Are you a calm person who has never had a crazy day?
Are your children always well behaved and never make you feel like locking yourself in the bathroom?
Is your lounge room never messy, your kitchen always well stocked, your husband ever smiling and your home a sanctuary of peace and contentment?

If you answered yes then you don’t need to read this post. Feel free to browse other blog posts to your heart’s content.

You see, this post is about the sort of days a parent feels like he/she is going crazy. The washing is stacked up, the dishes lurking in another demanding pile, the kids are restless, their rooms are a mess, your room is a mess, the house looks like a bomb’s hit it, dinner is – well, who know’s what’s for dinner? And then the husband has an extra meeting that will keep him from home ’til after bedtime and time is ticking so slowly that you think Christmas might get here first!
Yes, that is a Going Crazy Day. And if you are anything like me, you get one of these when you least expect it and when you feel the least prepared.

But surely, if God knew what kids were like, and if God designed families and homes we should be able to cope? Right? So why is it that we find ourselves going crazy like this?

I think there are a lot of reasons. A lot of unique reasons for you (if you are still reading I’m assuming you are familiar with this Going Crazy situation), and a lot of unique reasons for me. We don’t need to go into the specific details of the whys. What we do need is a plan of attack so as to minimise the crazy and turn the day into a victory (even if it’s a tiny one). Here are my tips to reclaiming going Crazy Days (and trust me, I’m going to be coming back to read them because once I reach the Going Crazy stage my memory flies out the window in desperation!)

Toss out your expectations!

Strategy One: Toss out the expectations.
Lets be real, on Going Crazy Days we have usually bitten off more than we can chew. So take 5 mins while the kids are happily climbing the walls and make a list. A nice long list of two achievable outcomes for the day. Choose one outcome for yourself (eg. take a shower, or brush your teeth) and one for the household (eg. clean the toilet, or locate the last roll of toilet paper). With two outcomes you lower the bar to achievable, the day can then take whichever direction it wants but at least you did something to care for yourself (remember if you are the primary caregiver you are going to need looking after) and something for the home.

It might be time to re-engage.

Strategy Two: Get off the computer.
Yep, that’s the thing you are currently staring at. On my Going Crazy Days I tend to gravitate to the computer and find myself reading helpful blogs (like this one), communicating with friends, or digging up long lost acquaintances on Facebook, all in the attempt to avoid the craziness. But when I’m completely honest I know avoidance doesn’t help craziness. A full on tackle does. So switch it off, turn the chair around and watch your kids. Really watch them and think about…

All in the name of sanity.

Strategy Three: Do something unexpected.
After looking at the kids and remembering their precious personalities (You probably have 2 minutes to do this before they notice you are gazing in their direction) decide to do something completely different. Go to a park, go to LOTS of parks. (Once we spent an entire afternoon discovering all the fancy parks in a new suburb 10 minutes away). Make Sushi! (Hey, why not?) Go for a drive and buy everyone an ice cream. Make a HUGE cubby house in the middle of the lounge room and eat a picnic inside. Cook popcorn and watch a movie together – in the cubby if possible. Go outside and have a water fight – yes you too! Turn Crazy into Memorable.

Super who?

Strategy Four: Tap into your Superpower!
Some people say mums have superpowers. I don’t know about you but I know I don’t have any of my own. What I do have is a God who gave me each one of my children and who also gave me myself (with all my personality, talents, desires and energies – or lack there of). I can trust that even on the craziest of days He is there to help me, to provide the required energy, ideas and patience (read: SUPERPOWERS) that I need because he loves me and my kids more than I can imagine!

So, wherever you are, and whatever type of day you are having (the Going Crazy type or not) I hope you have a beautiful, powerful day. And if you have another strategy that works to bring sanity (or at least survival) make sure you share it in the comment section below!

Penny.