Embrace the Chaos #giveaway
Posted February 24, 2016 by Prairie Wife - 49 comments
Sometimes you just don’t feel like you’ll ever get caught up…
I have found myself saying over and over “If I could just….then I would be able to…”
It’s been my non stop mantra since January.
“If I could just get more sleep, then I would be able to have energy to exercise more.”
“If I could just get a few hours to myself, then I would be able to be more pleasant to be around.”
“If I could just find time to purge the closests (and my kids rooms), then I would be able to keep things neater…”
You get what I’m saying, and most of you are probably nodding along with me, right?!
I was venting to TallGirlJ the other day about how I was really far behind on blog posts. I came up with a list of excuses for why I was completely out of wack. From a cranky teething LittleMissH to traveling for doctors appointments, I had some great excuses for why I felt like I was drowning…
Like the amazing woman she is, she heard me out and made sympathetic noises of affirmation.
Then she calmly said “I get why you’re stressed, you have a ton going on right now but, the blog was supposed to be fun!” I had nothing to say. My feeling weren’t hurt or anything, it was just some food for thought. She was right. I started the blog to be fun. Writing is therapy for me, and I love knowing that I can help support others through this blog. It wasn’t supposed to be work, and certainly not something to stress about!
We chatted a bit more and then hung up and went on with our day.
I spent some time that night pondering her words and realizing she was right. I had been spending the last two months fighting against everything, trying to make everything happen on my schedule…which of course with a husband that’s gone each week, 5 kids, 4 cats, 1 dog, 4 horses, Poncho the Christmas Mule AND a growing blog (not to mention friends I like to see every now and then)…well it’s impossible.
I made the decision to embrace the chaos rather than fight it. To take my chances to be productive and work the hell out of them, and not be so pissed when things weren’t going according to my schedule.
Guess what? It’s working!
I’m happier and more relaxed.
I’ve been spending more quality time with the Cowkids and The Cowboy, rather than pushing them to the side while I rush around playing catch up.
And…surprise…I’ve been getting caught up! I’m ahead on the blog and I’ve been finding time to exercise three times a week. We moved the Cowkids to new rooms this last weekend and after this week my whole house will have been purged and given a much needed deep cleaning.
Is this the first time I’ve gone through this pattern of fighting the inevitable, and then realizing it’s futile?
Nope!
But, I’m just going to enjoy the fact that right now I’m back to moving forward and kicking ass.
My advice to you, embrace the chaos!
As part of our WE LOVE OUR READERS month of giveaways we are giving TWO of our readers the opportunity to win A Day In The Life Of Mom: An adult coloring book for moms. All of the quotes and pictures you’ve seen throughout this post are from this fabulous coloring book by K.A. Shimmield. Adult coloring books are an amazing way to find a few moments of zen for yourself. There is something therapeutic about sitting with some colored pencils and letting your creativity (or OCD depending on how you prefer to color) flow. A Day In The Life of Mom is not only hilariously true but the amazing pictures are a blast to color. My favorite is the overflowing sink that TallGirlJ and I colored together, the patterns on the cups were so fun!
All you have to do to enter to win, is comment below. Let us know what about being a mom makes you want to bang your head against the wall! Earn more points by following us on social media. Please be honest, we will be checking.
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49 thoughts on "Embrace the Chaos #giveaway"
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I think you hit the nail right on the head!! We tear ourselves down for not being able to do it all. I think if we just take a step back (or to one side or the other) and view things from another perspective, we might find it all a little more workable. We need to get our head in the right place and our body (and small people) are more likely to fall in line with the plan.
I always say that my mood determines the mood of the whole house!
I can’t win since I just won a t-shirt from you but have to comment. You want chaos, you should see my place. My upstairs neighbor’s fridge’s ice maker became disengaged from the plumbing fixture (I’m sure there is better plumbing lingo but I don’t know it) and I had a mini flood at 1:00 a.m. I spent yesterday waiting for a crew to help pull up padding under my carpeting, remove part of my kitchen floor and had BIG FANS going all afternoon. OY! Stuff was just moved around and is sitting in my living and dining rooms, kitchen too. And I’m sure it will be a week or two before the hole in my ceiling is repaired. After this experience I’m thinking I will want to do some purging and organizing when stuff goes back in its place.
