Part 2: The Other Side of Happily Ever After and the Proverbs 31 Chick
What's up "brow"nians? (I thought I'd try to come up with something catchy...yeah...still working on it.) I couldn't wait to get back to blog land! Yesterday's comments and feedback really made me feel quite special. I failed to realize how many of us need this! So, now my vision has expanded and I no longer write for myself but for all of you out there as well! I know I said yesterday would be the only long post, but this is Part 2...and I figure as long as you are enjoying the read then the length wouldn't be an issue! So, let's laugh!
Now, let's pick up where we left off and move this baby forward! Quick recap: In a nutshell; I am trying really hard to be this awesome woman of the Bible and am running into some serious challenges along the way.
Ok. In the journey of being on the other side of "happily ever after," I have discovered a world changing revelation.
Are you ready?
I HATE mornings! I mean I really hate mornings. I mean the kind of hate that requires an intervention or support group. This can't possibly be healthy. Mornings, like my eyebrows, are reminders of how much I have to do and the small timeframe that closes in on me each and every day!
In my single years, it was just me. Just me to sleep. Just me to eat. Just me to bathe. Just me to clothe. Just me to get out of the door. Just me to get into the car. Just me to go to work or wherever! JUST ME!
Well, now...it is NOT just me! No, it's an entire family! THIS IS A CHALLENGE!!! So, this is me in the morning...
If you are a mom, and/or wife, and you are worth your "salt," then mornings to me are the sole justification for why celebrations should be HUGE on Mother's Day! Without us in the morning, the whole show falls apart! Mornings are where we make our first and continual sacrifices! Now, if I was the Proverbs 31 lady, I would rise EARLY in the morning and see to it my household is prepared for the day. (Insert "side eye sarcasm" here.) Yeah...ummm...no? I am SO tired in the mornings that I need an alarm, a wake up call, cold water to the face, and "fo" (four) prayers to get up! Pray for me...I am working on this! REAL TALK!
It's not so much of me being physically tired. No, I am MENTALLY tired. When my feet hit the floor, I am thinking for SIX people (and a dog). This means I have to wake everyone up, coordinate bathroom time (because apparently brushing teeth takes 30 minutes), pick out clothes (and iron if needed), ensure my daughters have on enough lotion and deodorant (because they love to skip that part), make sure vitamins and allergy medicine are taken, beds made up, breakfast is eaten, bookbags NOT forgotten (and homework packets are in bookbag and not under the bed), hair is together, wake up baby, change diaper, get baby dressed, feed baby, let dog out to use bathroom, load up car, OH YEAH...get dressed myself (wait, did I put on deodorant?), remind husband of things to do (usually met with extreme irritation as he does NOT like to be bombarded FIRST thing in the morning) and so on!!! EVERYDAY! Did I mention the fact that we do this EVERY morning, but there are at least two people (can't blame the baby yet) who at times act as if this is our first run out of the gate?
Yeah I have learned if you are going to be an effective mom, you better make peace with REPEATING yourself at least 1,000 times a day! You MUST because your kids' minds are filled with far more important things like Justin Beiber, the latest song from the Disney Channel, and serious world issues like "Mommy, did you know they make Toyotas in China?" They can NOT be bothered with remembering the minor details of getting ready and being prepared for the day. Nope. That is YOUR job!
Now, in my single arrogance (which is my way of saying all the things I said I would do when I got married and had kids because people whose lives were out of control CLEARLY did not possess my strategic organization skills) I swore I would not have to repeat myself because MY children would be capable of remembering their responsibilities!
Nothing like a good laugh...
ANYWHO!
So, here goes our first bit of wisdom for the day "brow"nistas (better?...no?)
SIMPLIFY! I will make sure to expand on this in the blogs to come but I should at least introduce the concept because if I am EVER going to reclaim my much needed "brow"time, then simplifying the everyday details of my family life is essential! There are a million things I have learned to let go of or make easier on myself. I made the mistake of thinking my family was going to make it easy on me. HA! My older sister gave me a great bit of advice: "Underwear, t-shirts and socks don't need folding. Throw them in a basket, place in the kids' room, let them grab and go!" She SAVED MY LIFE with that one!
Also, get done what you can on the evenings and weekends (and you thought you had free time...silly rabbit) because the weekdays are the trenches and there is no time for the unnecessary time killers!
Which leads me to my second bit of wisdom:
GET READY FIRST...
Yeah, once the family is up, you can FORGET it! Because you now exist for the family. And that's ok. I leave the house looking like a "bare minimum" mess not because I do not care about how I look, but if it is between my family looking their best and me looking like a star, then my family it is! I personally HATE for my kids to look raggedy! UGH! OHHHHH! It drives me crazy for my kids to be messy, ashy, hair crazy...I CANT TAKE THAT! So, I spend the necessary time in the morning to make sure they at least START the day looking polished (now once they come home, yeah, I have NO control over that.) Me getting my family ready is my daily love note to them that I PREFER them over me. So, I make the sacrifice to get everyone ready at the expense of my eyebrows!
What makes me laugh, is as soon as I get everyone ready then everyone is ready to go! They can not stand to wait on me even though I have been waiting on them ALL morning! Ahhhh, the sacrifice.
So, here is my last bit of wisdom for the day. In the effort to "save the eyebrows"(my new campaign), I have learned to ALWAYS CARRY AN "EMERGENCY" TRANSITION BAG.
For all of you supermoms and wives out there, you NEVER want to be caught off guard. So you MUST have a bag which allows you to transform from "messy margaret" to "fabulous felicia!" Now, I am a make up artist, so I tend to carry way more than most of you would but you get the point! Once I arrive at work, I excuse myself to the ladies room and finish pulling myself together. It's the best I can do until my family becomes a little more "self sustaining."
BEFORE and AFTER on our way to school, babysitter and work...
So, until tomorrow, I leave you with this...always take care of your family because they need you and making things simple is important because it makes your home environment much more pleasant as you are not "snapping" at everyone because you are overwhelmed. The Proverbs 31 Chick says NEVER sacrifice the well being of your family so you can "look" like you have it together. Grab your bag, exit stage left, do a costume change and get on with the show.
I am learning the Other Side of "Happily Ever After" can be quite sweet when you figure out new and innovating ways to find the time to put on your eyebrows...
