While I talk all about pelvic health here, it’s actually only a relatively small percentage of my week. We’re in the middle of harvest over here (done with beans, working on corn!), and that requires huge work days for my husband, which then requires a lot from me to manage the home and our five kids’ schedules.
I’ll be honest: While I do love being at home and taking care of my kids + while I can find satisfaction in doing laundry or making a good meal, it’s not my natural bent to be home all the time. I say that so carefully because:
- I absolutely know that taking care of a home and kids is such a blessing and such sacred work!
- I completely know that it is a calling from the Lord, and serving my family is a gift and a privilege!
- I know that some women would absolutely LOVE to be home all the time, but aren’t able to, or ARE home all the time and LOVE it!
While I know all of these truths – as a woman who has been given ambition for my job, for creating and growing things, and loves helping other women – it’s challenging to spend a majority of my week doing laundry, making meals, cleaning up the same rooms, & doing bedtime by myself over and over.
Yet, this is where God has called me. I didn’t realize, as a young mom, how busy life can be when your kids are older. I knew life would look different, but I didn’t realize how busyness just shifts, and suddenly you need TIME during the day to get all the things done that you used to get done in the evening. It takes TIME to manage all the schedules, school emails, prep all the food, and figure out what in the world you’re going to eat besides concessions when you are at games multiple nights/week! 😂
I continue to be baffled that I have all my kids in school and still my days can stay so busy. And so in this season, though I am still seeing some patients here and there and Refine Fitness is always going, I’m spending my days:
- Doing loads and loads of laundry
- Running to the grocery store (again!)
- Trying to figure out how to cook nutritious AND quick meals everyone will like. 🤪
- Going to multiple volleyball and football games every week.
- Helping with homework
- Decision-making for the building project (hopefully a good month out! SO excited to start our faith + fitness classes again!)
- Making food for teenagers b/c they congregate where there is food provided, and I love having them in my home. ☺️
- Praying – a lot! I find the older I get, the more I realize I just really need Jesus.
- Listening to my children tell me about their days, navigating hard things with them, working through conflicts, and constantly figuring out how to parent + disciple each personality God has put under my roof.
It’s hard and holy work. And some days I need to be reminded that it matters, when I’d much rather go see a bunch of patients or create a new course. I know not every woman will relate to this, and that’s ok! God created us all differently, and I think that is so, so beautiful!! But just in case you are a woman who finds herself at home even though you might prefer something different – I want you to remember you’re doing hard and holy work too. 🩷
