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The first week back….

Oh my WORD!! Let me tell you, we are all still trying to recover from the first week back in routine and on top of it all, a new school with new times and everything new in terms of routine.

You name it, it is new for us…..books must be covered and that is literally happening between 3 and 4 in the morning (ok maybe rather between 4 and 5 in the morning) because there is no other time to do this. I feel like a sleep walker. I become MOMSTER.

My husband asks me what is wrong, I probably looked at him with this expression on my face. You know, the one that says That is a stupid question dude! I have been up since 4 in the morning! I don’t think I really answered him, except saying that I am TIRED. But we survived.

How, I do not know, but we did. We were not late for school, got everything done that the school had asked us to do and I could manage to attend my exercise class on Wednesday afternoon. You are probably wondering why it is so heavy for us to get back into routine? Previously we could drop our kids a bit later in the mornings, but now we have to drop them half an hour earlier, which means that everything we do must move up by a half an hour or even more…..it is a lot and a huge adjustment….and where we live it means we must travel more and further than people that live in town…

With this uncertainty inside me, I wonder HOW I am going to manage everything this year, especially this month and February. Normally there is not enough time to get everything done, now even more so. On top of it all we have to attend some school activities, fitting it in between everything else….

I hyperventilate when no one is watching, because I must keep my pose. I still want to panic and run like the gif of Sponge Bob and Patrick, running and screaming like a crazy person. How do people do it?? How do other moms get it right??

How do people that work from 8 to 5 full time, without domestic workers do it? How do you stay sane AND get time for yourself AND all the other admin in and around the house? Do they sleep less? I wonder by myself. It always feels as if there are things that have to be sorted out, when are we supposed to do that?

Maybe their speed is faster than mine? Maybe I am a sloth and just so very sloooooow? That is how I feel. Is it because I am becoming older? Or is this the repercussions from the Pandemic? All these questions wash through my mind, coming in like waves, breaking, pulling back, becoming calm only for the next round of waves of questions to roll in.

Yesterday morning I have a chat with my husband. He recons we must just roll with the punches and take it one day at a time. I am stressing unnecessarily according to him. I look at him, again with a weird expression on my face, and think to myself HOW? My personality does not allow for rolling with the punches and one day at a time. I get frustrated if my day’s plan do not work out as it should have.

When one of the institutions we work with, have an issue on their website, not working, hanging and you struggle for hours to get a simple task done, then I get frustrated. It messes with my plans. Because that unplanned time spent on something out of my control, has to be caught up somewhere by ME. And the only place where I can catch up is to reduce sleep time. Less sleep. Because everything has DEAD LINES. So to let something stand over to the next day does not really help much, because then I am behind with tomorrow’s planning already….

The waves of questions and plans of what, where and how roll through my mind. HOW am I going to do it? WHERE am I going to get the time? WHAT am I going to do if my planning does not work out? SHOULD I still plan? Because if I plan it does not work out, if I don’t plan it does not work out. Do you know how frustrating that is for a Boxwood tree personality? Everything must be on their place ALWAYS.

This morning when I got up, I was humming a song I heard on Spotify once….I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength….Mmmmm….this makes me think. One of my favorite verses. I can do anything through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13. I CAN do this. God is going to help me! It is not necessary to hyperventilate or to panic & run like Sponge Bob and Patrick.

We do not HAVE to try to do everything ALONE. We must just ask God to help us, hold us in His hand, giving us the necessary strength and energy….Hands of mercy won’t you cover me? I feel the song’s words washing over my mind like a Tsunami, removing the smaller waves of doubt and questions. Suddenly it is wiped out with God’s peace. I can do everything through Him that gives me strength. Not on my own, ever.

Die eerste week terug….
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Die eerste week terug….

Oh my WORD!! Dat ek nou vir jou vertel, ons ly nog almal aan bomskok na die eerste week terug in roetine en bo op dit nog by ‘n nuwe skool met nuwe tye en heeltemal alles nuut in terme van roetine.

Jy noem dit, dis nuut vir ons….boeke moet oorgetrek word letterlik tussen 3 en 4 in die oggend (ok dalk eerder tussen 4 en 5 die oggend) want daar is niks ander tyd nie. Ek voel soos ‘n slaap wandelaar. Ek word MOMSTER.

My man vra my wat is fout, ek het seker weer my gesig getrek op ‘n manier toe ek na hom kyk. Daai uitdrukking van Watse dom vraag is dit nou ou? Ek is al van 4 uur in die oggend op! Ek dink nie ek het hom geantwoord, behalwe dat ek MOEG is nie. Maar ons het dit oorleef.

