Making Time For Mommy Monday (Week 2)

Today’s guest post is from Katie who shares how she makes time for mommy.

Be sure to read more about her at the bottom of this post!

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Motherhood is exhausting. These days are filled with demands, pleasures, spills, adventure, tears, joy, failures, challenges, and (hopefully) naps.

As I stumble through motherhood I have found two practices that have breathed life into these long, tiring days of mothering.

1. Getting up early.

I am, by nature, a night-owl. I am most productive at night. With three kids, after bedtime seemed to be the only way to have an uninterrupted chunk of time to get anything done. Yet, after years of burning the night oil, something just didn’t sit well with me about how my days started. Most mornings the first words my kids would hear from me is “go back to bed” or on really bad mornings “leave me alone!” I hate that.

For years I had tried (unsuccessfully) to get up early before the kids. But, over time I had realized that the only way for me to really prepare for my day would be to get up early EVERY DAY. I really do LOVE being up before my kids now. It gives me a chance to get a few essential chores done, journal, study my Bible, and pray for my children. It takes some sacrifices and an earlier bedtime, but the rewards of this have been many. I love being able to hear their little footsteps down the hall, greet them with a “good morning!” laden with hugs and kisses, and start our day together on a positive note with a prepared mommy.

If you are interested, there is a challenge that just started, to Maximize Your Mornings this winter. There are hundreds of women saying “Hello Mornings!” together.

2. Regular time away.

I have the best husband EVER. Since Sunday is a work day for him, he gets Fridays off. He lets me get out of the house on Fridays. I go to a local restaurant and sit. I study my Bible, journal, read a book, blog, write thank-you notes, and do a bit of planning for the week; UNINTERRUPTED.

I love this time.

I come home refreshed, and ready for another week of whatever comes my way. The days differ in time, depending on the week. Sometimes it may only be for an hour, some I stay out most of the day. You can read here a bit about how I started this practice. There are other ways you can get away. You can start weekly or monthly, pick an evening to get away, enlist family members to help out, or even a kid-swap with another mom where you could take turns watching all the kids while the other gets away.

At the core of both of these practices is my relationship with God. I believe a relationship with God is the most important thing that you can pursue with your time. Motherhood is hard. God has strength to give to us as we attempt to care for our children. He knows our days. He sees us in our struggles, and he is an ever-present help. You can learn more about a relationship with God here. I firmly believe that it is through God alone we receive the refreshment we truly need.

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Pastor’s wife and mother of three, Katie Orr loves to teach God’s Word. Longing to equip others to walk with the Lord for a lifetime, Katie has taught small group Bible studies for over thirteen years. She served on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ for seven years before God called their family to pastoral ministry. She blogs about life at www.katieorrblog.com and is the creator of www.donotdepart.com, where you can receive encouragement and tools to abide in God’s Word.

Find her on Twitter: @KatieOrr22