Six Year Peace

You know how they say marriage has the "Seven Year Itch"?

Well I think parenting has the "Six Year Peace."

The last couple of weeks I've been watching as my to-do list grows, yet I feel nothing but acceptance.  I wake up to six feet pounding like elephant hooves down the hall toward my room and three loud voices announcing, "We slept till the light was green! We slept till the light was green, mom!"  

And we're off!

Then it's down the stairs to open the house up, turn on my Scentsy plug ins and start the day while Josh showers.  When he's done, I go up and shower while he feeds the kids.  No later than 7:45am, he leaves for work and my day as a stay-at-home mom starts.

The boys watch two episdodes of cartoons-- usually Team Oomi Zoomi & Wallykazaam, but sometimes Paw Patrol & Doc McStuffins.  During this time I email Julie, eat breakfast and post a blog if it's ready.

Then it's 9:00am and time for school.  We start with calendar, counting, learning days of the week and months of the year, and reading a few stories on the rug. Wyatt joins us for calendar.  Recently we added show & tell once a week and the twins think that is the coolest.

After calendar, Wyatt stays in the playroom and the twins and I move to the kitchen table.  We tried working at their desks in the playroom last year, but I can keep them better focused if we are together at the big table.  So we do our work there.  

We do journals first.  Sometimes I give them a subject, but more often I let them draw and write about whatever they please.

Then we do sight word flash cards, Bob book reading, and our Saxon reading program.  This weekend I am going to read up and get the Saxon Math going, which I think Jack in particular will be excited about.  

By the time school is over, Josh is home for lunch so we all eat.  Once he takes off, the twins do silent reading and quiet time begins.  During quiet time, mommy gets a break (hooray!) and the boys get a chance to watch a movie or play tablets.

So far this year, after quiet time, we've gotten to go outside everyday.  This has brought me so much joy!!!

Getting those boys outside makes everything better.  They run and ride and play and yell, and I sit and breathe and relax and center.

After an hour or so outside, we head back in so I can make dinner.  By this point Josh is usually home.

I cook, we eat, then we bathe the boys and it's upstairs and off to bed.  

Jammies, stories, prayers & hugs.

So as you can see, that silly to-do list I have isn't getting a whole lot of attention during the day...

That's how I found myself mopping my arctic entry at 10:00 last night.  If I want the chores done, I have to get creative with my time.

Last year not getting things done during the day made.me.crazy.  I would rush and get frazzled and do whatever it took to get things crossed off. And suddenly now I'm at peace.

If I get to it, I get to it. 

If I don't, it will wait.

I focus on:

Kids

Husband

Meals

Dishes

Laundry

If I end a day meeting those top five needs, I feel good.

I couldn't have forced this peace. 

It's like the right amount of time passed, and suddenly it washed over me.  

I have fully settled into my role as mother, homemaker and homeschooler.  The weight of those responsibilities is heavy, and I never have them all three balanced perfectly, but I am happy anyway.

Those of you who have been mama's for six or more years, did you find the same to be true for you? That you found a magic sweet spot of time where you settled into the rhythm of life that is motherhood?

Following blogs of other mama's has also played a huge role in my peace.  

Am I lacking?  Am I imperfect?  

Yes. But we all are.

Some nights it's cereal for dinner.  Some weeks the laundry is in baskets all over instead of folded in its drawers.  Other times, the toilet bowl is shining and the dishes are all put away.  

But the beautiful thing is that I'm not impacted either way. 

Staying in the moment has been really big in sustaining this peace.

Being present with the boys allows time to pass slowly, and distracts me from all that's not getting done.

Something else that has, funny enough, helped, is Pinterest.  During quiet time or after bedtime, I love reading inspiring quotes about homeschooling, anxiety and parenting.

They help me remember that this time with my boys will pass quickly, that I'm not alone in the homeschooling struggles I face, and that I can conquer my anxiety.

A few of my favorites:

"The influence of a mother in the lives 

of her children is beyond calculation."

-James E. Faust

"Please hold onto your hope.

It is in such limited supply 

around the world these days.

Hold onto it and be proud that you are 

one of the ones that does."

-Tyler Knott Gregson

"Education is not the filling of a pail,

but the lighting of a fire."

-William Yeats

If you haven't hit your Six Year Peace yet, give it time.  

When it comes, it will be a glorious thing!

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Completely random side note:
I know some of my pictures look edited. I swear to you, they are not. It's just that beautiful here!  The colors this summer and fall have been completely stunning. Nature does all the work for me!