My mom went to house-sit today to wait for some other people (who of course never came) and she told me my place was a mess. Really mom? Thanks, I didn’t notice. 😉
Oh no! Sounds like the perfect weekend to go on a mini spa vacation for a few days! And moms…sigh…gotta love them 😉
Oh I am so with you on this post!! This is seriously my life story! I get frustrated and flip out when my to do list is not getting checked off and all the people around me are keeping me from doing things in my preplanned agenda! I need to take your advice here and embrace the chaos!!
It’s a never ending battle. I do great for a long time and then find myself fighting it again and again. Taking a few deep breaths helps me focus on why I’m getting upset (and if it’s justified or not)…and a few hours away from the kids always helps me refocus 😉
What makes me want to bang my head against the wall? Finding folded up clothes and other CLEAN items mixed in with stinky boy clothes in the laundry basket.
Mom solidarity fist pump! I just switched the boys around and in the course of goign through their rooms found no less than 25 single socks…why? WHY? WHYYYY?!
Recently started similar coloring stress relievers! Love them!
It’s so fun isn’t it?!
Freshly mopped floor with little muddy prints all over it.
I actually wrote a post about this one called the clean floor curse…
My toddler and her meltdowns are very trying!
Isn’t that the truth!
I’m not a mom yet, but I would love to give this to my sister. Oh the tantrums I’ve witnessed.
So sweet Tiffany! Thanks for stopping by!
I want to bang my head on the wall when my kids are arguing with each other, and they alternately whine, “Mom……”
To think that we worked so hard to get them to say “Mama” the first time 😉
Kids not listening hubby in bad mood and I could go on and on forever
Right…we probably could go on forever! Thanks for stopping by Sherry!
When kids don’t listen
I was so right when I told you that I should have read this post the other day… Why do I feel like I’m terrible at adulting when most bleary-eyed mamas are in the same boat!? Chaos is right. Can you write a post now on how exactly to embrace it??
Going behind my son turning off every light in the house.
what a great question..one thing is that they leavee wrappers all over the floor when they are done eating! drives me insane!!
I feel like banging my head against the wall when I have to repeat the same thing over and over and still seems like none of the kids are listening!
As a mom there are times when I wish I had handled things differently. I question “Did I do the right thing”. Sometimes I want to “bang my head on the wall”. Now I pray daily that I would be the best mother that I could be for my child.
What makes me bang my head is when you you explain something and then 10 minutes later they are doing it again and you say “didn’t I just tell you” and you get a blank “what” as a response.
Lol that’s a good one!
What’s most frustrating for me is that I feel like Sisyphus — I can work my butt off all day and there’s absolutely nothing to show for it at the end. Finish vacuuming and the two-year-old dumps a bowl of cereal. Get the laundry done and an hour later, the hamper’s full.
A mother’s work is truly never done…
No time for baths- only showers
And only showers if you’re lucky 😉
The constant mess, everytime i clean anything i swear its worse than i started 5 minutes later
right?! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
The attitudes makes me want to bang my head…my kids are teens…drives me crazy.
I’m not looking forward to teenagers 🙁
When my kid sticks her hands in the toilet and tries to bite me!
Oh man, Little Miss H is a toilet “fisher” and the Cowkids are always leaving the bathroom doors open…
Ugh the irrational train of thought!
There is no way to negotiate with a screaming tantrum throwing kid!
Its makes me want to bang trying to potty train.
That is hard! We’ve got some post about it that may help 😉 https://prairiewifeinheels.com/potty-training-stage-one/
What makes me crazy is after I get one room cleaned up I find that the monsters, I mean children, have destroyed two others. Talk about futile!
Lol right?! I just claim that when I clean at least it’s one less layer of dirt…
That the laundry basket is NEVER empty! lol
that my questions go unanswered…..but their questions must be immediately answered!
What makes me bang my head is when I work hard and clean something and then turn around it’s messy again.
That they kids are so much like me! lol
Having a pre-teen and her going into puberty with her emotions all over the place makes me want to bang my head against the wall!!! 🙂 But I love her and love every minute of it still!