Ground Hog's Day

Do you ever feel like your life is the movie "Ground Hog's Day?" For the last several days I have been feeling like Bill Murray on "Ground Hog's Day" waking up to the same day and doing the same things over and over and over again until I feel like I am turning into a lunatic. Then, Jeff came home from work today and said, "Do you ever feel like our life is like Ground Hog's Day?" I started laughing so hard because he had no idea that those have been my exact thoughts lately. All I do is wake up, get the kids off to school, homework, make breakfast, lunch and dinners, clean-up, change poopy diapers, get everyone to bed and then stay up too late enjoying the quiet house knowing it will all start over again too soon. So, when do your children learn how to function on their own? When is the part when they do their homework, jobs, practicing without taking it to the boxing arena with their parents? Just wondering. I know everyone says that this time in your kid's life passes too quickly and soon you'll wish that your kids were back to put their fingerprints on your glass doors and throw toys all over the floor. I don't know...I can't imagine getting to that point. Is it just me? Just wondering. I really am trying to enjoy the special things they say or the snuggling as we read books together. I love to watch the kids play together. I love it when we're driving in the car and they want to play "testimony meeting" and they say, "can I bear my testimony to you?" and then I hear them in the back bearing their little sweet testimonies to each other. What is more precious than that? OK there are many wonderful moments that I treasure. I agree. I do love being a mom, but it is way harder than they taught me about in Beehive class. They never taught us about the patience and the exhaustion I'd feel as a mom when I was a Mia Maid. My Laurel teacher didn't tell me that my children would dare to disobey me. I was not prepared for the repeated "Ground Hog's Day" moments that make up motherhood. I was probably having too much fun as a kid and too busy in my own world to realize that my mom probably felt much the same way. I don't know. She always seemed to be involved in a gazillion things for all her children plus make the time to nourish her own talents plus make healthy meals from scratch every night dancing from service to song in between. Anyway... here I am... just let me wallow in this moment. Just let me grovel in the feeling that I am running my fastest and reaching for the "bar" but it is always just barely out of my reach and so I just keep on running faster...totally out of breath...but never giving up hope. I'm glad that I have tomorrow to try again. Who knows, tomorrow could be the day when I wake up and am part of the movie "Mary Poppins." She's the kind of mom I'd always imagined that I'd be... "practically perfect in every way" and saying, "spit-spot" and "doshisaliexpidiciousfragicalirupus." Anyway, for now I'll enjoy being in "Ground Hog's Day." I like to specialize in things. I like that movie. I like change too but I'm telling myself that I don't. I'll just treasure my little ordinary moments. I'll treasure Kaden pouring his milk all over his plate and putting his hair all in it. I'll treasure Emmy putting her whole hand in my fresh chocolate pie, thinking she's going to make her hand print..."just like we do at school." I'll treasure Maryn making all her friends call and ask me if Maryn can stay just "30 more minutes to play." (thinking that the friend will have more power than she would.) I'll treasure Ady's art projects strewn throughout every speck of carpet including markers... Kaden loves markers. It's the small things that make up the big things. It's the little moments. Didn't Jesus also clothe the naked, feed the hungry and bless the poor? Isn't that exactly what I am doing each and every day to my little offspring? They are so needy. My question is do I have to feed and clothe and bless them until the day I die just like Jesus did? Just wondering.