Mama Reads Monday – Measuring Up, Messy Kids, and MORE!

“Mama Reads” for Your Mama Time…

How was your week?  Did you find any time mama time this week?  I hope so!  We had a busy couple of weeks, but the kids are back in school now and we’re back to our routine.  Trying to get family dinners planned better and into a work routine now.  Aside from the blog articles below, I’ve been reading Buzz: An ADHD Mother’s Search for Understanding, Patience, and Comic Relief by Katherine Ellison.  I’m loving her writing style and can relate so much to her journey with her son.  I’m not even half way through yet, but if you are a parent of a child with ADHD, I highly recommend this book!  But if you are looking for some shorter reads, here are my picks for this week…

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My Favorite “Mama Reads” This Week:

• For When You’re Having an “I Don’t Measure Up” Week – Don’t we all have these?!  I know not all of you are Christian, but this is how I’ve learned to survive those “not enough” times…

“And what you thought you couldn’t give, Jesus gives thanks for and breaks and multiplies and there is just enough for today.

And tomorrow.

And at 2am.

There He is again, singing over you as you sing over sick babies and breaking your heart into bits and pieces of holy, sacred sacrifice.”

• Messy Kids Drive Me Crazy – This one is actually a post I contributed over at Dirt and Boogers.  I admitted that I don’t like mess.  Or messy kids.  But give some advice for how to get over it if you struggle with this, too.

“… I’ve loosened up over the years. I think that had a lot to do with having three children. Don’t get me wrong; I know that three kids isn’t tons of kids. I bow down to those who parent more children. But having my third child changed things. I learned pretty quickly that my kids would get messy whether I liked it or not. I no longer had enough arms to keep them all from the sand box or the finger paints.”

• 3 Mental Roadblocks Preventing You From Achieving Work-Life Balance – Work-life balance; oh my.  This is one of my greatest challenges right now.  It’s a bit easier now that the kids are back in school, though.  I’m guilty of these roadblocks.  But I like how this article helps me to understand them so I can work on them.

“Once we understand how to clear the mental roadblocks and clutter — so we can grasp that big picture clarity for ourselves — we aren’t as easily pulled in every possible direction just trying to find our way. And we begin to be able to be life detectors who know what is throwing us off balance almost immediately.

And we can begin to make smart decisions that feel good.

And that’s when we start to find a peaceful, easy feeling that some might call balance.”

• How SAHMs Can Honor Themselves and Their Roles – Not a “working” mom, but a stay at home mom instead?  This one’s for you…

“While the day in and day out might not feel like anything special, it is. It is to your kids, it is to your character, and it is to society. I think that it’s a bit fun and lighthearted to make fun of SAHMs and we’ve all shared virtual group hugs over cute videos, quotes, and posts on the craziness of it all. And that’s fine because tired moms need a laugh. But really, I think each of us could honor our role a little more. I know I could.”

Some More Mama Reads from B-Inspired Mama:

How do you find encouragement and inspiration during your busy days, Mama?  Do these “Mama Reads” help?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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This post may contain affiliate links.  Please see my disclosure policy.