Hoe weet ek nie, maar ons het. Ons was nie laat vir skool nie, het als gedoen gekry wat die skool gevra het en ek kon darem my oefening ingepas kry Woensdagmiddag. Jy wonder seker hoekom dit so erg op ons sisteem is, die terug in roetine kom? Voorheen kon ons die kindertjies so bietjie later aflaai in die oggende, maar nou moet ons hulle ‘n half uur vroeër aflaai, wat beteken alles in ons huis moet met ‘n halfuur of meer aanskuif…..dis nogals baie en groot….en waar ons bly beteken dit noodwendig dat ons meer en verder ry as mense in die dorp…

Met ‘n onsekerheid in my wonder ek HOE ek weer alles die jaar en veral die maand tot einde Februarie gedoen gaan kry? Daar is altyd te min tyd en te veel werk en nou voel dit vir my nog meer so. Bo op dit is daar skool goed wat mens moet doen en bywoon, dit inpas tussen alles deur…..

Ek hiperventeleer wanneer niemand kyk nie, want ek moet my pose hou. Ek wil steeds soos die gif van Sponge Bob en Patrick panic & run en saam met dit skree soos ‘n mal mens. Hoe doen mense dit?? Hoe kry ander ma’s alles gedoen??

Hoe kry mense wat van 8 tot 5 voltyds werk, sonder huishulpe dit gedoen? Hoe behou jy jou sanity EN kry tyd vir jouself EN al die ander admin in en om die huis gedoen. Slaap hulle minder? Wonder ek by myself. Dit voel of daar altyd goed is wat uitgesorteer moet word, wanneer moet mens dit doen?

Dalk is hul spoed net vinniger as myne? Miskien is ek ‘n sloth en so staaaaadig? Dis hoe ek voel. Is dit omdat ek ouer word? Of is dit die nagevolge van die Pandemie? So spoel al die vrae deur my gedagtes, dit kom in golwe en trek terug en bedaar en dan kom die volgende golf se vrae.

Gisteroggend het ek en my man ‘n gesprek. Hy reken ons moet roll with the punches en elke dag op ‘n slag vat. Ek stress myself onnodig uit volgens hom. Ek kyk hom so, weer met ‘n kyk en dink by myself HOE? My persoonlikheid laat nie toe vir roll with the punches en elke dag op sy eie nie. Ek raak gefrustreerd as my dag se beplanning nie uitwerk soos dit moet nie.

As een of ander instansie met wie ons werk se sisteme hang en nie werk nie en jy vir ure sukkel om ‘n eenvoudige iets gedoen te kry raak ek frustreerd. Dit meng in met my beplanning. Want daardie onbeplande tyd wat ek aan so iets spandeer het, moet EK nou weer iewers inhaal. En al waar ek dit kan doen is met slaap. Minder slaap. Want als het mos SPERDATUMS. So om oor te staan tot môre help nie veel nie want dan is ek al klaar weer met môre se beplanning agter….

So rol al die golwe van vrae en planne van hoe, wat en waar deur my gedagtes. HOE gaan ek dit doen? WAAR gaan ek die tyd kry? WAT gaan ek doen as my beplanning nie uitwerk nie? MOET ek nog beplan? Want as ek beplan dan werk dit nie, as ek nie beplan nie, dan werk dit nie. Weet julle hoe frustrerend is dit vir ‘n SIERBOOM persoonlikheid? Alles moet op hul plek wees, ALTYD.

Vanoggend toe ek opstaan, neurie ek ‘n liedjie wat ek op Spotify al een keer gehoor het…..I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength…..Mmmm…..laat my dink. Een van my gunsteling verse – Ek is tot alles in staat deur Christus wat my krag gee. Fillipense 4:13. EK KAN dit doen. Die Here gaan my help. Dis nie nodig om te hiperventileer of te panic & run soos Sponge Bob en Patrick nie.

Ons HOEF nie alles ALLEEN te probeer doen nie. Ons moet net die Here vra om ons te help, vas te hou in Sy hand, die nodige krag en energie te gee….Hands of mercy won’t you cover me? spoel die liedjie se woorde soos ‘n groot Tsunami oor die ander klein golfies van twyfel en vrae. Skielik word dit uitgewis met God se kalmte en vrede. Ek kan alles doen deur Hom wat my krag gee. Nie op my eie nie, nooit nie.

The first week back….