I've been thinking a lot about being a mom lately. Do you want to hear some random thoughts? if not, skip to the next post.
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I am SO lucky. I love my kids. Like, really love my kids. I've been trying really hard lately to find balance in my life. Having three little kids takes a lot of time and energy. I spend all day wiping bums (Quinn's too-- but only because I'm slightly a control freak about some things. she's capable of wiping herself, and does sometimes if she has to. But I usually do it). It seems like that between wiping cute little bums, fixing meals, cleaning up meals, getting snacks, drinks, breaking up disagreements, applying sunscreen, tying shoes, finding blankies, putting kids down for naps and cleaning up the chaotic mess that all these things create, there is no time left!! I've read a few articles lately about keeping marriages strong, and they ALL say to put husband first-- kids next. how do you do that?? someone teach me. not only do I want to have better balance between caring for my kids and husband, but I feel like I lack the balance with the other things in life that make me feel fulfilled. And let me tell you-- i MAKE time to sew/etc., but I usually have a kid on my lap or Quinn is 'helping' me or someone is crying. And I've also read lately that as mom's we should multi-task LESS. when we are playing with our kids, we should ONLY be playing with our kids, not on the phone too or checking our email or putting on our make-up. I'm fairly certain that if I multi-tasked less, my house would be even more of a disaster than it already is and my kids would never have books read to them, and I would never blog (since I usually blog while I'm nursing the baby). so how to do all of you perfect mom's out there do it?? you know who you are. teach me.
And honestly, I feel like I've come a long way in managing my stress. My life has been WAY less stressful since I've had Veda. I haven't been working hardly at all, and let me tell you-- my stress level is a lot lower. My day doesn't revolve completely around the clock. Even though that stress has gone down, I still have stress in other areas. I stress about my house being a mess. I stress about my kids getting along like they should. I stress about their behavior during playdates. oh man... I could go on and on about this. Dave has been telling me for a LONG time that Quinn isn't socialized enough. It's true in a way. I don't have a lot of play dates for her. Maybe because I always stress about being home for nap time. and I stress about my kids getting sick. And we've definitely had enough of stress about our kids and their health issues. I don't know if anyone remembers
Quinn health issues, that was not fun. And of course more recently
Hendrix's. but even if I wasn't worried about my kids getting sick, we probably don't have enough play dates. I've actually had quite a few more lately, so we'll see if I keep them up or not. But having more play dates makes me realize a couple of things. one-- that my kids can be naughty and crazy, and two-- that other kids are very naughty and crazy too. So how do I find the balance between letting my kids play with friends, and teaching them to good to others, and for them (and me) to deal with other people's kids? and the fact that I'm actually a home body and am just fine keeping us in our little bubble :)
and honestly-- despite my recent realization that I need more balance in my life- I'm happy. I am blessed. I just want my house to be clean, my kids to be happy and cared for, my husband to be happy and cared for, and time left over for ME. is that too much to ask? I love being a mom, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Hopefully someday I'll figure it all out.