Thursday, July 22, 2010

Keep reminding myself: I"M the mom...

Yesterday we went to Six Flags with some friends. It was a good day, the weather was cooler, which was a wonderful respite from the triple digits we have had at home. It was our second Six Flags visit this year, so the pace and desire to see and do it ALL was not there. Nicer pace.

After squabbles and sibling battles for supremacy at home, it was nice to just get away and let Bugs Bunny and rides distract them, rather than playing a poor refreree all day. The girls are still young enough they LIKE posing with the Looney Tune characters and the pack of boys kept each other entertained.

I left the park, though, with a raging headache and an almost two hour drive ahead of me. We listened to the audio reading of Peter Pan...and got home around 10 PM. Once all the kids were in bed, I crumpled into mine, exhausted with no hope of sleep due to my excrutiating head. At 1 am, after hours of tossing and groaning, searching cupboards for some meds, trying cold wash clothes, I got up and took a middle of the night shower in the dark...hoping the water pounding my head from the outside might alleviate the pounding from the inside.

It did not, but at least I was clean, as I went back to bed and tossed for the remaining 7 hours....and worried about camping. See we are suppose to leave for a church camping trip tomorrow (Friday) and it is the last thing on the face of the earth I want to do. If I feel as unwell as I do today, we will NOT be going and I am dreading telling the kids..I am on the wait and see mode. This is our one camping trip of the year, and that I would have the audacity to suggest that we may not go, is beyond their understanding. Add to that, that I have tried repeatedly to make contact with the families we are doing Sunday morning breakfast duty with (we divvy up the meals)...with no success, I do not have the money, energy or planning ability at this point to pull off a breakfast for over 40 folks alone. OK, yea I am whining..

I was realizing, I need to change my pace...more...slower, do less, over the next 30 days that I still have off until I go back to work. Spending more "do nothing" family time that just lets us be and interact and not be stressed. I also realized, again, that I AM the mom....and I can pull the mom card on doing or not doing things... I just so hate the battle that often follows...but I AM the mom...and to be able to continue being the mom I have to say NO to some things.

So I am not sure if we will be going camping of not...only tonight will tell. Praying for strength and renewing from God for so many reasons. (My head hurts so bad that I cannot even knit or read...lol...so you know it is bad!)

Here's hoping a Starbucks on the way to Mary's eye doctor appt today, has a miraculous affect!
Anyway..here are some of our six flags pictures and it was fun, despite my headache.

2 Things Others Said:

Renee said...

I find myself having to make a similar decision. (((Sandee))) Hope you're feeling better.

Granma said...

Mom's need care too, ya know. Once a long time ago my daughter took a carload of little people to World's of Fun..drove 50 miles to do it...five years later when discussing the trip their best memory was when Sean, about six at the time, had thrown his shoe out the window on the freeway.

Take better care of yourself Mom. You're very important.