Farmgirl Paints: mother mode

The house is too quiet. My house guests are GONE. It seems like a whirlwind from the time they honked their arrival until the last air kiss was blown. Oh how I love this family. It amazes me how they seamlessly blend in with our brood. I'd love to catalog the sounds of giggles and shelf them for a day when the "b" word comes up. There's no time for boredom when the Hutchinson's are here. We are on the move.

Sunday we hit the beach. Growing up Midwest girls we don't take the ocean for granted. Being able to jump in the car, and hear the surf and feel the sand is a luxury I don't think we will ever completely get used to. The problem with the beach is the inevitable headache involved with that pleasure.

It was 100+ degrees and humid. Alicia's air conditioning wasn't working up to it's potential. We packed our ENTIRE house to take out into the gritty sand. So you can imagine...all of us loaded with towels, bags, coolers, chairs, boogie boards...hair stuck to the side of our faces wet with sweat and then hop skipping on the burning sand to just the right spot. It's a stressful day.

But then the beach starts to work it's magic. The sound of the surf starts melting away the tension. The sand instead of feeling gritty starts to feel therapeutic. The warmth dissolves every thought. It usually takes me a bit to start to relax. I don't think I'm high strung or a perfectionist until I get to the beach and then all my quirks starts to become evident. I have to almost talk myself off the stress ledge. You can do this. It's only sand. Don't worry the sticky salty feeling will wash off. I'm weird that way.

Making time for fun is hard work. Being a mom is exhausting!!! By the way Alicia's littles call her mother...it's the sweetest thing. We were in mother mode on steroids this weekend. You have to be when no honeys are around and it's just you and a carload of young ones.

So naturally I started analyzing what it means to be a mother? It's staying ahead of the game with meals and rest. It's having a plan "b" ready at any given moment. It's giving equal time and energy to all of them at once. It's trying to not blow your top when you are hot, hungry and tired. It's countless trips to the bathroom. It's sticking up for them when anyone even looks at them sideways. It's affirmation and bear hugs and self sacrifice. It's teaching manners and instilling values. It's ________________________...you fill in the blank.

And I'll be honest I don't always get it right. I occasionally ignore. I occasionally snap. I'm not everything to everyone at all times and I can feel like a failure...just like any other mom.

But then I have to remind myself that He chose me. Even if I feel like I'm not enough...I am. I was handpicked. HANDPICKED to be their momma. It's the role of a lifetime and I'm doing a pretty good job. They are so loved. They are so cared for.

This gig of motherhood really is just as spectacular and amazing as watching those waves break on the shore. It's just as breathtaking as the sun popping through the clouds. It's evidence of God's plan in motion. His creation in all it's glory. And we are just a tiny little piece of that intricate puzzle that will continue to build for generations to come. How cool is THAT!