A TRIP AROUND THE BLOCK

I very much enjoy being a working mom, which is something I never thought I'd say.

However, for awhile, picking up my kids from daycare after a long day at work consistently led to a power struggle with a toddler fueled by my own mental exhaustion.

Mamas, you feel me on this, right? Even if you love your job like I do, it's hard to switch from work mode to mom mode in a matter of minutes.

You leave work, drive the 5 minutes to daycare, pick your kids up, the millions of questions and chatter begins, and you snap.

Your kids weren't expecting it. They were just excited to see you again and had a thousand things they wanted to tell you. But you weren't ready for it, and you snapped.

And just like that, you're in for another evening of fighting with your kids over the smallest, most trivial things.

This was an almost daily occurrence for us...until I started taking a trip around the block.

I came up with the idea one evening when I was talking to my husband about how frustrated I got with myself for snapping at the kids like I do, but I didn't know what to do to help it. They just drive me crazy sometimes!

After I swallowed a reality pill, I realized they weren't driving me crazy. I just needed to figure out how to deal with my own emotions, instead of putting that responsibility on my kids.

So I thought, what if I just take a minute to clear my mind before picking them up?

And you know what, it flippin worked.

I took a couple extra minutes, drove a little bit out of my way, and prayed for God's help in releasing my stress while listening to my favorite songs.

It completely changed the state I was in when I picked my kids up from school. I was able to meet them with a smile and a hug and have a sincere conversation with them about their day.

Our evenings got better, and I started really enjoying my time with my kids.

So mamas, if you ever find yourself feeling frazzled and overwhelmed, just take a trip around the block. I promise it will help <3