NAVIGATING MOTHERHOOD

Navigating motherhood is no joke.  Between the expectations of others, trying to prepare your children best for their current and future circumstances, staying on top of the house cleaning, trying to enrich your children with experiences and social events, all while trying to raise a morally well brought up child is no joke... AND MY KIDS ARE 3 , 3 & 1... I cannot imagine throwing in numerous sports events, practices, big school, homework, new friends, and everything else in the mix.  I am starting to come out of a post partum fog and realizing that my life will not be slow-going ever again.  My three year olds are enrolled in a speech therapy program twice weekly for an hour each day, they will be in a preschool program twice weekly, add in sports once weekly, and that is already overwhelming.,, and that does not factor in sister's once weekly MDO next year, and hopefully a ballet class a week... YOWZERS... When I envisioned becoming a mom, I honestly wasn't thinking about how busy life is.  I am so grateful, don't get me wrong, but how overwhelming to think that for the next 18 years I will be toting kids around from one place to another, keeper of the schedule, manager of their food intake and grades and on and on.

And the mom-guilt... It is NOT A JOKE... it is all-consuming at times. I have two kids in speech, is it because I let them watch television? Is it because I am a bad mom who is incapable of teaching my kids correctly? Is it a sign of all my failures that will occur in the future?  Its all a lot... A lot. I am rambling on about the toughness of navigating motherhood, but in fact, there are so many more positives.... When Austin walks up out of nowhere and kisses me on the forehead, when Graham says "Love you mommy" when Abbey celebrates her newest milestone of running by running across a room 7500 times and expects a full-on standing ovation EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.  It really is incredible.  I feel so beyond blessed I get to be here for these moments and a little overwhelmed that the twins will be starting two a day preschool next year and that 10 hours every week are now not mine to experience with them.  It's hard to swallow that there will be firsts that I won't be there for.

Enough rambling. It's beautiful outdoors in January, and we have been enjoying park visits and running the soccer fields, and playing chase, and Abbey has been enjoying the taste of gravel (despite how many times I stop her she just KEEPS ON), and we really have had a blessed couple weeks.  Amongst everything else, we have enjoyed doing some new projects around the house... A cabinet in our laundry room, shelves in a closet for storage, this weekend we are starting a guest bed headboard. Brian really excels at carpentry despite it not being his trade, and he really seems to enjoy making things with his hands and I really enjoy painting or staining said things.  It gives a little time for silence and self-reflection amongst the loudness of our household.   Anyways, here is to praying the weather keeps on keeping on and we are able to burn more and more energy outdoors for the greater good of everyone's attitude.  I will post some pics below to tide you over for the next time a perfect storm of three napping toddlers happens so I can update again...

Until next time,
JEN AKA THE TODDLER WRANGLER