Another day in August

I decided to buy a new journal as a way to continue my writing, but I'm not as good at keeping up with that as I used to be. Instead, here I am on the computer. I can type faster than I can write. Plus, my hand won't get as cramped up.

This summer has been quite busy. As I look at our schedule for the fall, I wonder how my parents did everything with 5 kids. We only have two!! There are so many activities to be involved in for the kids as well as the adults. I'm kind of glad that Caleb isn't wanting to join Boy Scouts or play sports right now. I can't imagine how much extra time that would take away from the family. Sometimes it's good to be involved, but there has to be a limit. Even with those limits, it may feel like a whirlwind when everything starts back up - school, Bible studies, softball, etc.

When I started typing, I had no idea where I wanted to go with this post. That's usually my attitude. If I was typing for other people, then I'd make sure everything was just perfect. But the fact is, I'm not perfect. I have faults. On a computer, it's easy to cover up our faults. We can hit the delete button. We can censor what we post in Facebook so that it appears that we have it all together. Our pictures show fun family events and the "cool" things we have been doing. They don't show the tears or frustration. They don't show the hard work that we do in keeping our marriages on track or keeping the house somewhat clean.

So here I am to say that I don't have it all together. I often struggle with feeling depressed for a week or more at a time. Then I'll have a few days where I feel awesome and want to clean everything and do it all! I wish I had the energy of my kids. They have me spinning in circles while they play (and fight!). I'm pretty sure all siblings fight with each other so I know I'm not alone here. I want to scream at them for talking back and acting ridiculous, but I try to hold off as long as I can without losing my cool. It's tough being a parent. BUT! it's also rewarding. I love my family even if they drive me nuts sometimes.

I'm not superwoman. There are some moms that I always put on a pedestal. I thought they could do everything. They always seems chipper and had lots of energy. They had time for other people and their families. Yet, they aren't superwomen either. I've seen some of their flaws. It's reassuring to know that I'm not alone. It also has me realize again that only God can be put up on that pedestal. I can't replace Him. As women, we have struggles. It's just not easy to put them out in the open so everyone can see. We don't want to be criticized. For some reason, we want to be seen as if we were Super Woman. It's true. That's how I want to be seen sometimes. It's better than appearing as lazy, tired, unorganized, crazy, etc. as I might view myself at times.

Well, I have no idea if that made any sense at all, but I'm going to go ahead and post this. I'm a mother, a wife, and a friend. I'm not perfect. Only God is.