The last week has been quite a stressful one. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and anxious about various things going on around me; trying to juggle too many balls; pouring from an empty cup. One of those weeks where everything just feels a bit too much and when grief comes up and repeatedly smacks me in the face.
Tiredness doesn’t help. I can count on one hand how many “good” nights I’ve had in the last eighteen months, although admittedly one of them has been in the last week. Apart from that one night though, Thomas has been waking several times a night and not napping well in the daytime either which is not a fun combination. He’s also reached the stage where he’s learned how to climb and I’m rapidly running out of places where things can be kept out of reach of an inquisitive toddler! It’s been quite frustrating at times (and I’m sure that’s true for him too when Mummy keeps taking away the interesting-looking object that he’s just grabbed!)
With weeks like this where there’s so much going on around me – work, worries about family members, trying to juggle all the little things of everyday life – it’s easy to get really bogged down by the stress and forget that there are good moments too. That actually, although stressful is the word that first jumps to mind when I think back over this week, there have been moments of calm and moments of fun too. It’s been a tough one, but I just need to take a deep breath and keep going, one little step at a time. And fingers crossed for a bit more sleep soon because everything seems much more bearable when I’ve managed a reasonable amount of rest!
Things that have made me smile this week
- Getting out for a run while Sophie was at her ballet class.
- Being asked by Sophie’s friend to be her godmother when she was baptised at our church last weekend.
- Doing some beading with Sophie to make a couple of baptism gifts for her friend.
- Being given some lovely flowers by one of our friends and catching up with him when he came over for dinner.
- Making story puppets with Sophie and watching her use them to tell the story of the Three Little Pigs to Thomas.
- Going on a matchbox hike around the park with Sophie and looking for tiny nature treasures to collect in her matchbox.
- The beautiful quilt that a friend of mine made for Thomas.
- Sophie going up another reading level at school. She’s now on purple books.
- Watching Sophie having fun doing some mud painting in the garden.
Sorry it’s been a stressful week, I hope your weekend is calm and relaxing, not getting enough sleep is really hard. I love your card, did you make it? The necklaces are beautiful too. Thomas’ quite is amazing, you have a very kind friend to make that for him. x
Thank you Anne. I did make the card and one of the necklaces too. The quilt is wonderful, it was such a lovely surprise to receive that this week 🙂
Oh no! Sorry you have had a stressful week. I think not having enough sleep really makes things worse. It sounds like Thomas is a bit of a handful at the moment. Just keep reminding yourself it’s just a phase. Sending love and hugs.
It sounds like you have had some lovely moments this past week though. x
Thanks Kim. I do keep reminding myself of that – it’s a bit of a balancing act trying to enjoy the moments while he is still so little and wishing this particular phase would hurry up and end! 🙂
I’m sorry to read about your stressful week. I don’t sleep well either and I don’t have a toddler to blame it on! Getting a good night’s rest can make all the difference in the world. I have never heard of mud painting before, but now I want to try it with my grandchildren. My oldest grandson loves painting. The problem is all the mud around here is now frozen! I will have to wait until it thaws out a little bit. Good for you for getting a run in with your busy schedule!!!
Thank you Laurie. Lack of sleep does make everything harder. Mud painting was fun and so easy to do. Hope your grandson enjoys giving it a go when the mud thaws out a bit 🙂
Ah no some weeks are like that aren’t they? Just tough! Jack never slept and it was so hard. I am glad you have had some lovely moments its such an honour being asked to be a godmother and the flowers are so pretty. x
Lack of sleep is so tough. Some weeks I cope better with it than others – I think this past week has been particularly bad for broken nights. It was lovely to be asked to be Sophie’s friend’s godmother though – definitely the high point of the week x
January can be a right bugger at the best of times, but at least the evenings ARE getting longer (fact) and it;’s quite mild around here anyway. That really is a beautiful quilt, and little Sophie looks so full of beans. #WOTW
She certainly is – I’ve always described her as being a little whirlwind. It is nice that the evenings are starting to lengthen again.
Sorry to hear you are feeling stressed, I think you are right about the lack of sleep playing a huge part. I also think January is the worst month for feeling blue, the mornings are so dark and there’s the anti-climax after the festive season. It’s good that you always look for the little positive things each week, it looks like Sophie has been having lots of fun. The blanket your friend made is amazing. I hope you have a restful weekend x
Thanks Angela. January isn’t the easiest month and lack of sleep doesn’t help. Looking for the little positives does help though – it makes me realise that the week wasn’t quite so bad after all!
I miss those fun crafting and nature activities, at this age, but not the disturbed nights. I’m glad you had one good night at least this week. Makes it easier to cope. The quilt is beautiful and what a joy to be asked to be Sophie’s friend’s godmothers. Love the photo of the mud painting. I suspect it was cold and damp, but Sophie’s smile says it all. Perfect. Hope you have a good weekend. #wotw
It was cold and damp but that’s what waterproofs are for! The disturbed nights are definitely the downside of life with small children but there are lots of lovely moments to make up for them. More sleep would be nice though! 🙂
Lack of sleep can make everything three times harder can’t it? I love the quilt your friend made, it’s beautiful. It’s nice to get out in the fresh air, makes you feel a little better. Hope sleep is more forthcoming this week!
Thanks Karen, fingers crossed. Getting outside does make things seem better 🙂