Dig Deep Mama: Keep It Simple

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Proverbs 31:25 NIV

You know your life. You know your schedule. Right now as decisions are being made you still hold the authority as the mother (maybe with another parent) to decide what stays and what goes. These children have been given to you for this time. It’s unprecedented. Don’t treat this time as inconvenient and something simply to get through. Harness it. 

When my boys were young and parenting was my main role, here’s what helped me:

Tip: Keep it simple.  

My high recommendation is to do the work of simplifying your life right now. As much as you’re able, keep it simple. To illustrate:

1. Get up. Get showered. Get dressed. This is basic, dear woman. Get the children to do the same. Oh, sure you can break this pattern on occasion – jammies all day, breakfast for dinner and all that – but a simple, reliable pattern is key.

2. Let the light in. Get the lights on. Open the drapes or blinds, and while you’re at it, open the windows for fresh air. 

Pretty simple, right? Next:

3. Have structure with flexibility.  

Set parameters around things. Remember: You are the mother. You hold the position and the authority, not lil’ Madigan. She needs your guidelines. Craves them, in fact. But don’t go overboard. She doesn’t need to be smothered or straightjacketed by controlling rigidity.

Every day, (or most days, depending on your workload) think: I get to develop my children physically, academically (mind), artistically (creative) and spiritually. This was a simple structure I lived by. Examples: Creative development could be – “Today, we’re taking a walk in the rain without umbrellas. What does it smell like? Feel like? What do you hear?” Spiritual development could be – “I know we always clear our own plates after dinner, but Aaron, would you please serve the family tonight and clear everyone’s dishes?” (Service is a huge spiritual principle.)

4. Create margin. If you’re a worker bee or a type-A personality, you may need to think about margin. Maybe you’re trying to do too much. Margin is a beautiful thing. Extra space to allow for spills, tears and spontaneous snuggles. For your sanity sake, maybe now’s not a good time for the planning of a family reunion or a renovation. Maybe now’s not a good time to go back to school or to change jobs, unless you’re forced to, in which case, what will you remove from your calendar to make that a priority? There’s only so many hours gifted to us each day.

Keeping it simple doesn’t mean you let it all go. Pick a couple of things from this brief list, and keep it simple.

Dig Deep, mama! You got this.