Did you ever watch the Andy Griffith Show?  Remember when Goober was the gas attendant, marriage clerk and waiter at the local diner? He wore many hats.  Before he knew it, the gas attendant was writing up the marriage license and the waiter was pumpin’ the gas.  Too many hats can be overwhelming.  Even Mayberry couldn’t fix this.

Webstsers dictionary defines perfect as: Entirely without Flaw.  Pure, unmixed, correct in every detail.  Perfect is good on paper, but not usable in life.  Even if perfect existed, we couldn’t appreciate it, because we’re not perfect.  When we strive for the unattainable, it makes us fall short, feel like a failure, and only reinforces the fact that we’re not making the A+ Grade in life.

Is the house organized?  Is the homework done?  Do you have a weekly menu planned and ready to go on Monday Morning?  Do you exercise daily?  Are the kid’s clothes laid out and lunches made the night before?  Did you finish that strategic report for the office or PTA meeting?  Is your hubby happy? Is the car clean?  Wow, my head is spinning, just thinking about it.

Take one day or one week to organize, clean the car on Saturday, better yet have the kids clean the car for quarters or the garage for a day of fun. Take it one step at a time – one room at a time, one meeting at a time.

Moms have so many responsibilities and many hats to boot.   We try to keep all the plates spinning and all the balls rolling . . And for good measure, we make it look easy, so everywhere else will comment on “I don’t know how she does it.”

She makes it look easy, when behind the scenes, you’re a ragged mess.  Be real, let people see that you’re human, and change your phrase to “Practice makes Progress.”  We CAN’T do it ALL, but we CAN do it ALRIGHT.

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In the end, God isn’t going to give us a “Big GOLD Star” in the sky for being the best house cleaner or money maker, but the question is:  ”Did we spend time with our kids?  Did they feel loved?  Did we raise them to be full of character and good values?

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We’re just one person with many responsibilities and a big hat rack.  Just Do Your Best. And Forget All the Rest!!  Here’s to “Progress!’

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I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength.  Phil. 4:13

One Saturday, while I was at work, playing catch up, he had the 3 boys, all the while he was preparing to head to Europe for 1 month.  It was one of those days when you’re not really sure what the kids are doing, but no one is crying, so you forge ahead.

That afternoon, in a rush to the airport, my husband dropped off the kids at my office.  Oh, that was fun.  I had a 4, 2 year old and a crying infant to care for until 10pm when I wrapped everything up.  My office looked like it had been attacked by squirrels.  There were milk bottles, snack wrappers, and banana peels all over the floor.

When I got home that night, I noticed the front door was wide open.  I called my sister and told her my situation.  She said to call the police, “there could be a burglar in the house.”  So I called the cops, waited with a car full of kids down the street, anticipating their arrival.  The police dispatcher said to stay where we were and not attempt to come into the house until the police waved to us down the street. My heart was pounding.

Who would break into our house? What had they found?  A million thoughts were rushing through my mind.  When all the sudden, the police officer instructs us to pull in the drive way.  One policemen has a large flash light and the other is walking through each room of the house, pouncing through the door with his gun raised, ready to shoot anything that moves.  Remember, it’s Christmas.  At that moment, I could see from the driveway, that he was entering the dining room where I had a 5 ft. tall motion sensored Santa Claus Teddy Bear.  As I screamed, “don’t shoot, he jumped into the room and that Teddy Bear started dancing, and I tell you, I thought he was gonna blow the head off that thing. I was amazed at his quick assessment and self control.   He motioned for me to come into the foyer and asked if I could identify anything that was missing.

I looked around and saw food all over the floor, the recliner had been turned upside down, but nothing was missing.  Turns out, my husband was working from the house all day and let the kids wreck the house while I was gone, and had forgotten to close the front door, in a rush to get them loaded in the car and to the airport.

I have to say, that was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life; I almost wished burglars had taken something, rather than the cops explaining to me that my own children had destroyed our house and  my husband had just left the door open.  I would have loved to have read that report:  Busy parents let kids run wild, think they’ve been robbed.

Ahha Moment!
We were doing too much at one time.  We both owned successful  businesses and had 3 children in 6 years and were frankly, overwhelmed by it all.  When you take on that much responsibility, learning the word “NO” can be a valuable asset.

Something has to give.  It’s either going to be family or work, but only ONE thing can receive 100% or 2 things can receive 50%.  You have to map out a plan of action, a strategic business plan for your family, just as you would, when planning the success of your business.  If not, you’re flying by the seat of your pants and your outcome is determined by the wind.