Teacher assignments came in the mail while we were on vacation down the cape. We pulled in the driveway and everyone dispersed. Bubbs and Chuck ran to the mailbox, excitedly hauling ass back ripping open envelopes. Braelyn popped on her chrome book to log in and see her very first HS schedule. She started texting friends to see what classes they shared. The kids asked me to text their friends moms to figure out who they had. All before we even unpacked the car.
It’s official. Back to school chaos has arrived at the Sbardella household. And I gotta be honest, I ain’t even ready.
I started to run down the eternal list of supplies we are about to buy. The new sneakers. The clothes that they won’t even wear until October because it still feels like summer for the first 6 weeks of school. The lunchboxes. The backpacks. The binders. So many binders. Then I started to panic thinking…Blake needs new cleats. The girls need new dance shoes. Probably new leotards, too. Did I even remember to sign them up for CCD?
Here I am, still shaking the sand out of my beach bag from an amazing vacation and I’m already feeling the tornado of stress trying to creep right up inside of me. Reality is setting in that our summer adventures and slow down are coming to a close and it’s near approaching that time where momma kicks it into high gear.
But you guys know me and you know I try really hard to never let the stress win…because what the F does that ever solve, anyway?! NADA. It just steals our JOY of the present moments!
So I took a deep breath in my moment of soul swallowing anxiety and trusted that these tiny little stressors don’t own my power anymore. They just don’t. And I left my packed suitcase in my room and sat on the couch with Nick and watched Jersey Shore for 2 hours. Because sometimes you need to just allow yourself to BE. Decompressing and being mindless is sometimes the best way to be MINDFUL and diminish the stress!
Let me repeat that. Doing something mindless can sometimes be the most mindful thing you can do for yourself. Taking a break is nothing to be ashamed of! Especially if it helps you move through a moment of stress and anxiety!
This world we are living in is constantly showing us our lack…Our constant need to improve…The pressure to do it all and have it all. But only if we feed into that!
So after my reality TV binge…I mean, it was really sweet to watch the Situation get married🤣👌🏻… I shifted to gratitude! You guys are gonna hear me say this so much that it actually may start to piss you off…but it’s a universal TRUTH! Gratitude is the game changer!
I rattled off in my head all the amazing moments of this summer…and how thankful I am to be able to cart my kids around and get them new school supplies! That’s nothing to agonize over! It’s a GIFT! For reals!
Every single aspect in our lives can be looked at one way or another. We can whine and moan. We can praise and give thanks. Whining and moaning is going to make our lives a lot more dim. Being grateful is going to make our lives a lot more light. It’s simple.
Now I’m not saying I don’t complain. HI! I’m a human. And I complained to begin this blog. And it didn’t make me feel any better about anything. In fact, it made me feel much worse…the more we complain, the more we find to complain about. The more we give gratitude, the more we have to be grateful for. #nuffsaid
Right now in this moment, I’m thankful for a kick ass vacation. I’m thankful for sore muscles from running 7 miles for ALS. I’m thankful for #2 pencils. I’m thankful for new adventures for my kids. I’m thankful to watch them grow! I’m thankful I get to be a part of all of it!
So there it if folks, chaos shifted to comfort. It’s all in how we approach the moments in life! It takes effort every day, but that effort will be so well worth it to not feel trapped inside the walls of anxiety every day!! I am always here to help you figure out how to do this! It’s kinda my job 😉😘🥰
Now, I gotta go check to make sure I signed my kids up got CCD and maybe order some new lunchboxes online!
Much love,
Ta xox