No Days Off

One of the hardest things about being a mum is that there are no days off. Gone are the days of lying in at weekends, relaxing holidays or sick days in bed. Kids just don't get it when you're exhausted or feeling rough - they still need what they need. 


We are blessed that Justin is a teacher and gets a lot of holiday but after a few holidays with kids we had to adjust our expectations - holidays were no longer relaxing. Okay so there are two of us to carry the load, do the dishes, make the dinner etc. but not a lot of quiet time. We had to start planning activities to entertain our children.


Its funny that when I was a student I thought life was busy (bearing in mind I did a drama degree this was not really the case), and then when I got married we thought we were super busy!!  Little were we to know what life would be like with kids - it is relentless and we wouldn't change having them for the world, but I sometimes have those days when the alarm goes off and I think - I just can't do it today. 


To tired mums and dads - and those who often ponder if they're doing this parenting job well enough - and wonder how they will do it another day, I quote from Elisabeth Elliot's book Passion and Purity the same words I sent to my tired husband this morning;


"Anyone can carry his burden, however heavy, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down. And this is all that life really means." (Robert Louis Stevenson). " Take therefore no thought for the morrow... Give us this day our daily bread. As thy days, so shall thy strength be."