Guest Post: The Small Things

Today I have a special guest post from wonderful Mama of 3, Nicole G. Please welcome her as she shares from her own experiences that I know we all can relate to as "Mama".

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Sometimes as moms and dads we are so wrapped up in making sure that everything is “done”. We get up early to make sure the lunches are made and the hair is fixed and breakfast is eaten. We rush around yelling and screaming and grabbing last night’s homework and buckling in the car so we’re not late for school. Then we either go on our way to work or back home to a mountain of laundry that awaits us. We try to fit in our daily workouts and remember to take out the frozen meat for tonight’s dinner. Dinner, baths and bedtime are a blur…and it’s a great night when we don’t get woken up a couple times for drinks or potty time. We do it all day after day. Week after week. Month after month. It’s like a well oiled machine…But there are those times in our lives when we feel like we may have run out of oil. The machine is not running so smoothly and it all needs a quick trip to the mechanic. In those times when everything is falling apart that’s when I remember the little things that mean so much to me, the small miracles that make me smile.

When I’ve hit the snooze button too many times and now we’re all running around and screaming at each other like crazy chickens, I think of the way my three babies smelled last night after their baths. There is nothing like the smell of baby lotion on clean babies. Nothing. 

When I’ve realized that I left a wet load of laundry in the washing machine for three days and now it all smells like a wet dog. I think of the sound of my kids giggling while their dad wrestles with them on the living room floor. That little child like giggle that makes you think that all is right in the world. Where they laugh so hard, you’re sure they’re either gonna throw up or pee their pants. Then they beg him to stop tickling them, only to say, “Do it again, Papi”. 

When I’ve had “one of those days”, and I’ve yelled at my two year old so much that my throat hurts and Sesame Street isn’t even over yet. I think of the way it feels when he falls asleep in bed with me. When I can hear his still small breath and feel his heart beating next to mine, and know that he’s dreaming of dump trucks, superman costumes and Toy Story fruit snacks. 

When I get the urge to be brave and try something new for dinner. I rush to the store, work for hours, only to find out that none of my family liked it, I throw it all away and end up crying while I’m doing the dishes. I think of the way my daughter looked after school as she ran to the car when I picked her up. How she had the biggest smile on her face and waved at me from across the parking lot like I was her most favorite person in the world and she’d been dying to see me. 

When I finally get my kids’ jammies on and teeth brushed and they’re in bed, and I feel like this day was never going to end, I pray with them. And I hear their sweet little innocent voices saying, “We love you Jesus, Amen” I realize that this is why I do it. This is why I get up in the middle of the night when someone is thirsty. This is why I gave up sorority parties and college dorm room experiences. This is why I choose to forgo luxurious things in exchange for diapers, nursing bras, and footie pajamas. 

I am a mom. Things aren’t always going to be smooth and easy. I will have my fair share of bad days. But everything will be alright as long as I remember the little things that make me get up in the morning and want to do it all over again.

What are the little things in your life that make you smile? 

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Thank you Nicole! It's so important to remember 'the small things'. I often find myself getting caught up in the "to do's" for the day or in the "how I think things should go" which usually don't, but then I take a deep breath and look at the "bigger picture" or in my case my Lil Toot. Even now as I'm trying to get this post ready she's pulling at me to go play, trying to sit in my lap, and wanting to "help" type. So I took some time to play. Yes, it took me longer to get this out, but her shriek of excitement made it worth it :)

Please give Nicole some feedback in the comments.

MamaToots