Motivated Mondays-Being the Glue

Mid-September already, can you believe it?! 

Someone told me recently that the mom in a family is the glue that holds the whole household together.  While I think I knew that on some level, I am realizing how much we really do hold it all together.  More than that, we are like a little bag of tools, ready to make all the quick fixes needed to keep a machine running smoothly. 

Hammering out the kinks.  We have the abilitiy to read others' emotions and tweak them as needed.  Example from this morning (already): My 4 year old had tears at the ready at every little thing.  He didn't like the cup I put his milk in, he couldn't accept that a dvd had to go in its case at one spot versus the one he wanted to put it in, his brother touched his blanket, we didn't have the breakfast he wanted, etc.  He is not sick, probably just got up too early or woke up emotional.  As frustrated as it made me, I realized patience and discussion was the best route. The moodiness has resolved on its own, and now we have our normal goofy 4 yr old back.

Oiling the machine.  We have the running to-do list in our heads.  Ours is most obvious when trying to leave the house.  My husband is always asking  "Okay, what else do we need to do?".  Even though it's the same list everytime, with some minor changes, I guess it's like a cheat sheet.  Our tasks for them are like little drops of oil to  keep them moving and efficient, while we complete our tasks. 

Performing routine maintainance.  Clothes get washed and put away, dishes get cleaned, food is always available, and meals are cooked and served.  We keep the house running smoothly, and most times, the other members forget or do not realize how much gets done. 

Most importantly, we are the glue, used to hold everyone together, make quick fixes, and bond to each other. 

I'm sure I could take this to a deeper level, but a certain 2 yr old is playing with my hair and trying to mess with the computer...

For me, I'm honored to have this responsibility.  At times, it does get frustrating and  overwhelming.  But, I am so blessed to have a husband is understanding and supportive.  He has no problem stepping in when I need it.  My husband and kids motivate me every day to be better. 

Every household has its own dynamics.  What do you compare yourself to? 

Motivated Mondays!

Here it is, another Monday has come around.  Have you found your motivation for the week?  I think I have; let's see if it sticks around all week. 

I am motivated to be a more intentional teacher/mom.  Although, I still feel like the boys and I are settling into our new lifestyle, I feel like I need to be even more on top of things.  I had tv pretty limited but noticed it crept back into our daily routine more as the week went on.  It was so convenient to let them watch one thing so I could get something done.  Not this week.  They weren't watching junk and were learning from what they saw, but still.  I don't think having a strict schedule: we will do this at this time, for this long kind of thing will work.  But, I think I definitely need to devote more of my day to them, and devote the free time that pops up to my other need-to-dos and want-to-dos.

I am motivated to focus on being more time efficient and not waste time on the smaller things such as checking stats on here and etsy as much.  If I can, I'll wait until the end of the day.  (This one may be a hard one for me)

Last night I organized my sewing room (dining room).  Well, it's not perfect but it's a whole heck of a lot better.  I cleaned off the table so now I have more room to lay projects out.  I tried to organize my fabrics, but I don't know if I'll ever find a system that makes me 100% happy.  There is now a clear bin that holds my queued fabrics and projects.  I think I am the most excited about that part.  And, I removed my scrapbooking stuff to make more room.  In reality, it just means I am moving all that stuff to clutter up our bedroom.  We have NO extra storage space in this house.

While I was working full time and going to school, the house would get very cluttered very quickly.  Since I have started staying home, I have been trying to clean out/organize one little area a day.  I plan on continuing that because itis the little things that make the difference.  Now, our house is not dirty, relatively speaking with 2 young boys.  It is just cluttered.  Like I said, we have NO extra storage space. 

So, there is my motivated Monday pep talk.  What are you motivated to do this week?