Soldiering On… – The Military Family

Last night I fell into bed.

Sometimes my mind has time to wander after I turn off the lights. I think about what I did earlier in the day, what I accomplished, what I forgot to do, what I can get done tomorrow. I think about my blessings. Thank God for my family. Dream about what our future holds. It can all be a pleasant way to drift into dream world.

But last night there was none of that. It was a hectic day that involved making 30 Valentines Cookies for my 3rd grader’s class, which in and of itself involved multiple (yes, multiple) trips to the grocery store. It was laundry and sheet day (and if I don’t stay on top of that “little” household task it snowballs into a giant blizzard of dirty laundry.) Chief entertainer for the 18 month old. Homework for the kiddos. Routines not to be messed with. Dinner. Kitchen cleanup. Finally, baths. It all somehow felt very overwhelming.

You guessed it, Hubs is TAD / TDY. And although I am Chief Domestic Engineer around these parts, he is my right hand man. And when the right hand is ‘cut-off’ I feel more like a chicken without a head.

It would have been easy to yell. Get frustrated. Pull my hair out. But the best part of my day? I never lost my cool. Even when voices at the dinner table got a few decibels too loud. Even when all three boys needed my attention at one point. Even when all I wanted to do was sit down! (and clearly couldn’t). Isn’t it great to celebrate our successes? For some people remaining calm comes easy. It is easy for me to get frustrated and feel the blood pressure rise. Very methodically I have to bring my self down (take a deep breath, lock myself in the bathroom, put myself in timeout, think about summer when I can simply kick everyone outside etc etc).

As I grow as a person I realize that a calm demeanor in the midst of chaos is exactly what this family needs. In any given situation we stop what we are doing, I speak gently yet sternly and then I stand back and watch the boys mirror my demeanor and get the job done.

How do you handle stress? Rising voices? Just the general storm of chaos that living as a family can generate? Military OneSource has an article “Building the Resilience of Your Military Family” which has some great tips; ideas like communication, clarity, flexibility, positivity. These are all things we practice in our house that help all of us get through minor (and major!) changes in routine.

I’ll leave you with this funny strip as I get up to empty the dishwasher. Soldier on my fellow spouses. This too shall pass.

Source: militaryblog.militaryavenue.com via Leanne on Pinterest
Leanne from MilitaryAvenue.com Join Us byUnknownonTuesday, February 14, 2012 Email This BlogThis!Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to PinterestMilitary Life:family,Leanne,stress