I've been told by my dear friend Heather (she's phenomenal. read her blog here. seriously, read it.) that I need to blog again. So - one blog post, coming right up!
Where to start? Well, since I blogged last we have had another baby, I have graduated with my ASN from BYU-Idaho, I have passed the NCLEX to become a Registered Nurse, and Sam has graduated and started a full-time job in the IT Department at BYU-Idaho - pretty much forcing us (gently) to become Idahoans for good.
Life is good, it is. I love being a mom, I do. But you know what? Sometimes it's hard. Hard, hard, HARD!
This past weekend we took a 14-hour drive to Washington to celebrate a brother-in-law's wedding. We spent 37 of those 96 hours in the car. It was a hard trip - screaming kids, lack of sleep. And I didn't even get to see the wedding - I stayed outside and watched kids. I didn't get to dance with my husband at the reception - I left early to get the kids to bed at a decent time. And for the time I was at the reception, I was covered in spit up and crusty spaghetti sauce. The drive home was a nightmare. Ellie alternated between screaming uncontrollably, sleeping for short periods of time, and begging for food. My brother- and sister-in-law who were driving with us were exhausted, as were we.
Since we've been home, Ellie has forgotten everything she learned a few weeks ago about potty training. This was my good-morning welcome yesterday - the picture makes it look at least ten times better than it was.
My house is a disaster. Constantly. Because I've started school again, I just can't find the time I need to get it clean. Nap time is now used to frantically write essays, or take quizzes, or watch dated movies about the history of Nursing. I won't mention how long it has been since I last scrubbed the bathrooms.
If dinner consists of anything good, it's because Sam made it. And we're lucky if a can of green beans makes it to the table for a vegetable.
Ellie screams "mine!" non-stop to anyone and everyone - even the unsuspecting workers at K-Mart. Either that, or she's throwing a fit because I won't let her out of the cart. Oh man, how she tries my patience!
I see pictures of friends in Mexico, or on cruises, or at concerts, or out to dinner, plastered all over Facebook. They wear the same size they did in high school, and flaunt their thin bodies in their cute bathing suits. I sometimes find myself envying the seemingly care-free lives of the high-schoolers getting dropped off at the bus stop outside our front window.
Being a mom is an exhausting, trying, often thankless job.
But you know what? Sometimes I have to stop and count my blessings:
Our car functioned perfectly this weekend, even with all the driving. We got to walk around Pike Place Market in Seattle. That was fun! And family members were endlessly patient with our loud, energetic children. Most importantly, we were safe.
Ellie is slowly remembering how to go potty. And she was only trying to help clean herself up after using the bathroom!
I have a wonderful husband who never judges me or questions the state of the house when he gets home from work. He goes above and beyond to help around the house - he really is the greatest.
Chicken nuggets or Mac 'n' Cheese with a side of frozen peas won't kill us. Really, it won't.
The "mine!" situation is just a phase... Or so I'm told. :)
Being thin and going on exotic vacations isn't the most important thing in life. And high school? Why in the world would I ever want to go back?
If there is anything worth being exhausted for, it's these two cuties.
Now off to switch the laundry and clean the kitchen before my babies wake up.
And there you have it. Another blog post, and a piece of my mind.
Love,
Heidi :)
