Why You Need a Momtra

While the tagline of my blog is an eclectic celebration of chaos, most days feel more like I’m being engulfed in it. I have two small ones who need high focus. I need to keep Quin from eating dog food and Cooper from pulling things like sharp knives from the kitchen counter. And I have two slightly bigger ones who have moved into the stage of arguing and attitude. It’s all hands on deck all the time! 

 

 

At the end of the day when it’s quiet, I sometimes think of all the opportunities I may have missed because I was too frazzled to notice them. It is so easy to lose focus on what really matters when I have to break up the first fight at 6:37am. 

 

So I’m trying something new: I’m creating a mommy mantra. A Momtra, if you will. I need a short phrase to remind myself in those moments what it’s all about and to give myself perspective.  

 

When my husband was in school, he used to keep a rubber band on his wrist. On the rubber band he wrote in tiny letters: eternal perspective. If he needed a reminder, he would snap the band against his wrist. Those tiny letters and the snap of rubber reminded him to think about more than the struggle of that moment. 

 

I have a feeling that my Momtra will change over time (because keeping things fresh is the way to keep them working), but for now I’m working on a short phrase that will remind me in the harried moments that one day I will miss the harried moments. I want to realize that the quiet house I often long for might feel empty rather than peaceful someday. (If it does feel empty, I’ll need a new Momtra for that stage of life!!) I want more than simply to get through the day.

 

 

 -you end the day with regret

-you sometimes wish away chunks of time with your kids

-you constantly feel like emotions are getting the best of your will 

-you are struggling with yelling or being short with your kids

-you feel like you’re at a dead end 

OR

-you are in a good place and want to KEEP it that way 

 

A bible verse would well here, something short like “rejoice always!” Or “give thanks in every circumstance.” 

 

Come up with your own phrase: Celebrate the Chaos.

 

Or riff off your kids’ books: “I think I can I think I can.”

 

Try my husband’s method: eternal perspective. 

 

Whatever your Momtra is, it should help snap your focus back to the long term and the big picture. It will help you be more intentional. It will be that breath we sometimes need, the pause before we speak. My hope is that the more I say my Momtra, the less I will need it! And that will mean maybe getting a new Momtra to stay fresh. 

 

What’s your Momtra? Have you tried using a mantra or something else to remind you of perspective?

 

Here is a GREAT post in the same vein, Four Words That Put Motherhood in Perspective!