Manager or Mommy

I once read somewhere that in a well run hotel things run smoothly, laundry is always done, fresh and clean, meals are delicious, nurishing and on time, the hotel is clean and kept up, people feel warmed, welcomed and relaxed when they enter because it is neat and organized.

who keeps it that way???



The manager!



The same author also pointed out that as queen of my home I also am the manager of my own small hotel! She encouraged us queens/ managers to veiw or homemaking chores as such! So is my laundry always done, and does it always smell freash and clean? Are the meals I serve, nutritous as well as deliscious, and when my family/customers/guests gather around the dining room table, can they expect their meals to be served in a timely fashion? Is my home/hotel neat, clean and organized so that my family/guests feel welcomed and relaxed when they enter after a long day at work or at school?

As I have strived to get organized in the past couple month, And to veiw my housekeeping chores as a way to bless my family I have learned something very important! Yes I CAN run my home like a hotel! I make a wonderful Hotel manager!



BUT



I need to remember that a hotel has a manager a home has a Mommy! I am the Mommy of my home! There are needs in my home that a Manager could never fulfill but a MOMMY can! Is there room in all of this managing my home, to meet the needs of it's tiny guests? EAch day I struggle to find the balance between managing my home and yet focussing more on the little needs that will make an eternal difference. When dinner is on the stove and my house is a wreck with papers, glue, books, tractors, dolls, Laundry is piled high, baby needs to be fed, it is then that I feel the true test of my own strength, will I be Mommy who patiently answers a question of my 8 year old, a question that seem silly and unimportant, will I be Mommy and listen with full attention to my 7 year old as she tell about a frustrating part of her school day, Will I be Mommy and patiently help my 2 year old hook his wagon to the tractor for the 100th time that day, will I be Mommy and lovingly pick up baby and meet her needs as well?



OR



Will I be the Manager and start dictating chores to my daughters and tell them their stories and questions have to wait until supper/break time. Will I be the manager and tell my 2 year old to put his tractors away on the shelf NOW! Will I be the manager and glance at the clock and tell my 5 week old baby that it isn't 'time' for her to eat yet, and let her fuss in her swing?



Lord, you know my heart, you know what my desires are. help me to meet the needs of those that you have placed in my care, help me to meet those needs with your spirit of patience and love. and please tell me if it's possible to be both manager and mommy and help me to find the perfect bablance. thank you!