0 Juggling act- how do we cope?

Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Christmas is over. I would be more depressed if it wasn't a rough one for us. Seriously- we were sick all of Thanksgiving and all of Christmas. Its like a sick punishment. Every time you plan to spend a few extra days doing something fun with your kids or even with family its like a giant hammer hits you in the head and tells you otherwise. The decorations are finally down (only took 11 days into the new year) and we are slowly trying to reclaim the house. I would say we have it all put away and everything is perfect but that would be a total lie. There are simply not enough hours in the day.

I always wonder how parents do it. How do you have a clean, well managed house and work full time with two kids? Is it too much to ask to have some semblance of order to our lives with two kids under 4?  Home cooked dinners, clean clothes put in the drawers they are supposed to be in, trash taken out and toys put away seem like a dream. Sure we have clean clothes, home cooked dinners and the trash is out but it seems like the toys will be a mess. Toys picked up- then the dishes aren't finished.  There is always a give and take.

I know we aren't the only ones who deal with this. I know everyone else has the same issues but don't always verbalize it. I get overwhelmed by trying to make things perfect for my kids when I need to focus on just good enough. Its stressful for everyone to dwell on the things that we aren't finishing when we need to focus on the things we are doing well.

What do I do well- I love my kids. I make sure they are cared for daily. I make sure they know I am present for them when they need me to be. I let them explore and learn and give them the things that help them mature. What I don't do well- making sure my house is spotless. There will be times when I will find myself caught up with the downstairs and the upstairs will be a mess. When you pick up a room one of the girls is messing up the other room.   This is my life. I need to remember that we aren't perfect and that we are all human. I will find my flow one day but right now I am going to live in the moment and make sure that my kids know they are my priority.

One day when I catch up with the juggling act I will shout it from the rooftop. It might be 18 years from now when the girls are off on their own or in college, but I will catch up. Looking forward to that day and the new adventures.