Most days it feels like a tightrope act.
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve really talked about family life on here. Other than my latest post about Mexico, I’ve barely mentioned my family and life with kids in over a year. I think I was going through a moment where I wasn’t sure how much I wanted my kids to be on social media and my blog. And I think that while I’m not going to spill all their 5-year-old secrets to the Internet, they are a HUGE part of my life, and not mentioning them would feel inauthentic.
For a quick recap and update for those who may be new here, I am a stay-at-home Mom of 2 rambunctious boys. They are now 5 and 3 years old and the light of my life (on a good day). Kaiden (5) is in senior kindergarten and Eli (3) is in part-time preschool until he starts school in September. Where did that time fly!?
Now that the kids are out of the house more, I am working from home more as well. And this is where the balancing act comes in.
I think it’s the unanswerable question: How can Mom do it all?
Short answer: You can’t. For me, anyways. And I think that I’ve (mostly) come to terms with it. I can’t do it all in one day. I can either work a full day, but that means that the house won’t be vacuumed. Balance, right?
Some days, the work doesn’t take precedence, and cleaning the house is. Although I am trying to declutter more so that I’m not cleaning as much. But we just got the puppy and she sheds like CRAZY so I will be constantly vacuuming.
One of the things about being a stay-at-home mom is the way that the days can seem like they’re all the same, just blending together. The nice thing about working is that it does break up the week. Even if I’m just in the garage and not the house.
A typical week looks like working for 3 days, home on Tuesdays, riding on Thursdays, and then the weekend. I generally do a load of laundry a day (I’m actually tracking this, it’s a bit insane how much laundry I actually do in a week). In between, I cook dinner, take Kaiden to his karate class, and take care of the dog. Definitely keeps me busy.
I feel like I’ve been a bit derailed from my original thoughts. Or, maybe I’m not sure where I really intended this post to go.
Maybe it was just so that I could write out that something I’m trying to do is not perfect and realize that not everything can be done in one day (when I’m doing it myself). And yes, my husband helps me when he’s home but he works long hours and I’d rather him spend time with the kids than wash the dishes.
That’s what 2023 is going to be about.
Slower, more intentional living. Reminding myself that the time with my kids is precious and goes quickly! The dishes and the mess will always be there, but my kids will grow up and leave sooner than I’d like.
I’m watching Eli playing with his trains while I write this and just seeing how his motor skills have come along just warms my heart. He’s growing up so darn quickly. I am not ready. Most days the kids have at least one moment where I can see who they’re going to be when they’re grown up. And it’s like, where did my babies go?
My writing feels a little disjointed, and I can tell I haven’t written in a while. I’ve started journaling again too, so that should help. My thoughts feel all over the place! Mom brain is a real thing.
This Mom is realizing it’s less a balancing act, and maybe more of a swing set. Ups and downs, but the whole ride is fantastic.
J x
