Transparent Moment: Being A Mom Of 3!

Managing three kids has been an adventure to say the least!

Oh my goodness, looking at this picture makes me wonder where the last 8 months have gone! I can’t believe my little bug is so big.  The way I feel now is light-years from how I was feeling  then.  If I am completely honest, I didn’t want to have another baby.  Being a mom of two kids was enough for me;  I was happy with the way things were.  I’d finally started to have some freedom and independence in my life.  My kids were growing up and were able to do most things on their own.  You know when you have kids your life becomes all about them, so it felt good to finally be able to have them to a point where they could fend for themselves.  Last year I started to get into this groove of ME.  Figuring out who I was and what I wanted to do.  Having to take care of a new baby was the furthest thought from my mind.  Needless to say I was not that happy when I found out I was pregnant.  I was upset at first, I thought “it wasn’t fair”.  I had taken so many steps forward and now I was going to have to pretty much start over again.  My first trimester was very difficult and I was so sick!  I couldn’t keep any food down and I just wanted to sleep.  My energy levels were low and I was still working through finding Joy in the fact that I was pregnant.  I had no desire to write or post anything and I couldn’t find any inspiration.  After some time went on (and I got out of that horrible first trimester) I begin to get excited and even looked forward to having the baby!

It has been quite interesting for me having to manage three children.  Some days I feel like I’m having an out of body experience.  I still can’t believe I have three kids, THREE! Please don’t get me wrong, I love being a mom and i’m obsessed with those little humans! I understand what a blessing they are and I am honored to be their mommy.  Being a mother can be very challenging and it’s OK to say that! We have to stop being afraid of what other people are going to say or think; we as moms have to be more supportive and less judgmental.  But I digress!!!

 

Chaos comes with the territory of having kids, it’s inevitable to feel overwhelmed and out of your league. I’m not sure if I will ever master every aspect of being a mom.  Children are constantly growing and changing, which means their needs are going to change.  What I do know is that you can master yourself and how you mange it all.  My days are kind of a blur, I wake up pretty early to get the kids ready for school and now I get to take care of an eight month old at the same time.  It really is a juggling act! It’s an attempt at keeping it all together while making sure other people have what they need.  That is where a few things that I have implemented over the last several months come into play for me:

Writing things down.

This has truly been my saving grace!  I write down everything from dates and times to things I need to buy! EVERYTHING! Getting things out of your head and on paper are great to keep you organized and help you remember. I would suggest getting a planner and keeping it with you all the time.

Try not to stress.  

 I have to really work on this one everyday.  Not to make a big deal out of everything and just trusting that things will get done and fall into place.

Ask for help.  

You’re not alone.  It’s okay to not know how do something or not know the answers.  It’s ok to be vulnerable and say “I need help”. There is so much peace and safety in community.  There is someone that has gone through everything that you’re going through.

Don’t be too hard on yourself.

You should always be working on yourself, but don’t discredit what you have accomplished.  Don’t live in your mistakes, learn from them and move on.

[bctt tweet=”Critique yourself but don’t condemn yourself!” username=”@fashionatemom”]

Enjoy your life.   

Don’t forget to spend time with your children and your family.  Our kids only stay little for a moment.  Make sure you’re not so busy planning your life that you forget to live it.

Give yourself time.  

Being a great mom won’t happen over night.  Give yourself time to figure out what works for you.  Consistency and patience will help in creating a good routine. Soon you’ll be a well oiled machine.

Be flexible.

 Don’t be so rigid with your routine that you have no room to adjust and grow with your circumstances and with your family.  It’s ok to tweak it every now and then!

Don’t take yourself too seriously.  

Laughing at yourself is vital to maintaining a smile and not loosing the joy that comes with being a mom.  Find ways to make it fun: be silly with your kids, laugh and sing and play games and tell jokes.  It will revive you and give you energy to keep going! And your kids will think you’re cool!

[bctt tweet=”Laughing at yourself is vital to not loosing the joy that comes with being a mom.” username=”@fashionatemom”]

 

These things have managed to help keep me from loosing it and make having a new baby not seem like too much of a feat.  I have even figured out how to fit in blogging and working on some of the other things I want to do.  I found a good routine that isn’t too over the top, but is a good balance of reality.  You know what I mean… I realize I have three kids so I have to accept that my house is not going to look like the cover of Architectural Digest.  If it does it will only look that way for a few minutes, then it will look like the cover of Parenting Magazine. LOL! I realize that my husband and I are the only ones that will appreciate a gourmet meal! My children can live off of pizza, pasta and chicken quesadillas; so I cook what they like! Even if it’s the same thing every single week! UGH!

Oddly enough, with all of these revelations I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world!!! Being a mom has taught me so much about myself and about life.  I have learned that I am a lot stronger than I thought I was  and I can handle pretty much anything! It has shown me areas that I need to work on and things that I could do better! It has also taught me to not sweat the small stuff and that laundry will eventually get folded and put away; and even if it doesn’t… at least everyone will have clean clothes to wear!

 As mothers we really need each other, we need to have that chance to vibe off of each others thoughts and ideas.  You know one person could say one thing they do that could really help you in your routine or just change the way you think about things.  One idea could help bring a little more order to your chaos.  I wanna hear you guys thoughts and experiences on being a mom! How do you do it and make it work everyday? Leave your comments below.  I can’t wait to read them!

Photo Credit: Mom365 photography