GIMME A BREAK! GIMME A BREAK!

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Break me off a piece of that quiet life!

I am very much a person that tends to get overwhelmed quickly with tasks. To be honest, it's not the tasks themselves...it's the fact that I have a very hard time saying "no" to all of the other stuff. It's not hard to fold a shirt, sort the socks, or shine the mirror, but tasks at home are so much harder to accomplish when you try to fit them in around all of your "yeses". Yet, the tasks have to be completed to make the house a home, and a "yes"...well, that means "yes".

In between being a wife, a mother, and all of the other things to which we commit, it's really hard sometimes to find a quiet moment for ourselves! In my profile, I use the following description:

"...a housekeeper, a cook, a chauffeur, a washer woman, a tailor, a nanny, a teacher, a tutor, a secretary, a gopher, a banker, a nurse, a wife, a lover, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, an aunt, a friend, a provider, a volunteer, a church helper, a prayer warrior, a cheerleader, a psychologist, an organizer, and a social activities director..."

Do you identify with any of these? I'm betting whether you're single, married, have no children, or have lots of children, that at least a few of these are roles in your life, too!

Earlier this year, I found a blog called Home Sanctuary. Rachel Anne continually reminds us that "Sanctuary is in the Small Things". What a concept! Each week day she challenges us to complete a single task in her daily post. Sometimes they require a little extra time ~ like "spot-clean your carpet". Sometimes they are super easy ~ like "make your bed". Sometimes they are serious ~ like "accept your blame". Sometimes they are silly ~ like "do something silly". Sometimes they remind us to take care of others ~ like "appreciate your Dude". And sometimes they remind us to take care of ourselves ~ like "pamper your feet", or like today's small thing!

Today's small thing was to "deliberately De-Stress by using one of your favorite techniques." We were encouraged to take a nap, blog, watch a movie ~ anything that would help us to simply "be".

I NEEDED it this week. For several weeks, I've been struggling with illness, and this week was the worst of them. However, when you're a wife and mother, you don't really get to call in sick! And it was one of those weeks where lots of things were scheduled to happen at all at once ~ a field trip with Twister, a training session for me, PTA duties, teaching Tornado's church class, and on and on and on ~ almost every minute of the week was accounted for something. Some of the activities were really fun, and all of them were worthwhile, but none of them were relaxing!

I was so excited to see the small thing for today! For the last several years, my mom, sister, and I have gone to a "Kaleidoscope of Homes". It's been scheduled all week; and though I love going every year, I had really been thinking about backing out today. After being sick for a lot of the week, not getting enough sleep and being tired, and needing to catch up on a million and one things at home, I was feeling a little bit guilty about taking a whole day simply to tour homes...and then I read today's small thing. I decided right then and there to get myself ready for the day and to go enjoy some quality time with two of the most important women in my life. We had so much fun seeing the creativity of others and just getting to be together! Then, after school was out, I took Tornado and Twister out for ice cream. It was all a really wonderful way to De-stress!

Rachel Anne has added a new component to her weekly challenges. Each Friday she hosts "Company Girl Coffee". It's a time to reflect on the "small things" of the week and how they brought a little order to the chaos, and then write about one or more of them. You can then relax a little more by having a cup of virtual coffee, and maybe even a warm slice of virtual pumpkin bread, as you read about how others are creating sanctuary in their homes!

Pull up a chair, and let me pour you a cup!

GIMME A BREAK! GIMME A BREAK!

http://xboxwife.blogspot.com/2008/09/gimme-break-gimme-break.html