Life's not supposed to be easy...

I went to church a month or so ago (that sounds sad doesn't it) but anyway we aren't "regular" church goer's although I consider myself spiritually active every day... And my children definitly know God.  Anyway, the lesson that week hit home and it's helping me today.  We are day 9 into our 14 day christmas vacation. Everyone's tired and cranky and very prone to dumb fights.  "Mooommmm Jack took away my whistle" (why we have a whistle anyway is beyond me) "Mommmm Owivia won't wet me have a tuwn".  (Jack's still working on his "r's"... and "l's" )  "Mommmmm he scratched me!"  You get the picture... it's exhausting and annoying.  


 Anyway, the message was.. Life's not supposed to be "easy" We only grow when we are challenged.    That suprised me, really it did, but it makes total sense.  When you workout, it needs to be hard so you work your muscles and they get sore, then grow.  When Olivia comes home from school and says Math is hard, I don't say Let me call your teacher and tell her to make it easy.   We understand that certain things have to be challenging so that we can grow from them, but for some reason when it comes to "life" the biggest lesson of all, we want it to be easy.  It's the old "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"  I love it b/c I've learned that I'm not a "bad mom" if the kids are fighting, it's just part of it.  Think of how spoiled rotten they would be if we never had an issue over anything... if they got their way about every issue.  I cringe to think of it.  The fighting is sanding off the rough edges and when we learn how to treat other people I'm polishing them into the diamonds that I know they are.  


All kids I know are destined to the pendulum swing effect.  When things are really super duper extra fun in kid land like "Christmas, Fourth of July, Week at Grandma's etc..." then we always swing back extra hard into grouch land for a few days.  That's ok, its worth it.  (this is what I have to tell myself anyway :)


If I'm just patient and plod through the little storms I know we'll be back to smooth sailing and blue skies in no time.  I have to tell myself that siblings are the greatest gift I can give them... they will have each other for their entire lives.  And when they beg me to have sleepovers in each others rooms, or build a fort together and bring their stuffed animals inside, or when they get all excited to take a "blue bath" together I know it's worth it... all the mini storms ... when it's not easy... they make the good times that much sweeter. 


 One day at a time, step by step... this is part of my marathon too...