Living Your Seasons Well

I have a to-do list that never seems to progress to a to-done list.

On my docket for this week is kitchen deep clean, dishes, laundry (always laundry, but my husband folded at least 4 baskets full this weekend!!) and dusting. I’m not particularly fond of dusting, but my son loves it, and it desperately needs to be done for the sake of everyone’s respiratory allergies.

I really want to get the family into a nice routine before the fall. Why before fall? In one sense, there’s no reason in particular, I just believe that if you’re setting goals, it’s important to have a timeline in order to measure progress.

In another, it’s the time of year when we are most busy, preparing the garden for its winter rest, finishing harvest, beginning new “school year” routines. Having things streamlined for the busy-ness of that season just makes sense.

I’ve been reading a lot about “the home” and “family” and what my role in that should look like.

As a stay at home mom of 3 kids 3 and under, I feel this sense of obligation to be a poster mom. I hear working moms say all the time, “I don’t know how you do it! I couldn’t do all you do.”

And they’re right- working moms can’t spend time sewing, canning, gardening, reading, studying, building a home business, AND raising a quarter dozen small children, because they work outside the home. It would be ridiculous for them to place those expectations on themselves!

But I am home during the day so the assumption is that I’m some kind of “professional mom” and I’ve got a spotless home, perfect kids, and time for hobbies and self-care (ha!) The reality is that my sink has dirty dishes that add up quickly, my kids fight and eat crayons and Play-Doh, and I don’t remember the last time I took more than a 5 minute shower.

I chose this lifestyle for myself because I wanted to live this season of motherhood well. For me, that means proximity to my children, investing my time and energy into their education and discipleship. It means being able to garden and homestead so that we can maintain health and wellness through diet we couldn’t otherwise afford. It means taking some of the responsibility off my husband’s shoulders by building and maintaining our business as supplement to his primary income so that he can spend more of his time with the family.

There’s sacrifice involved, for sure, but most of the time, it doesn’t feel like sacrifice because of the joy of getting to be working with and for my family, ultimately, for the sake of growing in godliness.

I say all of that to say that you may be struggling with the season you’re in. That’s normal. It’s important to seek the still, small voice of the LORD during those times.

Create a morning and evening routine for yourself and your family. Set goals for yourselves, and follow through with them. Make time for your family, and enjoy the season you’re in, sometimes in spite of its difficulty and especially if you have young children. Because it’s just that- a season. And all too soon, it will be gone.