Here we go!

    How do they do it?  Seriously!  I see women who look to have it all together.  They have the kids that are always dressed perfectly with the handmade bow perched perfectly atop their silky styled hair.  Outfits that match and not a stain to be found, and for some reason, their clothes don't have the faint aroma of sitting in the washer a little too long.  Some of you know that smell, don't kid yourself!
    That is just their children, the mom is also stylish, trim, just finished jogging and does NOT look like she could collapse!  When she isn't jogging, she is downing another bottle of water, from a metal "earth friendly" bottle, and then heading off to one of her many volunteer duties, or even off to work.  Wherever she is going, she looks like she is happy to be there.
    All the while, if you were to walk into her house, you would find it perfectly decorated, smelling amazing from a home cooked meal, and to top it off...IT IS CLEAN!!  Did I forget to mention that her kids love her and her husband adores her?   disclaimer ( any similarity with this description is purely coincidental.) 

Seriously, how does she do it?!  Or does she...

    Yesterday, I found myself talking to my dear sweet husband about life, the purpose of it all, what dreams we had, and what to do with it all.  Our conversation started out extremely positive but over the course of an hour I found my positivity turning into frustration and then out of nowhere a surprise "pity party" had popped up.
    "What am I doing wrong?" "What is the point?" "Where am I headed?"  "WHY DOES EVERYONE ELSE'S HOUSE ALWAYS SEEM CLEAN!"
Do you find yourself wondering the same questions?
    

When we first get married and start having children, everything is new and fresh and exciting. We fill our minds with information, reading every book we can get our hands on from improving our love life with our spouse to raising our children from birth in a Godly household. We join Moms groups, go on play dates with friends and their children at the park, and for most of us, talk to our mothers almost daily about all of the funny things the grandkids have done. Then are given advice on how to raise them properly and what medication to give or not to give for the random stuffy nose. Our children are growing fast and while there are days that we feel as though we cannot go on due to the shear exhaustion of it all, new things happen daily and within a week all can change. We are constantly on our toes, alert, and ready with juice box in hand. For me, this was my life, and I loved it, minus the lack of sleep. My point is, that in the early stages of raising children, our purpose can be found in being Mommy to every need of that precious child you have on your hip. It may be an exhausting purpose, but it is yours and you do it well.

    Along the way our children grow, become less dependent, and the newness begins to wear off.  Where in the beginning, we were constantly involved in every moment of their lives, we now find ourselves being “filled in” on what is going on in their lives.  My children are not fully grown yet, and I am positive there will be more changes to come, but for now, I am in the first few years of this stage and it has started me questioning what my purpose is right now.  My son just turned 12 a few weeks ago and is in junior high, and my daughter is 9 going on teenager.  I'm sure many of you know that stage quite well!  Oh boy!  My husband and I just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary and I am still trying to locate where the time went.  I am living my life one day at a time, and for today, God has asked me to share my struggles and successes with others in hopes to encourage other women who feel like they are lacking purpose, and are the only ones with a messy house!

Joshua 1:9   ..."do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  NIV