When Mom Life Gets Tough...Light Always Wins

When I saw that Michelle Ward was going to be interviewing Alexandra Franzen, I just knew I needed to listen in.

I absolutely LOVE both women! They're both SO inspiring.  Something that has inspired me recently is how Alexandra has a thriving online copyright business without being on any social network platforms. This is something I've been slowly trying to pursue.  

Her social media posts speak to my soul and have inspired me to do the same, because it's something I've been asking myself for a long time...can I blog without using social media, because social media just doesn't feel good to me anymore. I'm happy to say that now that I've revived my blog, I'm even more inspired to get off social media...but it's been baby steps for me, because life is truly SO much better off of it.  Alexandra's words say it way better than I can. Check her thoughts out on this here and here. 

And even if you're not into reading her posts about social media, you gotta read everything else she writes about.  Oh, gosh, so much inspiration!! Check her out here! 

During the interview, Michelle and Alexandra were talking about obstacles with feeling stuck or unmotivated or just telling yourself, "this sucks!" when it comes to doing work you love and want to pursue.

What struck me the most was when Alexandra said, "There's something inside of you that is stronger than any obstacle." (or something along those lines...I'm paraphrasing her here with what I wrote down very quickly in my notes)

Then she said, "I'm made of star dust. I can handle this. I can handle this obstacle!" 

OH MY GOSH did I NEED to hear those words! I immediately connected with how I've been as a mom when times get tough. And, let's just say, not good! 

Like, last Friday night, while eating at the Mellow Mushroom with my little family, I was SUPER tired.  I was EXHAUSTED because not only was I being a mom, I was also being a teacher by helping C with her homework and helping her study for the one or two tests she was having every single day of the week (except for Monday) and, on top of that, Aunt Flo was coming any day now.  

OH YEAH!! FUN FUN! 

So when we were all sitting down together as a family and Luca didn't want to sit still and he kept getting up and D was getting mad at him and I had to snag him up and sit him on my lap to help calm things down, but he wasn't having it and he kept trying to get away while saying that he didn't want to eat or even be there while I chowed down my Caesar salad as fast I could (because it was SO good!) and then walked him outside, but when we came back, he still wasn't having it, and the hubs and I were still very frazzled and tense because he was causing a scene, I scarfed down a few bites of the pizza once it came (I didn't like it, so that was a plus!) and then took his hand and walked him out to the car so he could move all over the place without bothering anyone...

I could NOT handle it!!!!

Heck, whenever I'm exhausted and depleted from motherhood, I can't handle it.  And I make sure to always let everyone in my household know it. OMG!  And, yes, this is why I doodle! I don't want to always be this way, but, I'm human and it happens...a lot! 

And wouldn't you know, while all this was going on inside the restaurant, Luca said to D, "I can't handle it!" 

Any guesses of who he got that from???? OMG!!! (as I put my head down in shame)

So when I heard Alexandra's words, I was like, OH MY GOSH!! What a GREAT WAY to look at this and what a GREAT WAY to turn this around...quickly!!  

Yes, I really hate dealing with my kiddos meltdowns. They frazzle me like no other and to me, it's the hardest thing about being a mother.

Especially after a long day of mothering (without any help for the past 7 years!) and the evening rolls around and the hubs starts to discipline differently than I do and the kiddos don't like it and they're crying to me that "Daddy's not letting me do this or that!!!" I get FRAZZLED and I feel DEPLETED and I just want to run the other way and find a nice cozy and quiet place to hide and BE alone!! 

So, reading these words about judgment on Alexandra's blog....

“Believe in yourself. There is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.”
–Christian D. Larson

There is something inside you that is stronger than even the harshest piece of criticism, stronger than the meanest blog comment, stronger than the hate-iest piece of hate mail. You have that strength inside of you.

You’re going to be judged, and…

You’re going to survive.

I thought to myself even more of how much this relates to myself as a mom, and that yes, every single time these uncomfortable moments happen, I do survive. (uh...hello labor!!)

And that yes, I DO have strength and LIGHT inside of me that IS stronger than any uncomfortable challenge that I'm facing and wanting to run away from.

And that yes, I have to remember this when I'm in those moments that seem SO intense and FRAZZLE me like no other.  

Toddler and young kiddo emotions are the most intense emotions I've ever encountered.
I've never battled this much with anyone in my entire life. Oh my gosh.  Yes, I'm SO grateful for my kiddos, but yes, it's exhausting and can be SO, very, uncomfortable at times. 

And because of that, I felt compelled to doodle an uplifting affirmation to help me connect to my inner strength when times get tough. 

And 'light wins' came up! 

I've always loved, love always wins, but, in this case, I want to be reminded that I CAN DO THIS...I CAN HANDLE THIS, in a quick and uplifting way.

Because, YES, my LIGHT always WINS...no matter how tough it gets...no matter how fast I want to run away and be alone....no matter how loud my kiddos are screaming at me and no matter how badly I want to yell out, "I CAN'T HANDLE THIS!"

So when I'm about to do into the crazy moments, I can quickly remember....LIGHT WINS!!! LIGHT WINS!!! LIGHT WINS!!!

And the best part of all, I'm now taking this into every area of my life beyond motherhood.

Well, trying to. It's not easy to just switch from one mode to the other, but it's nice to now be SO very aware of my actions and words.  So this is baby steps for me, but I'm happy to have these little reminders in my busy mama life now. 

Life will always be full of challenges and obstacles, but just like love always wins, my inner light always wins, too.  I just have to remember this when I'm in the thick of it all, which isn't easy to do. 

Because just like love, once I dive into the dark struggle and dark obstacles (without running from them), light ALWAYS shines through.

Thank you Alexandra and Michelle for sharing this with me (and the rest of the world!). You have changed my outlook on the not-so-fun things in life forever and have reconnected me back to my light in a whole new way.

I'm now a better mom for it. 

Like, when my kiddos were fighting with each other over Cinderella shoes the other day, I went right in, saying "I CAN HANDLE THIS!!" 

And now, with my new doodle, right after I tell myself, "I CAN HANDLE THIS!!" I'm repeating to myself, "light wins....light wins...light wins!" as I run toward the challenge or obstacle! LOL! 

Oh....thank you, thank you, thank you for this!!!  It truly was the best interview ever!! :)

Until next time...

why doodle? because it easily calms the mind and soothe's the soul so you CAN HANDLE life's toughest moments with all the LIGHT that shines through YOU (something that's hard to do when your mind is running five miles ahead or behind the present moment).