Join me in welcoming guest poster Cheryl from Moms In Need of Mercy. I hope you’ll be as encouraged as I was when I read her well written words about the weariness that sometimes accompanies motherhood. Cheryl, thank you so much for sharing these wonderful thoughts with us!

Photo by Soopah Grover

Tomorrow morning, I’m calling in sick. Oh wait. There’s just one problem with that: I can’t.

Have you ever had a series of bad mommy days, where it just seems like the joy is missing in the “joy” of motherhood? As a mom of three wonderful and rowdy boys five and under, we hit bumpy patches more regularly than I’d like. There are days when the fighting, the mischief, the whining, and the crying is non-stop. On those days the need for discipline and correction is exceedingly great. It becomes very tiring to keep up with it all—and maintain the calm and gentle spirit of a heavenly homemaker to boot (that’s why my blog is called Moms In Need of Mercy). I wish I had relatives in town to help, but I don’t.

So, as a mom in need of mercy, what do I do?

Photo by gopal1035

Like a soldier in battle, when you’re in the trenches, the fighting is going to be intense until the battle’s over. A soldier can’t just say, “I feel like taking a sick day tomorrow.” He has to show up with even more intensity the next day. That’s why his training is so important. In addition to preparing him for service, it also weeds out the weak from the strong. Soldiers who don’t have what it takes are sent home.

With multiple small children, I’m in bootcamp right now. On days like today, we’ve progressed to full combat. It is hard work. I’m training them, and they’re training me. I don’t want to be a weak mother who’s unfit for the job.

Soldiers don’t enjoy bootcamp. I don’t enjoy the hard days either. But they produce something in us. If we show up when we feel like calling in sick, we build muscles of patience, endurance, and leadership. Our jobs as mothers will be easier down the road, as the training in the lives of our children will produce men and women with character that makes us proud. As Galatians 6:9 encourages, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

On those days when it feels like we’re in the trenches, holding fast to consistency with training and correction is wearying but so crucial. A soldier taking fire can’t tell his comrades, or the soldier firing at him, “I’m getting tired of this behavior. I’m just going to ignore your hostile fire for awhile, because I need a break.” He must stay strong and continue to respond to every shot fired his way—even though it’s hard.

What helps soldiers in those moments is having a clear sense of purpose—they know what they’re trying to accomplish. As moms, we must cling to the vision of what we want our kids’ character to look like down the road. Reminding ourselves of this on days when the going gets tough will help us see past the dark moments. (And on those days, remember it’s not one bad day here and there, but the overall impression from the series of days that leaves a mark on our kids.)

Oh, and one more thing I’ve found that helps on the hard days—when you feeling like driving your children to the nearest drop-in daycare, just to get away from them for a few hours, hug them instead. Even though it feels like the last thing you may want to do at the moment, it will change the mood dramatically. Try it sometime. It also helps to find something fun to do together that makes everyone laugh and enjoy each other once again. (And if you do have parents or in-laws, or other close relatives in town, call on them when you need a break for a few hours.)

Cheryl Hackett traded in the glamour of working as a news anchor for her local NBC affiliate for the glory of motherhood. She and her husband are blessed with three busy boys, ages 5, 3, and 1. Cheryl blogs at Moms In Need of Mercy, where she aims to offer hope and practical help in mothering, marriage, housekeeping, hospitality, saving money, and more. She’d love for you to stop by and be encouraged!

I know…I KNOW!! You did not expect this post here at Heavenly Homemakers from Laura:  mother of four boys. I’ve just admired Kristy‘s daughter’s beautiful hair now for a couple of years and asked her to guest post about fun hair-dos for little girls. I wanted to see how it was done…and thought you might enjoy it too! Kristy (from Homemaker’s Cottage) did a fantastic job of taking pictures of her daughters and their lovely hair-dos. I LOVE it!!! 

These are two of my favorite hair-dos for our little girls, Amy (6) and Emily (4). Neither of my girls are particularly fond of fussy stuff (like curlers and hot sticks), so these quick “do’s” are great for a spiffy Sunday morning (or whenever!) fix without the fuss!

