It’s month two of “the end of the world” and I’ve been feeling all the ups and downs and everything in between.
Somedays I love the new snail pace of our world, the next days I hate it and feel like I’m stuck 20,000 leagues under the sea (or worse… reading about it!) Sorry to any fans of the classic. Sorry… that you have such terrible tastes in literature!! Haha.
Ahem.
So, I don’t mind being alone so much, what I hate is being alone with five kids and forgotten… which is precisely how many mothers have been feeling!
Yet, how dare I complain? There are so many elderly and sick people right now who haven’t had close human interaction for this whole time! I can hardly stand to think about it! However, my kids have been unusually out of sorts and at each others throats constantly. So after a week of yelling and threats and more grey hairs popping out than I care to mention, I decided enough was enough. After all, there’s only so much “VonTrapp” family in me! Sometimes I just need some peace and QUIET!!
I AM the mother over here, am I not? And five precious (out of sorts, whiny, grumpy, complaining) children are my responsibility, right? So therefore, how can I keep getting upset at them when it is really up to me to give them SOMETHING ELSE to do?!?
Enter my cries to God at 6am.
The prayer I kept repeating? “God, give me the gift of creativity!! Please!!” And so after a week of praying for ideas and scrounging the internet, the result was projects, idea boards and kids enjoying each other again. Whew!
So – anyone tempted to say I’m “super mom”- just, no. I’m not. I pray. I try. I copy others. And by some miracle, it sometimes works out!
First project: THE TABLE
I really do kick myself for not taking proper before pictures, but I am always so eager to start that I couldn’t possible bother to take five seconds to do so. But here was a picture of how our kitchen table looked a week ago:
And after taking turns sanding it (at first by hand, but then my incredibly generous neighbours saw how ridiculous we looked and borrowed me their power sander) and adding a few coats of varnish:
I was so pumped on how it turned out! It feels so much better wiping a table that actually looks clean when you’re done!
Second project: THE IDEA BOARD
Ok, so not every single thing we do has to be together. And after project number one, I desperately needed some “ME” time!! So this board was created at 6am after waking up in utter agony that I was just not creative enough to give the kids ideas on what to do. So I looked through idea books, googled “how to entertain kids” and desperately tried to remember things I loved to fill my hours up with as a kid! The result was an entire idea board for my kids when they come to me and say: “Mom. I’m bored.”
Voila! Now I just turn to them and ask: “Have you done everything on the board yet?”
Project 3: THE FIRE PIT
We’ve been burning stuff “country style” for four years. What I mean is this… instead of bringing furniture and boxes to the dump, we burn them. Shredder? What for? We burn paper. We burn old cat houses. We burn excess branches and leaves and grass… we burn it! The result was an old concrete slab with a pile full of ashes and soot so high that one could not see there was actually a pit underneath. (Again… no proper before picture. Sorry!)
People. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
The sludge!!
It wasn’t ash anymore. Just hard, rock like substance, filled with nails, bits of metal, burnt pop cans and broken glass! I even found bones in it, presumably buried there by my dog… hopefully… either that or I really don’t want to know!
We sorted out the garbage, emptied the sludge and picked out the rocks. Then we swept it off and washed the rocks down, setting them out nicely in a circle. Finally we built a little fire and had a weiner roast.
Now, I know it’s not magazine worthy or Pinterest worthy or even internet worthy, but I just loved the country, rustic, relaxed feel of our new fire place. It was just so rewarding to set up!
Project 4: BLESS OTHERS
Two women in my cell group just had babies. Since I am 6 years past the itty-bitty clothes and nappies, I just had to go out and buy something for them! Baby shopping is my FAVOURITE!!
But wait! I thought. What about the “new” little older brother and sister? They are often missed in the excitement for baby. And how about the Mama’s?? So what started out as a simple baby gift, ended up being a family care package:
- An outfit and toy for the new one.
- A care package for mom: A chiller cup, facial mask and body scrub.
- A small, wrapped present for the older sibling.
- A gift card for the dad.
Other things we’ve been up to:
A pick up and walk down our road.
Outdoor water games and sandbox play.
My plants are almost ready to go in the garden.
A school community parade.
Oh, and my husband’s new purchase:
So that’s it folks! My world just keeps shrinking these days, but it doesn’t stop us from living. I’d love to hear from you in the comments! What have you been up to? Any projects or fun ideas keeping you afloat?
Hats off to you!!! Being a mom to four kids at this time is challenging.
