The Mundane of Motherhood

It's that time of year, again. The holidays are over. The snow has fallen one too many times. The days are dreary, cold, and windy. Winter really gets to be old.

Is motherhood like that for you sometimes?

Your marriage is challenged. Your children have fought one too many times for your patience today. The days are long, long, and long.

Motherhood really gets to be... mundane sometimes, doesn't it? Especially in winter.

I get so tired of the same thing. Fighting toddlers, preparing lunch, cleaning up from lunch, wiping noses, changing diapers, wiping tiny tushes, washing all the laundry, preparing dinner that nobody wants to eat, whining and crying, searching for lost things, etc. This mundane mothering stuff just gets old.

Come February, in the middle of what always feels like an eternal winter, I need a little reminder. Or maybe a slap in the face.

Just like winter isn't just about cold and snow and ice, motherhood isn't just about the monotony of the daily things.

The cold of winter provides peace and tranquility.

The snow gives us softness for all our rough edges.

The ice gives us interesting art on our adventures.

Winter can be and is beautiful.

There is joy when seeing my two littles play together. There is love when my son leans in for a "kiss" or when my daughter asks for a hug. There is laughter when my daughter tickles her brother. There is happiness when making giant messes in the kitchen.

I am proud when my daughter says prayers from memory. I am giddy when I see my son dancing to hymns. I am delighted when my daughter wants to play church.

I am so blessed.

While being a mother can feel monotonous a lot of the time, I need to remind myself of how important my job is. I get to raise my children to know and love Jesus! That is an incredible blessing, an important challenge, and a great responsibility. And it certainly isn't mundane.

Proverbs 6:22, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Thanks to my wonderful sister, Jackie Tetzloff, for her artwork for this blog post. If you are interested in seeing more of her work, you can follow her on instagram @JLTETZLOFF.