Monday, March 16, 2009

Overwhelmed Mommy

Today I am feeling slightly overwhelmed. I think I've been reading too many blogs. It's the overwhelming feeling that comes with the desire to "do it all." I know that a lot of moms struggle with the feeling that they need to be "Super Mom" and be an expert in all areas of life. No offense to anyone who's big on these things...there's absolutely nothing "wrong" with any of these things. But, here's a small list of what is plaguing me today:

**Couponing. Cut coupons. Lots of the them. Get great deals at the stores. If you're not saving 80-90% on your grocery bill, then you're wasting money. Cut, cut, cut. Use coupons for everything.

**"Green." Make sure you don't use any non-green cleaners in your house. Make sure everything's organic. Healthy, healthy, healthy.

**Make all your food from scratch. Forget coupons...to really save money, you need to make every bit of your family's food from scratch. Since you're a stay-at-home-mom, you should have the time to be in the kitchen all day!

**A perfectly organized/clean house. Develop systems for picking up and organizing your house. It should be "ready for show" at any time of the day. De-clutter. Keep your sink empty. Do certain things on certain days. Spread it out throughout the week.

**A busy mom/a busy kid. Enroll your kid in lots of activities. Make sure they have something to do every day of the week. When they're at home, make sure you're constantly involving them in different things. Make games. Spend all of your free time with them. No TV. Flashcards. Arts and crafts. Lots of reading. Engage, engage, engage.

3 comments:

Givinya De Elba said...

Holy Kamoley! Those things would all be on my "extras" list - I struggle to have everyone clothed and fed and slightly happy for at least 65% of the day. Keeping my sink empty happens about once a month. Boy I feel good when it happens though.

Kelly said...

I can "so" relate to your blog entry. I feel as though those are the things I wish I could maintain on a regular basis and beat myself up about. I then proceed to not do most of the normal things I should do like maintain a clean house because I reach that shut down mode. I figure if I can't do it all I might as well not do any of it. Pretty sad logic! If you ever want to email me feel free...I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in having big hopes and expectations for yourself. It is so important to step back and tell yourself what is REALLY important - time with your family. Doing the things that make YOU happy. Praying.

Keri said...

Stephanie, this is my first time on your blog. (I'm KeriJ from the MOPS forums.) Boy, can I relate to this post!!! I truly believe that no one can do it all....at least, not at the same time. I get so down when I start comparing myself to others. funny that I'm on here because I told myself that I really have to stop reading blogs. They were just making me overwhelmed. What I have tried to do lately is to just ask God what things He wants us to add into our lives....not what other people think should be in my life. Try to keep your "blinders" on and be yourself rather than trying to do it all. "Eliminate and Concentrate": eliminate those things that are not really important and concentrate on those things that truly are. You're not alone!