This picture represents how I have been feeling for a while now. I am seven months pregnant and the baby has been putting a lot of pressure on me when I walk. I have also been extremely tired and have had some annoying headaches. I went to the doctor for an extra appointment to see if the pressure was normal, and I was assured that it was. The funny part, though... the nurse asked me if I had been taking my prenatal vitamins every day. I told her that I had. She said, "Well, your blood tests show that your anemia has gotten worse." Oh... well, I never knew I was anemic. Why didn't you tell me?!?
So, I have been tired because of anemia. This could have been easily avoided if they had just told me in the first place, but yay for iron pills! Even with the extra iron, I still struggle with fatigue every now and then. The combined stress and excessive weariness led to the house turning into a complete wreck. I was also worried that I wasn't reading enough with my son or getting him to as many activities as usual.
The days that I had energy, I was faced with the Mary vs. Martha dilemma. The familiar story from the New Testament constantly comes to mind when I am trying to balance my life. I identify with Martha in so many ways. Brief summary: Martha had been listening to the Savior with Mary, but then hunger struck, and Martha went to work so she could serve food. She asked the Savior to urge Mary to help her serve, to which He replied:
"And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10: 41-42).
It all comes down to prioritizing. Serving food isn't the problem, but is the meal too complicated? Will it take all of your energy and time? Are you worried about the little things that don't matter? Are you trying to make an impression instead of spending quality time with someone? These are the thoughts that come to my mind when I try to balance my life.
Let me give you a recent example. I decided to battle (clean) the kitchen yesterday. I didn't just clean the surface of everything, I deep cleaned: the fridge was cleaned out, the microwave was scrubbed, the floor was mopped, every dish was washed, etc. It took me 4-5 hours with breaks in between for lack of energy. The entire time I felt guilty for not devoting more time for Ethan. I then had an old saying that kept barking at me, "Cleanliness is near to godliness." I didn't want to feel this mental tug-of-war and I didn't want the messy house.
I had to overcome the Martha trait that over complicates things. I didn't need to focus that much time and energy on the kitchen. I needed to put my son first, and then dedicate some time to cleaning. I believe he needs to see the hard work of cleaning as well, so I remind myself of that while I clean, and I let him help me in any way that he can.
I had to re-balance my life. Obviously there are plenty of other things that fall into the mixture, paying bills, teaching piano, church, grocery shopping, exercise, meal planning, etc., but I had to focus on two main categories, i.e., cleaning and quality time with my son.
The plan is to play with Ethan first, educate him, let him socialize, let him run outside, whatever works at that time. After I have put him first, I will let him have some free time to play with toys by himself or watch something on Netflix while I clean (and of course, I let him help me clean as much as a three-year-old can). He can even help me cook dinner later in the day.
I will try to balance every day. I don't expect to have the same amount of energy or schedule every day, but I do expect progression, not perfection. In the end, I am thankful to overcome the meaningless things that clutter my life. Just like the scriptures say that choosing the good part couldn't be taken away from Mary, I will never regret spending quality time with my son. I will treasure those moments forever <3
So, I have been tired because of anemia. This could have been easily avoided if they had just told me in the first place, but yay for iron pills! Even with the extra iron, I still struggle with fatigue every now and then. The combined stress and excessive weariness led to the house turning into a complete wreck. I was also worried that I wasn't reading enough with my son or getting him to as many activities as usual.
The days that I had energy, I was faced with the Mary vs. Martha dilemma. The familiar story from the New Testament constantly comes to mind when I am trying to balance my life. I identify with Martha in so many ways. Brief summary: Martha had been listening to the Savior with Mary, but then hunger struck, and Martha went to work so she could serve food. She asked the Savior to urge Mary to help her serve, to which He replied:
"And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10: 41-42).
It all comes down to prioritizing. Serving food isn't the problem, but is the meal too complicated? Will it take all of your energy and time? Are you worried about the little things that don't matter? Are you trying to make an impression instead of spending quality time with someone? These are the thoughts that come to my mind when I try to balance my life.
Let me give you a recent example. I decided to battle (clean) the kitchen yesterday. I didn't just clean the surface of everything, I deep cleaned: the fridge was cleaned out, the microwave was scrubbed, the floor was mopped, every dish was washed, etc. It took me 4-5 hours with breaks in between for lack of energy. The entire time I felt guilty for not devoting more time for Ethan. I then had an old saying that kept barking at me, "Cleanliness is near to godliness." I didn't want to feel this mental tug-of-war and I didn't want the messy house.
I had to overcome the Martha trait that over complicates things. I didn't need to focus that much time and energy on the kitchen. I needed to put my son first, and then dedicate some time to cleaning. I believe he needs to see the hard work of cleaning as well, so I remind myself of that while I clean, and I let him help me in any way that he can.
I had to re-balance my life. Obviously there are plenty of other things that fall into the mixture, paying bills, teaching piano, church, grocery shopping, exercise, meal planning, etc., but I had to focus on two main categories, i.e., cleaning and quality time with my son.
The plan is to play with Ethan first, educate him, let him socialize, let him run outside, whatever works at that time. After I have put him first, I will let him have some free time to play with toys by himself or watch something on Netflix while I clean (and of course, I let him help me clean as much as a three-year-old can). He can even help me cook dinner later in the day.
I will try to balance every day. I don't expect to have the same amount of energy or schedule every day, but I do expect progression, not perfection. In the end, I am thankful to overcome the meaningless things that clutter my life. Just like the scriptures say that choosing the good part couldn't be taken away from Mary, I will never regret spending quality time with my son. I will treasure those moments forever <3