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Five kids (my girl wasn’t in the first picture) 😉
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🤗
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Oh my gosh! I laughed out loud at so much of this! I honestly read that you burned cats in your fire pit before I went back and re-read it and saw that you burned old cat houses! 😂😂
I’ve been home with my kids for three months now because we had a car in the shop when all this started. Then we moved and now we are trying to find normal in the middle of abnormal. We planted some flowers but then the temps got cold so I carry them in every night until I can plant them in the ground.
I’m trying to find activities for my littlest that doesn’t involve playing on a device. Some days it is a challenge but somedays we pull it off. I’ve been a huge failure this week in that way.
Thanks for the idea board idea and for the laughs. Hang in there – you make me feel less alone
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Bahaha!! That’s awesome! That may have explained the bones?? 😬
Thanks for this comment! It totally brightened my day (which felt pretty dark to be honest). Trying to stay positive isn’t always easy, but the family needs someone to stay cheerful or we all lose it! I’m hanging on by a lifeline, but it’s a strong one at least 😉
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It’s been pretty dark for me this week too so your post was a breath of fresh air for me. I really needed it. Prayer and social media breaks are the only thing saving me and tonight I decided what I did a few weeks ago when I instituted a no social media or news for four days rule. I couldn’t check Facebook, Instagram, or news sites for four days and instead had to fill it with other activities. I even made a list of ideas for how to fill my time. I’m going to do this again tomorrow through Sunday because I’m slipping into some scary depression and anxiety territory and reading the news isn’t going to help me right now.
Keep sharing the bright spots you do have on your blog, if you feel like it, because you never know whose day you might brighten!
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I wanted to add that I was just telling my 13-year old son about this post and I said “she’s got five kids..look at all those boys. I bet that’s exhausting. Especially that one right there..” and I pointed to your son in the middle with the guitar and said, “I bet he’s the most difficult because he looks the most like you.” 😉 I was just teasing. I said I thought it was awesome you had all those kids too and that I bet they can be a lot fun. He did say he thought it was a little creepy that your son reminded us both of my son. 🙂
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Of him…well, you know what I meant! hahaa!
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Love it! Haha, he’s my oldest and definitely does the most teasing… but nah, he’s not the hardest. It’s those younger three who are going to be the end of me yet 😆
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😂😂😂 my oldest is awesome and my youngest turned my hair gray but I love her
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Thanks for sharing! I take breaks from social media now and then too (Although this is my only social media I’m on right now). It makes me feel even more disconnected, but it is very healthy for me to get away from screens! Plus I get more stuff done 😜
I know what you mean about scary depression. It’s just SO hard. We just need to keep on sharing and staying in touch with people until this crazy season is over. When I feel myself start to withdrawal, it’s then that I know I need to reach out the most!
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She has four boys. The burning bones thing just might be real.
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Right! Hahaha!
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🤣
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OMG I absolutely love what you did to that table!! Unbelievable the difference it makes 🙂
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Thank you 😊
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I love you, Heather! Oh, and I looked: if the quarantine were up, it would only take 20.5 hours to get to your town!! 😀 Road trip? We can bring some stuff to burn! 😀
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That would be AWESOME! You totally should. I would love to meet you and your family. Can you imagine? So many BOYS!!! 😃 And bonfires! What could possibly go wrong?!?
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My thinking, exactly.
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First, love what you did with your table! Good job!
Second, I’m a yelly mom, too (not mean, just frustrated) so I identify.
third, my two least favorite words out of the mouths of my children are: “I’m bored.” Grrr. I regularly put them to work. Then, when they have free time, they’re happy to play or be creative! LOL
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Thank you! And I totally know what you mean about chores. In fact, just yesterday my boy said he didn’t “feel” like doing anything on the list to which I quickly replied, “Well I also have a list of ‘Boredom Chores’ if you’d prefer that one!” Needless to say, he shut his mouth and picked a fun activity! 😂😂😂
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Love it! We moms must go on our power trips sometimes. It’s for the good of our sanity, and theirs.
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I love these projects. You’ve been very productive and it looks like you’ve had fun too 😊
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Thank you! We did 😃
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Oh wow! The table turned out fabulous! I love the fire pit and I know how much time and energy that took. It’s great when the family works together to complete something 😊
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Thank you! Yes we just planted trees together yesterday and I thought to myself, “I actually enjoy work when the labour is shared with people I love.”
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