Bring it on! A tribute to moms.

When I got a "real" job I used to comment that I missed being in school because you got so much time off and you had the choice if you went to class or not. That was the life..

Now, I miss the life of having a "real" job. I had my evenings free and my weekends off. I even had free time at work! Being a mom is literally a full-time job, working all day long with a few breaks due to a wonderful husband, wonderful parents, the blessed time called nap time and the occasional signing time movie. I never knew I'd have to work so hard for my free-time! On a typical day (while Jake is at work) I get one real break during nap time if I work really hard to coordinate my girls' sleeping schedules. Then, when successful, I'm left with the difficult decision of how to spend those sacred minutes. There is much to do with a toddler wreaking havoc around the house, a newborn constantly soiling her linens and clothing, regular living, etc. I feel that I've earned a break so am thus drawn to my favorite indulgences of blogging, spending time on the computer, watching part of a movie, reading, eating in peace, playing around with pictures or slideshows, etc. More importantly though is my constant need for sleep, having been woken multiple times in the night. I've gotten some good advice from 2 people this time around and one of them was some advice passed along from my mother-in-law by my sister-in-law. She just stressed the sleep while the babies sleep. There will always be dishes and laundry, but you have got to leave them and sleep. I've noticed this to be true for me. If I don't get my sleep I'm emotional, grumpy, quick to lose patience, and too tired for the tasks before me. So after a few minutes of indulgence in a simple pleasure, I'm off to lay down and cherish those few moments before I hear a cry.

I recognize that some who read this are not yet moms and I want to be sure to stress that it's all completely worth it and I couldn't enjoy any other work more than that of being a mom. Sometimes when I'm cuddling my new baby I think how worth it it is to lose a few moments of sleep for something this good. When I see Emma smile or hear her laugh, I couldn't be more pleased! I just want to give credit where it is due to my two moms, one who raised 8 children with the majority closer in age than my girls, and the other who had twins with 3 other energetic and needy kids. Both did a beautiful job with their children! I also want to give a shout out to single moms because I can't imagine what it would be like to do this without my husband who is so great to always step in and help or even take over with the kids or any other thing around the house.

I'll end this post with the other piece of advice (which wasn't even given as advice) from a good friend. She had two close together as well and said the older was fine about the baby because she made sure to always include him in the interactions and care of the baby. Emma has done great until recently, I think in part due to the extra attention dying down. She has been so mean to the baby and always tries to push her away when I'm trying to handle both. But the more I'm able to include her or give her something to do to help, the better she does. I haven't yet mastered the art of giving Emma a time-out for being mean to the baby while trying to console Lauren who has just been pinched or scratched or whatever. But I'm trying to just smile and think "bring it on" when I see one of these moments arrive.

Well, I guess I better go lay down for a few minutes.