Melacholy...

Maybe it's the dreary, gray day...
Maybe it's the rain...
Maybe it's the time of year...
Maybe it's the end of the week...
Maybe it's the "day in and day out" of it all...
but whatever it is, I feel "blah."

Does anyone else ever feel worn out by the time the kids are in bed (when you have time for yourself, but are too tired to do anything)? Does anyone else ever sit down at the dinner table to eat, after preparing the meal, and are so weary they just want to put their head in their hands?

Please don't take this wrong.
1. I am incredibly grateful for the life God has given me. I should dwell more on that!
2. My husband is so giving. He gives and gives some more. I wish he had more time to do what he wanted, not what others needed.
3. Our 4 kids are soooooo precious and such a gift. How fortunate that I can be the one to feed, clothe, hug, love, teach, snuggle, read to, enjoy, and be their one and only Mama!

But sometimes I get So. Weary.
I've told my high school students that being a Mom is the best, most rewarding job I've ever had and will ever have. I follow that up with being a Mom is the most challenging job I've ever had and will ever have. And that's followed by explaining how grateful I am to have a loving, supportive husband....that's the best route to go!
I am not a night person. My energy is in the mornings, or at least during daylight hours. I used to chuckle at my Mom for her 10:00 pm "Cinderella Time," as I called it. I would ask her if she would turn into a pumpkin....and of course, I'm exactly the same. :) I have lofty ambitions for what to do when the kids are in bed. The two hours or so of time seems so long. But, then reality. I usually make it to the couch, read the paper, fiddle around on the computer, etc., and tonight it felt ambitious to write this.

*Sigh.*

Could I force myself to do more? Yes. At times, I do. But other times, I think it's fine to just sit after a busy day - physically and emotionally - and relax/decompress.

Ken just came home - he's been teaching each Thursday evening for a while. Combine that with his Tuesday night meetings and Wed night responsibilities, and by Thursday night, I'm pooped. Aaron is walking up a storm. SO CUTE!!! And so busy! And why is his favorite place the bathrooms? And then the dishwasher? And then, and then, and then....And why does he love to dump everything - except his toys?! And how does he learn without me saying "No" time and time and time again? Ken says, "He is something! He has the gift for finding the worst possible way to make a mess. There's books? Tear them off the shelves. I want ALL of the towels out of the drawer, ALL of the pans out of the cupboard. Unlike a tornado, which is random disaster, he is quite purposeful in his mess-making! And the strange thing is, he doesn't take ALL of his toys out of his toy bin." Good thing he's got such good grins. He's adorable.

Aaron's busyness, in conjunction with our three other darlin's needs, make my rice sock (received from the hospital after having a baby) get warmed often and placed on my shoulders in the evenings. After all the responsibilities of the day, sometimes a cozy blanket, a rice sock, and some down time are just the ticket for a Mom. Would you agree?