My Soapbox Rant For The Night

Dear Kids,

This post is not just for you to read, but I am addressing the masses with this one.

I was talking with a friend today who over heard a woman call in on the radio criticizing mothers running around in their workout clothes all day, that those women should just "get it together".

First, never criticize a woman in workout clothes. At least she GOT to the gym. 

Second, get off your high horse and come back down to the world of the reality of being a mom. 

The truth of a woman's day that you see still in her gym clothes at 4pm goes something like this (because yes, being in gym clothes for hours on end has happened to me on many occasions):

1. Wake up - not to your alarm so you can have some quiet time before the kids get out of bed - but to a child coming into your room saying, "Mom, I had an accident."
2. Get up, clean her up, clean up her bed, and grab some towels that were crumbled up on the bathroom floor (from baths the night before) to go in the laundry load with her sheets.
3. Get the baby up, change him, get breakfast, read some scriptures, take the baby out of the high chair because he is throwing food everywhere, while answering your daughters constant questions about why the table is brown and the birds are flying instead of swimming.
4. Change clothes to go to the gym, wake up oldest child who sleeps through bombs going off, get him moving and dressed. Put his breakfast in a baggie to eat in the car.
5. Drive time, gym time.
6. Run errands while out with the kids so I don't have to load them in and out of the car again for the day.
7. Answer calls from a couple of friends. Answer emails about clients while sitting in a parking lot waiting for dance class to finish. Finish class, head to another drop off.
8. Text business partner back and forth about appointments and scheduling during music class.
9. Drop by the grocery store while we are out because the bananas are all brown and the bread is growing mold (hence other JUDGERS out there will see me in the grocery store with my gym clothes on, meanwhile I really don't care if I stink because I am just glad I got a good workout in and made it to the gym).
10. Head home, call dad on the way home while he is out of town. Have him talk with the kids, they fight over the phone, intervene while pulling over to try and handle the conflict without just yelling to the back seat.
11. Lunch, naps and looking forward to finally showering. 
12. But the shower doesn't happen because someone drops by. When I am done talking with them I need to spend a little bit of time on my computer before the work day is done to prepare for some office time I will have the next day.
13. Then afternoon hits, baby wakes up from naps, kids get up from quiet time, time for soccer practice, need to think about what to have for dinner instead of just PBJ sandwiches, kids come over to play...or (like many mom's I know) they are busy with going back and forth to school functions, or lessons, or work, or other appointments......

You get the idea.

For anyone out there who DOESN'T have kids or maybe just has one child and never dealt with the way multiple kids MULTIPLY everything in your life, I say... Just enjoy taking an hour to do your hair. Because I haven't had that luxury for years. Just enjoy having time to yourself. Just enjoy it. And I mean that sincerely.

For those of you out there who ever comes across a mom in gym clothes in the middle of the day just compliment her for going to the gym and keeping up with everything else in her life including kids, spouse, work, church, friends, gardens, hobbies, loving, hugging, smiling. 

Stop criticizing. Stop judging. Start stepping up and helping. Use words that are kind, not cutting. I am ENDLESSLY grateful for those people who SEE me when I need help opening a door, carrying bags, keeping track of my kids not running into a parking lot... those people who don't judge or criticize, but who say, "Can I help you?".

That is my soapbox rant for the night to the masses.

The End.