3 Small Successes Vol 6*

1) The main one is, I think, that during the past week I Kept On Going. I didn't get too angry, or impatient, with physically below par girls and a sick baby who just required constant cleaning up. I just got on with it and laughed where necessary. (Yes, I probably moaned, and worried, but I got through.)

2) I may have had to hand the reins of the roast dinner to my husband on (UK) Mothering Sunday, but I have got a chilli con carne simmering in the pan today. With corn, carrots, onions, tomatoes and kidney beans providing a picture of colour. (It's lovely how excited I can get over a meal like this - which is not complex in itself - in amongst our simple Lenten meals.)

3) This may sound ridiculous, but I've been trying to keep pace with the dishes this week. I was inspired by an old Jennifer Fulwiler post about how much time some nuns, and now her, devote to mealtimes and cleanup afterwards. I used to think all that stuff cut into *my* time but, now I see it as helping the family and the end part of that lovely/bickering/screaming family dinner we have together, I see it in a different light and am beginning to embrace the mundane tasks He has us do!

What a week :-)

*hosted by Danielle Bean at Faith and Family Live

Small Successes Vol 5

Today I'm joining Danielle Bean and the host of other women who post their small successes at Faith and Family Live. Just having a moment where I've made time for myself to sit and write is an achievement these days. There always seem to be so many other things to do around the house - dishes, laundry, mopping, vacuuming, eating lunch, preparing baby food and milk, sleep! - that although my husband may ask why don't I do all of the above before I get to writing, if I didn't give myself permission to sit and write in the midst of a little chaos, I would never write and all and, quite possibly, explode! So my first success today is:

~1~

I am giving myself the opportunity to take a lunch break, fix a healthy sandwich, have some quiet time while the baby naps, and take some time out from the world. This may be reading Mommy blogs, a fiction book, the Bible, looking up a new recipe, or practising my singing, but generally it is something to emotionally and spiritually enrich me, so I can be a more renewed person when it's time to interact with my family. (Well, that's the plan!)

~2~

Yes, you heard right, I said practising my singing! I made it back to singing rehearsal - 2 hours per week on a school night, which is a big deal - and you cannot conceive of the joy I experienced. OK, so we are not doing church or even other classical numbers this concert, but coming together as a choir to sing excerpts from Les Miserables has been wonderful for me this month. Coupled with the fact that the group performs to fundraise for charity, makes me realise how much I have missed this.

~3~

Not sure of a third way I feel awesome this week amongst the post-pregnancy hormones - so I will celebrate the fact that I am raising three wilful, loud and hungry girls that I am managing to feed, clothe, bathe, read to and put to bed regularly. Alleluia!

Small Successes! Volume 4*

I clearly haven't been blogging lately, even though I have many ideas. Life is happening around me, so that even when the needs of our 3 month old daughter are met, there are the needs of other family members, church meetings, online gift shopping and studying to be done. I have been feeling slightly unhinged about this lately - that I can't do many of the things I was used to with 'only' two children to look after - but things seem to have come full circle in terms of my understanding, as this week's Small Successes explains.

1)

Inspired by a chat with a friend who is a mother of three (with no more on the horizon and starting to develop certain bits of life more for herself) we realised that until recently, I was in a position to do lots of things for me. My lay ministry course was flying, I rehearsed and performed regularly with a singing group, helped run our church's Pram Service, ministered on the Baptism Preparation team, attended committee meetings for the church women's group and my middle daughter's playgroup, enjoyed cooking from scratch using the produce from our weekly organic fruit, veg and meatbox, baked cakes for events, attended church on a Sunday evenings solely for my own spiritual satisfaction - and so on. As well as taking care of the family.

It sounds a lot, but actually it was in balance. I am skilled in saying no to things I know I can't do, or would stretch me too much. But since the new baby, everything has dropped by the wayside, to an extent. Obviously I'm indescribably, madly in love with baby Rebecca, but I have also missed church services by myself, getting up to read the Bible to the congregation, women's nights, singing rehearsals and baking. I will be unable to perform in my Ensemble's upcoming November concert. I have kept on with meetings and helping at Pram Service, but along with blogging, lots of parts of 'me' are left behind.

But after talking with my friend, I've had an epiphany - and not one of the 'it won't last forever' type. Just that, I had become used to these gifts to me - time, space and the motivation and ability to do different things than mothering. Yes, one day they will come again, but that's not what's changed my attitude. It's more the fact that, when I had two kids under two, I had none of those things. And it was wonderful. Hard work, but do-able, and there wasn't much left for me, but there was always enough. I'm only missing things because I had them, and had developed them, and become used to them. It's a privilege to have them, and success is in realising that I am content mothering, studying a little and playing a little. It doesn't matter if I am not getting to do what other folks can, because they are not in the same place as I am. And I am great where I am.

2

I have helped keep the family alive, fed, clean, well-slept and generally happy this week!

3

Thanks largely to Imogen's godfather, who is sat playing games with her while I type, and my husband, who is in the other room where the baby is sleeping, I got my small successes done this week, which is a small success in itself. What a gift. Celebrate. Woo hoo!

Hosted by Danielle at Faith and Family Live