Glenetta Pope, Mom in Training

There are those days when I ask myself why have I not perfected my mothering skills. After all, I do have four. I should have it right by now..shouldn't I? But then it hit me this morning, as I am up with Aminah since 5 a.m..on a Saturday morning.
I AM A MOTHER IN TRAINING. Let's call it a "MIT." I may not 'perfect my craft,' until I am 90. Why? because every child is different and I will be faced with unique challenges as it relates to each one of them for the rest of my life. In fact, I may never 'perfect my craft." I will add to it with each child and every challenge, but perfection will never come. In the meantime, I can do those things which make life a bit easier for all of us. If I do the following below, I believe I can be a decent mom!
1. Be as organized as possible.
2. Maintain routines.
3. Do my best to serve nutritious meal options.
4. Get as must rest as possible.
5. Allow myself some mommy time each week.
6. Provide all of us with a consistently calm environment. (I am naturally high strung..so this is a challenge for me. Thankfully my hubby is the opposite so he helps to keep things balanced.)
7. Maintain a clean environment (not my forte!)
8. Pray with and for all of us.
9. Help them discover their talents and provide opportunities to nurture them.
10.Love them unconditionally.

WMG

Sometimes I have Working Mothers Guilt (WMG). When I look up and the house is a mess or things aren't going quite right with the kids. The flow of the family is just a bit off..WMG hits me like a ton of bricks,

Uhmm

Thanks to my handsome, intelligent and thoughtful husband, I slept in until 10 today. I feel like a new woman!

Now the big boys are playing the WII..golf. Aminah is playing Tea Time, which means water is every where. The baby is in his bouncy...in and out of sleep. I'm watching the ribs on the grill in the backyard. Thanks hubby for starting the fire.

It's gonna be a great day! Yesterday was the fourth and I absolutely loved watching the kids reactions to dad lighting the fireworks. Lots of fun!

Acceptance

Today I FINALLY accepted two things.

1. I will never have the same amount of energy as my four little ones so I must get more rest. No more staying up 4 - 5 hours after they have gone to sleep. It's just not enough rest. They always wake up before me..running through the hallway..playing some loud games in the room...'waking me up.' So, I must get in the bed..even if, I have not done everything I thought I would do in a day or even if..a good lifetime movie is on. I WILL GO TO BED! Especially since I end up falling asleep on the couch and not feeling fully rested in the end.

2. There is simply not enough caffeine in the world to substitute for real bonafide sleep. So...I have to cut back. Yes, I will still have a couple of cups, but ODing on caffeine is no longer an option.

GET SOME SLEEP GLENETTA!!