John & Shannon Hufford: Hitting A Wall

No, not literally but it definitely felt like it. Do you ever have one of those days where you just want to clock-out from being a Mommy and wife? Where your days all seem to run together and you're just exhausted from it all? Welp, that was me this past Saturday.

I should have known by the way the day started that it wasn't going to be pretty. Addison woke up at 6:00 am and was ready to play. Occasionally she does this and I always inform her that it's still night-time while I walk her right back to her bed. By how tired she seemed all day, I'm guessing she just laid awake until 7:00 and once again returned ready to play. Daddy was soon heading off to help the scouts gather food donations in the neighborhood. I sat on the couch with two kids in a stupor and in tears. (Yep, I'll just lay it all out there folks). I had hit my wall. It wasn't any one specific thing but an accumulation of everything.

Sometimes (okay most times) being a Mommy is exhausting and it is definitely a full-time job. There is always someone there wanting a bite of whatever you are eating (when you do finally get a chance to eat), someone always whining for a snack, or needing to go to the bathroom, or wanting to watch you go to the bathroom, or have a poopy diaper changed, throwing a fit, or needing a bottle, or wanting to watch a cartoon, etc. etc. There is very little time for Mommy.

Needless to say when John saw me in tears on his way out the door he was kind enough to stop and check on me while I vented. I asked if I could take the night off. I was just tired....literally and figuratively of doing the same thing every.single.day.of.the.week. He patiently listened and promised he'd be back soon to fix things.

And thankfully he was back home soon.....back home to an impatient Mommy with a surround sound of tears. But not mine this time. Jonas was fighting sleep and Addison was in her room in time-out. All I can say is thank heavens for an awesome husband. He quickly took over with Addison and I finally got Jonas to sleep. I was still in my stupor and Addison was following me around jabbering about something by this time. I just decided to crash on the bed. Daddy once again had perfect timing. He quickly ushered Addison out of the room and told her Mommy needed a nap. By the time I woke up, the house was silent. Jonas was still sleeping and apparently Daddy took Addison on an impromptu morning date. I noticed I missed a call from him so I called back to see what he wanted. They were just coming back from Wal-mart and were picking up some much needed items. Lovely! Apparently, they had started the morning at Lowe's only to find out they were too early for the weekly craft so they headed off to breakfast and Wal-mart. And it gets even better! Apparently Daddy let Addison get a coloring book and a Minnie Mouse trinket but only under the stipulation that she would go home and work for money to pay for them. So, Daddy and Addison asked me what needed to be cleaned. I was still shocked and confused so Daddy eagerly volunteered that they clean the van. I was loving every minute of this! Such a nice turn-a-round to what started off to be a bad day for me. And to top it all off I still got to enjoy my evening out while Daddy stayed home with the kiddos and put them to bed. Can I just say how nice it is to walk freely into stores and shop without having to carry/haul kids with you? I definitely need to do this more often.

And of course, Daddy didn't stop there. He & Addison started the massive load of laundry for me today while I made dinner. Later, I got to enjoy a nap with Addison while he took care of Jonas and cleaned up dinner. And the icing on the cake? Tonight, I got to watch T.V. while he folded laundry. So nice when the tides finally turn eh? There is nothing that makes a man more handsome than watching them do/fold laundry folks!

I must say I'm very grateful for an understanding husband. Who listens to me instead of trying to convince me my frustrations don't exist. And especially one who gets up and acts instead of just sitting back and doing nothing. I'm very grateful for a husband that lets me have time off and understands my sacrifices and expresses gratitude for everything I do. I'm one lucky lady!! No wonder it took me so long to find him! ;-)

P.S. Yes, I do love my kids dearly and am very grateful for them every day. They are mostly well-behaved and almost always adorable. I'm lucky to have them in my life as well and I waited a long time for them too. I never want to take them for granted. But none of this changes the fact that sometimes it's still hard to be a Mommy. ;-)