Both of these hair styles should work well on long or short, straight or curly hair.

Elegant Pin Curls

This style features my little girl, Emily, whose hair is fine, slightly wavy, and moderately long. After wearing this “do” for a few hours, Emily’s hair curls into adorable ringlets… I guess that’s two hair do’s for the price of one! :)

You’ll need: bobby pins, pony tail, hair spray and gel (optional), a big bow!

1. Pull hair back into a pony tail. You may want to scrunch some gel into your little girl’s hair to help it “hold” once you start pinning it up.

2. Separate hair into sections (the thicker the hair, the more sections you’ll need). Wrap each section of hair around your finger to make a pin curl. (Please excuse my chipped finger nail… this is a post about pretty hair, not pretty nails!)

4. Secure each “curl” with bobby pins. I usually crisscross two bobby pins to hold each pin curl in place.

5. Once you have all the sections pinned into curls, tuck in any loose strands and spray with hair spray.

6. Add a big, pretty bow and you’re all done!

 

Simply Whimsical Up-Do

This easy but pretty hair style features my big girl, Amy, whose hair is slinky-straight, thick, and long (nearly waist length). This style works just as well on curly hair as it does straight!

You’ll need: pony tail, gel or mousse, a large barrette or bow

1. Pull hair back into a pony tail. Work a tad of gel or mousse into hair just to give it a little “hold”.

2. Twist and wrap hair into a ballerina-style “bun”, leaving several inches of the ends loose at the top.

3. Secure ends with a barrette or bow. Add a little more gel to the ends and arrange as desired. The nice thing about this style is that the ends don’t have to stay in any particular place… the more whimsical and free-style, the better!

Wasn’t that FUN!?!? Kristy…thank you so much for taking the time to put together this guest post for us! Your daughters are absolutely sweet and beautiful! For the record Kristy, I am not completely opposed to arranged marriages. Just something to keep in mind…

Everyone be sure to visit Kristy at Homemaker’s Cottage for some wonderful homemaking encouragement!

Before I had kids…

I knew how to keep a constantly clean and orderly house.

I knew how to discipline children lovingly, yet firmly. I knew how to answer questions patiently and with kindness. I knew how to give my full attention and listen to everything a child said without being distracted.

I knew how to keep up with laundry and to put it into drawers neatly. I knew how to travel with children in a way that did not make a mess of the car or the child’s hair or the child’s clothes or the driver’s sanity. I knew how to keep children from throwing fits in the store. I knew how to keep crust from forming under a child’s nose.

I knew how to keep a child from being a picky eater. I knew how to make sure a child’s clothes always matched, were on right-side-out and with the tag in the back. I knew how to keep a child from having stinky feet.

I knew how to make a child love bath time. I knew how to have a quiet toddler. I knew how to control a child during church. I knew how to keep my kitchen clean. I knew how to teach a child to sit down and be still. I knew how to keep a child’s toys picked up. I knew how to make sure a child’s shoes were on the right feet and the laces were always tied.

I knew how to make sure a child never dropped his coat on the floor when he walked in the door. I knew how to tell a child to do something and they would just do it right away the first time without arguing. I knew how to keep a child from back-talk. I knew how to keep a child from ever being mean to another child, ever.

I knew how and when to potty train. I knew how to keep my child from having any learning problems. I knew how to keep caught up on the dishes. I knew how to get my kids to sleep through the night.

I knew how to keep the windows and mirror clean. I knew how to inspire children to cheerfully help and work hard. I knew how to teach children fun songs and meaningful songs and historical songs and spiritual songs and to sing themselves to sleep.

I knew how to teach children eloquent language and foreign language and sign language and to never use bad language. I knew how to make sure children always neatly wrote a loving thank you note for every gift they received. 

I knew how to make sure children always spoke nice and clear when talking to an adult and to never mumble. I knew how to make sure a child never loudly said embarrassing things about how that woman has a mustache and that man has a really big nose.

I knew how to win every battle.

I knew all the answers.

Before I had kids.