The Multi-tasking Mom

Sometimes I picture God with a pantry full of qualities, sorting through and picking out which ones will go in which people's buckets. Everyone has their unique gifts, of course, but one common quality found in most women is the ability to multi-task. I imagine him pulling out the "multi-task" bag, smiling and dropping one in each women's bucket saying "They're going to need this one!"

I'm not saying men are any less challenged in life. They have their own battles. I can only describe my experiences as a multi-tasking mom, and I do it in hopes of encouraging fellow moms out there who sometimes feel like their head will pop off from all the spinning around it does all day long.

Case in point: A typical day in our household
I sit here drinking luke warm coffee that I've already warmed up twice in the microwave. In between disgusting sips from my own mug (that I only take for the benefit of the caffeine kick it's giving me) I sip from the tiny, blue plastic mug of "coffee" my daughter keeps refilling for me from her toy teapot. As I drink my coffees I open my work email and try to begin my work for the day - but then there's a thump, a scream, and crying.

My daughter is now on the floor beside my son's bed, tears streaming from under her sunglasses and dress-up hat because she was trying to be like her big brother and jump off the bed too. After kisses and cuddles, everything's okay again. Back to work. More screaming. Now they're fighting. Break up the fight. Step in something sticky. Clean it up. Now someone needs the potty, the phone rings, back to work? No. They've filled the tea pot with real water and spilled it on the floor, they're hungry and want a snack, I wipe my daughter's hands and find...
THIS

So forget the dishes, the laundry, the groceries and oh yeah THE WORK...we're off to the doctor's office. Every other task put on hold to go investigate the rash.

This is not to say I always handle the multi-tasking well, because I certainly have my meltdowns. But this gift God has given me, and my co-mommas, allows us to get up the next morning, take a deep breathe, and do it all over again. And even enjoy the wild ride!