A friend called last week and asked if I wanted to join her at her next MOPS (Mothers Of PreSchoolers) meeting. "YES!" I responded a bit too excitedly, "I can't wait!!!" :) You see I've been looking for something like this since moving here, hoping and praying for a resource to meet other women like me and find more friends!! I was just considering that day (Coincidence? I think not!) how I really needed to hunt down a program to commune with other wives and mothers... Lo and behold, Stacey called. (Thanks Stacey!)
And what an answer to prayer it was. I went last night and had such a nice time. We crafted cute photo books, ate yummy snacks, and listened to a variety of speakers who bestowed motherly goodness. The main speaker was a psychotherapist, who challenged us to consider the stress in our lives and how much of it really has to be there. So often we create or contribute to the stress in our lives by the mere choices we make on a regular basis. She quoted a statistic that 60-90% of our illnesses (causing a trip to the doctor) come about thanks to stress. How much healthier would Gasperini-Ville be if we could just get a handle on it?
Overcommitment? Excessive worry? Perfectionism?
These are just a few areas of weakness for both GG and I, causing more than enough stress in our lives already (and our kids aren't even in school yet! Oh no!!) But hey, by being more aware of our stressful tendencies, we can begin to try to hone these areas before they get too out-of-control.
The last exercise we completed involved a time of relaxation and meditation. Just 5 minutes of calm revealed to me how much I need to tone down my day-to-day anxiety. No wonder I'm apt to snap at the kids when I am often so revved up and wound so tightly!! Just breathe, B-mama!!! :) I aim to try to take moments in the coming days to find "my center" and chill out. We will all be better off because of it! :)
So that's that in the world of B-mama. One of the tips the psychotherapist recommended for relieving stress was through journaling, for which I was very thankful to have my blog as a wonderful writing "outlet". Thanks for being my sounding board, friends and family! You all are so gracious to read my daily tales... One thing's for sure, I've yet to figure out so many facets of this God-given world!! Alas, you'll never be rid of me. ;)
To bring this to a close, here are some fam photos from Saturday--M's soccer practice and Sunday--our trip to a local pumpkin patch. We ended up flaking on the hayride (too overwhelming for the boys), but had a blast in the kiddie maze and the bounce house, while enjoying the fall afternoon with friends. It was a blessed time...
Our soccer stud and his new buzz cut!
T poses for his "individual shot"
Team picture time!! So serious!
Kid maze--Daddy gets in on the action! :)
Hunter and M
Hugs and prayers,
4 comments:
I'm so glad you went to MOPS! I'm missing our meeting today b/c of Grady's illness. I'm disappointed that I missed this months meeting.
So true about STRESS! I hear ya on the worrying an perfectionism front. I often feel very stressed when I have a plan of things I want to get done and realize by 2 PM that I haven't come close to tackling the list. It's when I'm feeling stressed about what I haven't done that I try to stop and truly be present in what I am actually doing. Stopping and listening to my husband tell me about his day/school work helps him get things off his chest and allows us to connect through an adult conversation. Stopping to truly engage with Grady while he's trying to figure out crawling or how to rotate to get to his toys, etc. is much more fulfilling at the end of the day than cleaning the bathroom. I'm sure in a short time I'll be glad I took time to BE with him during this stage vs. taking the time to clean. That being said, I do think cleanliness is important and I do struggle with getting chores done now that I'm a Mom. I'm trying to establish routines also to reduce stress. Everyday during G's AM nap, I shower and get dressed! Immediatley b/c he only sleeps for 30 minutes. I do it everyday now! It helps so much. I'm in the process of planning a schedule of cleaning (one thing/day)during the first 30 minutes of G's afternoon nap. And then, after putting G to bed at night, taking 10 minutes to update the budget after spending for the day, quickly going through the mail, etc. All in an effort to reduce stress, be present in the moment with my family, and get things done!
Whew, I had a lot to say on this! Hope it makes sense. Ok, now off to dry my hair...
I agree with Carolina girl...It's so hard to balance things that need to get done with spending time actively engaging with the kiddo. And then when nap time comes I'm torn between some relax time for myself or all the things that need to get done. Many have suggested that stress may be our obstacle in getting pregnant but it is a viscious cycle that is hard to break. The longer it takes the more stessed you become that it will ever happen but the more stressed you are about it the less likely it will happen. Battling with Tricare and the doctor's office over bills and coverage this morning was helpful for the stress meter too :) Good luck to everyone in their quest for stress reduction!
love the buzz cut!!
B-Mama,
I think you are too hard on yourself on the control, perfectionism stress front. I mean, if you were really so controlling or worried of stress you would not welcome God's gifts of baby boys as he sends them. I want to give you kudos for demonstrating surrender when it comes to the important things, if you do beat yourself up for not vacuuming I don't think it is the end of the world as long as that dirty floor doesn't lead you to shy away from more adorable G-babies! M is so big, love it.
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