that morning. Or when he used to pray nightly, “Please bless that morning will come in five minutes.” It’s the time I found a bar of soap in my bathroom with one (and only one) set of teeth marks in it. Or when my preschooler asked me, “Why did Jesus cover our bones with skin?”

Perhaps these little mercies are like the pauses between our contractions of motherhood—the moments that make us say, "Oh yeah. I really love this mothering stuff."

Contraction: Baby spits up.
Mother Mercy: Three-year-old cries in alarm, “Mom! She’s spilling!”

Contraction: Five-year-old climbs on counter to find sweets.
Mother Mercy: He explains he was simply finding desert for “Family Home Ming-Ming.”

Contraction: Patting your squishy tummy left over from pregnancy.
Mother Mercy: Patting your baby’s squishy tummy that you got in return.

Contraction: Feeling overwhelmed and grumpy.
Mother Mercy: Oldest child says sweetly, “Mommy, if you say a prayer, Heavenly Father will help you feel better.”

Think about it—what an interesting phenomenon—in our very hardest moments of mothering, Heavenly Father sends us these little flashes of reprieve to help us keep going with a smile. True, we have diapers and back-talking and tantrums and spills, but we also get kisses and first steps and stick-figure drawings and hand-pulled bouquets.

Look for the Mother Mercies in your own life. I promise they will pop up everywhere—when your toddler trips the alarm at the library (like mine did) or when he pours pop down the bowling alley lane (yes, mine) or when you find your envious child stripped down to his nothings at the park, staring longingly through the fence into the city pool (Whose kid is that? Oh, it’s mine). The Mother Mercies are always there. Don’t miss them!

One Sunday while I was juggling my three little ones, an older sister in my ward leaned over and said, “This will all end someday, believe me.” To which I replied, “Oh don’t tell me that! I’m having so much fun.” Who knew that doing something so hard could bring me so much happiness? And just like the finale of childbirth, I’m hopeful that this mothering thing—this exhausting labor of love—will someday bring us joy we could never comprehend was possible.

http://www.ldslivingmagazine.com/articles/show/1518

"Professional" Mom?

Those of you who work from home must know, as I know, how difficult it is to make a "work" phone call at home. It seems like you have to get all the stars and the moon aligned to create a quiet moment that you dare to make the call. Even then, more often than not, it's still interrupted. One time I tried hiding myself in the bedroom while the boys were downstairs playing, closed the door and made the call. Right in the middle of making a job offer I was interrupted by little pounding fists (okay, mistake to close the door) yelling "Mommy, where are you?!" I probably didn't sound very professional then, did I?

Anyway, over the past few weeks I've been recruiting for seven internships at our corporate office--SEVEN. Keep in mind I only work 12 hours a week! So I saw this little cartoon and it made me laugh. It's me! (Minus the slinky shirt, of course.)

It's Been a Long, Long Time

So, I know I've been AWOL from by blog lately! And no, Aaron is not signed up for AP English, Ethan hasn't left on his mission, and Noah isn't starting his first year of college...yet! It just seems like it's been that long since I've posted.

Have you ever noticed that after you have kids time just seems to fly by (and flies by even faster with each additional one you add)? Life has been just that lately, busy. And it's one of those times in life where there's so much on your list (is anyone else as obsessed with lists as I am?!) that you just take one thing at a time, exert all your effort just to get from one thing to the next, and finally after two weeks of craziness when it all just settles down then...you get a miserable, stuffy-head, runny-nose cold.

But, the past few weeks have been filled with a lot of good things too (eustress, as they call it) as you'll see in a few posts I have in queue. And although I can't promise there won't be another long-length hiatus (and not that it really matters to anyone else but myself!), it's good to be back in the bloggin' world again!