I Should Have Seen It Coming When the Rabbit Died

This was the title of a book on my mom's bookshelf I used to read when I was a kid.  I remember sitting next to her water bed on the floor paging through it all the time.  It is a story about motherhood.  I thought it was so funny.  Do you know about The Rabbit Test?  I'll just let you Google it.

Anyway...life with kids.  Whoosh.  Right?  Is it a mom thing?  Do dads experience it like moms do?  Maybe some do.  I haven't a clue.  All I know is that my head is spinning lately.  We are so busy this year that I am having a hard time finding my bearings.  I bet many of you will relate to this as you shuttle your babies from here to there with little respite.  

Today I...got two kids ready for the world.  Taught kindergarten.  Held 6 parent/teacher conferences. Picked up said children and drove them to a 4:00 appointment on the East Side. Drove home.  Finished up dinner (that Brian so graciously started).  Dishes. Bedtime. Tomorrow...same except once I pick up children I rush them to haircuts before dropping Fiona off for swim team and taking Mack to Costco and then going home to make dinner.  Monday and Wednesday are soccer days for Fi and Monday is a therapy day for Mack.  Tuesday and Friday are swim team for Fi.  Thursday is gymnastics for Mack. There is no free day during the week.  I have post it notes on top of post it notes.

I was talking with Mack's therapist today about how busy we are and she agreed with me that I have busy children.  Keeping busy children busy is important.  I wish I had kids who were content to sit more than mine do.  But, I don't.  I have kids who have energy bursting from their sweet little bodies.  We don't sit.  We run.  We don't whisper.  We shout.  We don't rest.  We crave action.  Hence...we live in the car driving around to activities we need to help us spend our energy in positive ways.  

We took the kids to the fair on Saturday afternoon and Mack got so incredibly overstimulated that her Sunday was ruined.  I thought we would have a nice stay-at-home day and play on our new swing set.  Wrong.  I just put out fire after fire and began searching for places we could go to spend our energy.  We ended up at the park riding our bikes and trikes off the path straight down the grass hills.  The more dangerous route. It's how we roll.

Can I add that since Brian and I have removed animal products from our diet, cooking dinner with this schedule is kind of a nightmare.  Gone are the days of fish-stick tacos.  No more frozen pizza.  No quick salmon burger.  Now I have to be creative to find "vegan" things I can cook in a pinch without eating pb&j every damn night.  I'm totally fine with our choice and we're both reaping the benefits but I do miss the convenience of eating like shit. 

Once again, I toast all of you parents. Life is hard to keep up with.

The Sisterhood of Motherhood

Being a mother is the best job.  Of course I cannot compare it to being a father...but I still consider myself pretty darn lucky to be a mom.  Everything I truly love in the world is wrapped up in two tiny little warm bodies that dance around on my heart every day.  I expected that I would feel that way.  I was right.

What I never expected from motherhood were the friendships I have been lucky enough to find as I have traveled around with my kids.  I have so many friends whom I have had for almost as long as I am old.  I wish I could see them more and I love that FB lets me keep in touch and see pictures of their kids doing silly things like mine.  I have friends that I have made while watching my daughters tumble around at gymnastics.  I have friends that I met while on bed rest in the hospital.  I have friends I have met on message boards whom I have almost begun to think are my long lost sisters.  All of these beautiful mothers have become my friends because I have children and because our paths have crossed along the way.  All of these mothers support me as I travel in circles finding my way.

Time is short these days because of all the new paths we go down each year with our kids.  I assume I will meet more mothers along the way.  I just thought I'd reflect a little on how lucky I feel for the friends I have.