When I think back to my life from school-age years, Tuesdays have always been a hard day for me. Fast forward 20+ some years and Tuesdays always seem to throw me for a loop. Take today. A Tuesday. With 3 toddlers. After getting everyone in their coats, hats, boots and more, it was time to get in the van and head to school. We got there in one piece. And I recovered from my second full body sweat since 8:00 am.
We parked. I pulled everyone out of their car seats. And I hauled our crew to their classrooms. With Lily on my hip and Joey and Anthony racing WAY ahead of me, I’m pretty sure I had mascara running off my face and miscellaneous hairs poking out of a top bun. Then something suddenly changed my attitude. Another mom walking out of school said, “you’ve got this momma.”
You’ve got this momma. After hearing her sentiments, I almost didn’t finish my drop-off. I wanted to sit there in the cold and cry. Cry because she got it. She could see I was a minute away from losing my marbles. She could see I was breaking a sweat as a result of an easy task as compared to all the other tasks I try to complete each day with my trio. Above all else, she could relate. And she understood.
Moral of the story is this: whether it’s the holiday season or summer break, life with small children is hard. It’s really bright and white on Instagram, but behind the scenes, there are plenty of moments where this Momma wants to throw in the towel. Or call for reinforcements. But there are also times I get a reply to blog posts or comments on Instagram where I know I’m not alone. Know YOU are not alone. And if you ever feel that way, be sure to send me an email or message. I’ll happily listen and share some crazy story of the day! Or I’ll let you know you’ve got this. Because the little people you are taking care of know nothing different….
Tell me: What simple words of advice have helped you keep on, keeping on, during ANY season of motherhood?!
Love you!
I love you! I can’t express how much I love reading your blogs and how much you make me feel like I’m doing OK as a parent!
One time when I was STRUGGLING to run around the park pushing Willa in a stroller, a fellow mom running the other direction just gave me a big thumbs-up. I was so inspired by the move that I try to do that too when it looks like a mom might be struggling on a run. Some women respond with a weird side-eye, but some women give me a huge grin. We mommas gotta support each other!
There’s so much parenting and social media pressure that sometimes makes us unintentionally put pressure on ourselves to have it all together! But we’re human and while I’ve only been reading your blog for a little while (thanks for the great recipes ;)) all that matters is that your kids and family knows you love them whether they have their shoes on the right feet or are throwing a tantrum at the store, they know Mom loves them unconditionally! Unconditional love = successful day no matter what even if you do lose your marbles, temper or in my case those darn pacifiers!
This is wonderful! I have two high-energy toddler boys and can relate to the full body sweats! Sometimes it feels like I look around at preschool drop off or other public places for someone to acknowledge my struggle to do the simple things, and it can often feel like no one even notices. Comments like that and posts like this are so reassuring. Thank you for sharing the supportive vibes!