Coffee Break

Dear Moms

When our boys were in primary school, we moved to a house with a colossal, a kid-friendly backyard. It was a perfect space for two young boys; and in the years we lived there, the grass was well worn! The house, however, was much larger than I'd bargained for, and it soon became a burden rather than a blessing. The tasks of scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming and dusting again, were never ending.

Convinced that every mom worth her weight in dish soap kept an immaculately clean, well organised home, I was determined to outdo them all! Housework soon took priority over time with my boys, my husband and time for me.

The one summer afternoon, while knee deep in rubber gloves and toilet cleaner, God got my attention through a strategically placed note, written by my eight year old son:

Hi Mom,

Do you think that if you're not to busy today could you bring out some apple juice and sit with us under

the big tree? Maybe you could stay and pitch to us for just a while 'cause I'm getting real good at hitting! But if you don't have time, that's okay.

I love you, Josh.

The gloves came off! Through the endearing words of a child, God graced me with a wake up call, reminding me of the riches right before me, and the missed moments I would never get back.

Endless daily tasks will always be there, but the time with your children will end. You have them but for a moment. Seize each one! Recognise that your riches don't lie in a perfectly kept house, an award winning casserole, or a made-from scratch, home baked pie, nut in the investment you make in the life of your children, and the fullness of life you've been graced with in them. Life is busy. The question is: What are you busy with?

Love to you,

Susan Holloran

Extract from "The Coffee Mom's Devotional" Celeste Palermo

Laughter 101

I started reading a devotional book called "The coffee mom devotional", it is Christian based but don't worry I'm not about to Bible bash you, but it's about this mom who writes about overcoming and getting through mommy things and days and it's all surrounded by her need for the perfect cup of coffee in the morning because it's the only 'perfect'part of her day.

Well Sunday's little story was all about "A shot of laughter", long story short it was about learning to laugh at yourself and the embarrassing things you do, the things that aren't so important and even the things that are important but didn't go quite according to plan.

"When we begin to take our failure non-seriously, it means we are ceasing

to be afraid of them. It is of immense importance

to learn to laugh at ourselves."

KATHERINE MANSFIELD

Simple right, um not really. I started Monday thinking she's right, I am way to serious and I dwell on things instead of laughing and moving on. I have stopped being happy because I have been living in the negative. So I was going to laugh more.

Boy, did I fail miserably.

I'm not really sure if I have baby blues or maybe I am just past exhaustion. Emotionally, mentally and physically worn out.

These are my reasons for not finding life funny right now and why crying and having anxiety attacks are more appropriate.

1. I haven't slept for longer than 3 hours in 11 weeks.
2. Going from waking up twice a night and then starting my day at 5am, Aiden now wakes up at 1am then about 3.45am and cries till 6 am, sleeps till maybe 7am and cries some more, then again 8am wakes up laughing.
3. I then work and look after Aiden.
4. So from 3.45am till 3pm when my mom comes home I juggle work and looking after a baby.
5. At 3pm my mom doesn't take Aiden, she takes over work and I then look after Aiden.
6. In between this I am washing a sterilizing bottles.
7. Then it's night time duties and sometimes my dad takes Aiden until he's miserable of course then I get him back.
8. I'm lucky if I get to bath 2 days in a row.
9. My skin is bad from stress.
10. My hair is falling out from stress.
11. My baby went from quiet, calm angel to moaning and crying for no apparent reason.
12. Did I mention my regrowth, hairdresser please, that's a dream in itself.

I could go on and on but then it would just border on self pity and I don't want to go there again. I'm just struggling to find the balance I need so that I can laugh when Aiden shits on me, and I can laugh when I drop his bottle before I get the lid on and waste a sterilized bottle, sterilized water and 6 scoops of formula, I wish I was in the right mind set to tell my sister off when she openly tells me I look like crap instead of crying my eyes out.

I want to laugh again. I want to laugh so hard I can't breath, rolling on the floor hysterically and I want to be doing that, laughing at myself.