Never too many cooks in our kitchen!

Yesterday was a wonderful Saturday.  As the day before Mother’s Day, I did have a lengthy list of to-do’s in preparation for a lunch with family.  Now, in years past, I would have been tempted to kick the children out of the kitchen, barricade myself in, and get all the cooking done, then kick them all upstairs so I could clean the house in peace.  However God has definitely changed the way I view how I make our house a Home.  When my kiddos leave the nest years from now, I need to have passed on the ability to keep a home neat, as well as my cooking skills.  So it was a wonderful sight. First we worked on the strawberry shortcake, Maddison and Jaiden washed and chopped the berries while Zoe worked on “quality control”.  Levi measured and smashed the berries as I added the sugar, and then he carefully ladeled them into the container to be frozen for later enjoyment.  Then on to potatoes, I gave Maddison and Jaiden a 10lb bag of potatoes and each a peeler.  I then walked away, and by the time I came back to them, they had perfectly peeled the entire bag!  So, we made our potatoes for lunch on Sunday, and another pan full for the freezer since we had so many!  I was amazed at how much we got done in such a small amount of time, and the kids had a blast.  They all wore an apron of their choice, and ate more berries than their tummies could handle.  It was so much fun!

That’s when I remembered a recent report I saw that talked about the new way that young moms (with young kiddos) were choosing to celebrate their Mother’s Day.  The whole idea was based on the thought that they spend all year serving, and chasing, and caring for their young children, and so they felt as if they deserve the weekend away.  Away from those very children that gave them the title of “Mommy”.  They would go to a spa, or on a nice shopping trip with their girlfriends, and enjoy leisurely pampering activities.  Meals without interruption, and being lavishly served by a wait staff.  My heart breaks for these women, I see them on a regular basis…complaining about their children’s constant nagging and needs.   Over-burdened by the constant “mommy, mommy, mommy”  that often bellows  from the mouth of a toddler.  But this took the cake, for moms to decide to run from their “beastly” children, to escape from all that they have to constantly do for the ungrateful beings at their side….because they have earned it and they deserve it!  Really….can this be ??  On the very day set aside for celebrating the title of Mom…let us realize that this is merely a season of life.  There will come a day, all too soon, that we will look in our rear-view mirrors and find that those one filled car seats are now empty.  Our children will grow into adults with their own families and children, and careers.  They may move away, or simply choose to be celebrated themselves as moms and dads on such occasions.

So mamas, enjoy this season, it may seem at times it will never end, but it will be gone before we know it.  There are so many women out there who would do anything to be in our shoes.  Yes our nose-whipping,  baby bathing, answering questions you don’t know where they even came from shoes.  We are blessed to be called mom, or mama, or mommy…whatever the title in your home.   God chose you to be that women in the lives of HIS children.  If the bible tells us to be like Christ, and die to ourselves, how then can we justify that we “deserve” to be  pampered and far removed  from the “chaos” on the very day set aside for honoring motherhood?    I am not sure  that attitude is Christ-like at all.  I challenge you, as well as myself to cherish every moment with them while they are still young. You may need some time away to refresh and be recharged, but please not on Mother’s Day…..let those little ones show you their love for you in their own special way on this day!