Being a Mom-The Struggle is Real

This post was originally seen on Gav + Ro 's Blank Mom Series.  I was honored to be featured and I'm excited to share this post with you...



There are days that I feel totally overwhelmed.  I have a lot on my plate which is mostly self inflicted but regardless some days it has me bonkers.  I have to juggle being a wife, mom, friend, professional, aunt, daughter, cousin, granddaughter, sister just to name a few.  I also juggle being a taxi cab driver, chef, therapist, jungle gym, babysitter (and I don't mean my kids, this has more to do with work), financial planner, professional shopper, and maid.  If I try to sum up all these roles I would say I'm a BOSS mom.  To successfully get through the day I have to take charge and be the boss.  Otherwise, days would slip away and I think I would get trampled on.

Being a mom means that I have to get up every morning and take the reins.  My husband is gone by the time I get up so the morning routine is all up to me.  I try very hard as a mom to have a positive outlook on the day and set the tone for the girls.  Also as a mom I have to be as prepared as possible.  Speaking of the morning routine it's always chaotic but I try my best to prepare as much ahead of time to take the chaos level down.  I pack lunch and pick out everybody's clothes the night before.  I also think about what we will have for breakfast the next morning.  Having a routine in the morning helps move things along because Emily, my oldest can help with getting things done and she knows her responsibilities.

Part of my preparation is looking at the calendar for the next day every night.  I also look at the whole week every Sunday night.  This is when I make sure I have babysitters at the right times, I'm prepared for any presentations, I've got my errands mapped out, etc.

As a Realtor my schedule is very unknown but I utilize nap time to get as much of my work and blogging done.  As soon as naps are over it's back to the juggling act (or struggling act).  My girls take late naps so by the time they get up we might have time for a little activity and then it's dinner prep time and the girls might watch tv while I do that.  The crockpot is my favorite tool ever to make dinner time a bit easier but I can't use it every night.

My husband gets home pretty late each night so dinner is literally ready to go on the table when he walks in the door.  This means full dinner preparation is up to me.  Luckily, Emily is old enough now to help with a few small tasks around dinner time like setting out placemats and filling up water cups.

We have the same routine almost every night after dinner, which includes bath, nightly medicine, brush teeth and hair, use the restroom, say prayers, read a book and go down for bed.  If Emily has been good she sometimes gets to stay up a little later than her sister and then the three of us will play a game after the other routine stuff is done and Madison is down.

Being a Mom means that I have to delegate at the end of the day to survive.  My husband frequently does dishes while I do baths.  He also helps with the rest of the bed time routine; we make a good team.

From 6:00 am-6:00pm I'm on my own so being a Mom all day can be exhausting so getting some help at night is such a relief.

As you can see our days can be very busy and routine so part of being a mom is finding "moments" to share with my girls so the days don't slip away.  Sometimes I get home from work and don't even get a chance to change but want to spend special time with my girls.  I even try to spend one-on-one time with each girl.

This is a time that Emily and I made homemade strawberry ice cream.  She talked about that experience all summer long.  It was so fun and tasted even better! 

One way I spend one-on-one time with Madi is taking her to a mommy and me gym class while Emily is in school.

To sum up being a Mom in one simple sentence it means I have to manage it all. 

And let's be honest one of the greatest struggles of all is the FAMILY PHOTO!!!  Family photos crack me up because you're dying for that perfect photo but the behind the scenes is a very different reality..."If you don't smile and look at the camera no TV for a week!...Smile and I'll give you 5 lbs of candy...Act happy Darnit!!!"

Anyways every family photo shoot I sweat bullets and my blood pressure goes through the roof but getting that perfect family photo makes it all worth it.  This is our most recent family photo and what do you know we never got one with both girls smiling!  This was a close enough winner.

But this right here is what makes the struggle worth it!!!!

Ultimately being a mom means keeping my family together, happy, and healthy.

As a Mom I:

1. Take Charge

2. Prep

3. Plan, Plan, Plan

4. Have a Positive Attitude

5. Rely on Routines

6. Delegate

7. Find Moments

8. Live for my Family