first of all i want to tell you all thank you so much for your sweet words on yesterday’s post. you made this frazzled, tired mama (with spit up on her shoulder) feel beautiful. and i needed that. so thank you!
(p.s. empire waisted dresses do wonders for baby tummies. 😉
kraft doilies- maya road
alphabet- american crafts
butterflies- jenni bowlin
pen- american crafts precision pen
journaling: it’s funny to me how often people say this. OH! it’s more girls! and then they look at me expectantly as though they expect me to crumble and say i know. isn’t it HORRIBLE? ha! i always grin and say oh yes! isn’t it WONDERFUL? four healthy little girls, all entrusted to us. it’s a beautiful thing!
today i wanted to talk about something i hear often.
“where do you find the time?”
sometimes it’s said (or typed) honestly. sometimes with snark. sometimes i feel as if there are judgemental undertones, but it’s hard to tell.
as if some of the people are saying oh, you must be neglecting your children, or ignoring your husband if you can find the time to scrapbook or decorate for Christmas, or put on a pretty dress, or go to Target, or blog, or…i could go on and on.
this is not a defense of this blog. it’s not! i haven’t been getting rude emails or anything of the sort (although this post may spark some :), it’s just something that’s been on my heart, and something i want to talk about.
sometimes i want to say back
“oh yes, i just lock sadie and harper in a cage so i can scrapbook. i also like to let the babies cry for extended periods of time”. HA! that’s a joke, by the way. clearly.
the truth is? i don’t do it all.
yesterday i took 15 minutes to do the page you see above. this page had been conceptualized and planned in my mind during middle of the night nursing sessions (i have LOTS of time to plan and make mental lists during nursing sessions!!). when i sat down to scrap, the babies were napping, as was sadie.
harper was having her quiet time (that she has every day when the other three nap. i think it’s important that she has some solitary imaginary play/reading time to decompress). i chose to take a few minutes to put a page together. you know what? the sink was FULL of dirty dishes. this is something i talked about the other day. there was also a load of laundry sitting in the dryer that needed to be folded, but i didn’t do it at that moment.
my point is…i don’t do it all. no one does it all. if they say they do? i’m sorry but that’s a joke.
no woman, no mommy, can have perfect hair, makeup and clothing every day. do amazing crafts and lessons with their children every day, make a homeade dinner, have a spotless house, perfect wardrobe, picturesque life. it ain’t possible sister.
right now, more days than not…we are in our pajamas all day.
it’s all about balance. a few things that help? i have a husband that is an incredible support system. he helps clean, take care of the babies, he gives me a moment to breathe when he gets home. he knows i need to hear that i am doing a good job and that he’s proud of me. and he gives me that.
another small thing? everything has a place in our home. everything can be put away easily. i expect the girls to clean up after themselves. and they do. being little is about making a mess, having fun. but i expect them to help me clean up the messes. 🙂
i don’t find the time. i make the time. it’s important to me to take a few moments each week to be creative. a few minutes each morning to blog. i know this won’t last forever. soon, not everyone will nap at the same time. jimmy won’t be home (like he is today!!!) to help me. i’ll likely feel overwhelmed and frustrated. but now? i make the time.
you make time for the things you love.
for being creative. it helps that i am fast. and a bit OCD organized in my scrap room.
for loving on your baby girls (even if they are still in their pajamas when their daddy comes home…they won’t remember that. i truly believe that. they will remember the things we did. not if my house was spotless or if their dinner was made from scratch).
for making my house a home. decorating it with love.
i think people get that. but for some reason women sometimes aren’t supportive of other women. which is RIDICULOUS. being a mommy is hard. staying at home is hard. working is hard. why can’t we just give each other love and support? acknowledge that what works for us might not work for another, but that we are all doing our best and trying our absolute hardest.
just because i find time to do the things i love does not mean i’m neglecting my family.i may be neglecting the dishes, but ain’t no shame in that game.
i do not have it all together. let me repeat that again. as i type, i’m in my robe with a messy ponytail, no makeup, and slippers on. i’m pretty sure there’s spit up somewhere on me, as i can smell it. awesome.
the girls just came in… here’s proof. NO, hair has not been brushed today. YAY!
but i’m happy.
i make the time to be.
happy christmas eve eve!!
xoxoxo