One of Those Days =)

I've been a crabby, grumpy mommy lately. I feel like every night when I get the kids to sleep I have wasted yet another one of their infinitely short childhood days being a crab. Why? Simply put, I am stressed- stressed about money, stressed about our student loans, stressed about our credit card debt...just stressed! Why, why, why? The thing is, I know it will work out- it ALWAYS does. I just want to quit wasting my time stressing about it. Stressing won't solve anything, and I honestly don't need an ulcer in my 20s- I'd rather wait on that one.

In honor of my crabby self, and partly because one of the thousands of e-mails that made their way down the family e-mail tree touched my heart, here are some alternative ways to look at our situation-
*rather than stress because my kids are too loud, I will rejoice that they have the ability to run and scream.
*rather than yell or get aggravated because my husband is sooooo laid back, I will rejoice that he allows me the freedom to pursue my own interests, and that he fully and unquestionably trusts my judgement.
*rather than feel upset about our credit card debt and student loans, I will rejoice that my husband and I were afforded the opportunity to receive wonderful post-secondary educations, and I was able to be home for our children during their formative years.
*rather than complain about my 1006 square foot home, I will remember that the vast majority of the world's populous has neither indoor plumbing nor actual floors in their homes- I am blessed.

When I visited Mexico during the summer of 2000, my "friend"- an American girl can never spend an extended amount of time in a foreign country without making herself a "friend", right? Oh single life- I am SO glad you are a distant memory!- and I rode la ruta-the public transportation buses- all around the outskirts of Cuernavaca. While the countryside was breathtakingly beautiful, I was shocked when he told me that, yes, people-families!- really did live in those teeny tiny tin sheds dotting the hillsides. These were structures you would feel guilty housing your chickens in, much less your children. And yes, that really was flannel in the windows, and no, they do not replace it with glass in the winter.

And a mere 8 years later, I have the gall to feel sorry for myself because my fully climate controlled house is "small" and "crowded".

Poor me...

I am so glad my stresses are due to a "numbers game" rather than actual, real, life-threatening danger.