MOM GUILT IS REAL!

 Mom guilt is such a real thing in every sense of the word. 

I have experienced mom guilt at every stage of my motherhood journey. I would feel guilty about buying something for myself or having free time. I would rather go without and make sure that me children have what they need and things that they may want. Being a mom is no doubt a selfless job, and the bottom line for me is that, I would rather spend my last dollar on my children. I will admit, that in the infancy of motherhood my appearance was not the best that it could be. My children on the other hand, were always dressed nicely and taken care of. In fact, one of my favorite pass times was dressing my kids up and taking pictures. I was and am always stingy with the time I have for self-care. I felt guilty about nearly everything that meant that I would have to give time and resources to myself. 

Striking Balance

Now that my children are teenagers, I still feel mom guilt at times. I am just learning how to take better care of myself. Mommy burnout is also real and often times for me it's caused by mom guilt. I previously felt like I needed to jump through hoops to please everyone. Now, I know that I need to take care of myself so that I can give my best self to my family. There are other manifestations of mom guilt, some of these may be natural feelings that moms go through. Whatever, the case I am working my way through it and taking good care of myself. 

Moms Make It Happen

 This goes without saying, moms are always multitasking all day everyday. I can't think of a day or time when I am not multitasking. I don't know what it's like to only have one task on a daily basis. 

Multitasking is really an understatement, to say the least. Motherhood is more than just completing a series of task. It is also about being present physically, emotionally and spiritually, it about being devoted and being available in every way to our children. I am sure every parent understand what a big commitment having children are, it's never as simple as completing a task. There is always a need that have to be addressed when it comes to raising children. There are a million moving parts all at once when it comes to raising children. Not to mention, moms are not just moms we wear other hats that are also important. Some of us have careers and spouses. That is another area of our lives that needs attention, and then we have to find time for self care which is equally as important. Sometimes we may feel like we are spreading ourselves thin, but some how we get it done. Sometimes we are tired and stressed from juggling it all. It really is not an easy job but we make it happen. We do it for the love of our families and that makes it worth it. 

SAYING FAREWELL TO SUMMER

 It's hard to believe that fall is here, but it's here. Summer went by fast and slow at the same time, let me explain. It was fast in the sense that here we are at the end of September in a flash; It was also slow in the sense that we spent most of the summer in quarantine. Safety was an issue due to the corona virus, so we ventured out the house on rare occasions. Quarantine makes the time feel slower than it actually is, these are the reasons why I say that the summer was fast and slow at the same time.

Does any one else feel like the summer went by fast and slow at the same time? Let me know in the comment section. 

I actually love the fall, the breeze blowing through my hair and the beautiful multicolored leaves are a sight to see. For a long time I actually called myself a "fall baby" with great pride. I was under the impression that my birthday was in the fall, I recently found out that my birthday is actually in the summer. I've always associated my birthday with going back to school in the fall. It's funny that I am just finding out in my 40's that my birthday is actually in summer. That was a funny story, I couldn't help but to share it. 😁

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FALL WITH YOUR FAMILY?

I think what I am looking forward to is spending time with family, this year has been a roller coaster ride and I am sure that many of you can relate to this. I think that this fall will be a time of love and spending quality time together as a family. Drop a comment, and tell me what you're looking forward to doing with your family this fall. 

Moms Are You Looking Forward To The Holidays?

This holiday will not be like all other holidays, we have the big elephant in the room. That big elephant in the room is corona virus, this holiday will not be business as usual because of safety concerns. Not to mention the families who have lost their loved ones this year, this will be their first holiday without their loved ones. Some of us either lost a loved one this year or we know someone that lost a loved one, to corona virus or other illness. In just 5 short months it will be a year since corona virus has been among us here in the United States. This holiday will be a little different for sure, but I believe that we can all persevere and get through this. 

I am very cautious this holiday season, I am still undecided about my holiday plans. I am thinking about just staying home with my immediate family or maybe inviting a few close family over for the holidays. I am waiting to see how the corona virus develops this winter. I want to be safe at the same time I don't want the seriousness of what is going on to take away the joy of the holidays.

Whatever I end up doing this holiday, I plan on being safe and having a great time. Wishing you and your family the best for this holiday season.  

How Is Quarantine School Going?

This year is unlike any other year for our children, instead of going to a school building our home office has become the make shift classroom. Teachers and student are meeting virtually this school year in our school district until further notice. This global pandemic has disrupted our usual way of doing things, we are all living our version of the new normal. 

Hiccups 

We have had our share of hiccups when it comes to remote learning/distant learning. The first day of school was a struggle for me, I have two children in two different phase of their education. They are both equally as important. My daughter is starting highs school and my son is in his junior year of high school. It's a challenge, to keep up with everything on a regular basis then you add a pandemic to make it more complicated. The first day of high school for my daughter was difficult because technology was not cooperating with us. It was frustrating to say the least, that was not a good first day of high school for her. Like the mama bear I am, I had to troubleshoot every issue with the school. I was able to find a way for her to attend class even though she did not have full access to her assignments. I fought a good fight and by the second day, everything was up and running. We decided to make the second day our official first day, to make up for the rough day we had previously. My son on the other hand had a smooth sailing day, although his junior year will be spent here at home, we will make the best of it. 

Staying Connected

I encourage my children to stay connected with their friends because socialization is very important. Children need to have wholesome friendships and a sense of normalcy in this pandemic. There are so many changes taking place in the last few months, children need stability. Staying connected with friends can give that stability in these uncertain times. We all need a constant in our lives at this moment, this pandemic has shown us that life is uncertain. My constant has been my faith and my family. Everything maybe changing around us but we are there for each other. 

Whatever Tomorrow Brings

Whatever tomorrow brings we will rise challenge and keep moving forward. This is not an ordinary school year, but we've got this! 

It Takes A Village To Raise A Child

 The title is a dead give away about what I will be talking about today. It is a very common saying, that it takes a village to raise a child. This statement is very true! Although, we may feel like we are alone sometimes as parents, the truth is that we are not alone and there are people that can help. 

Our Village

In my village are my husband and I, My mother and father in-law and my mother. My mother and father in-law are grandparents, by the have also been like a second set of parents for my children. If my children were not with us they were always with my in-laws; their home was my children's second home. Off course as their grandparents they spoil them as grandparents do. That is totally fine with me, my in-laws also have our backs when it comes to the plans and expectations that we have for our children. My mom, is also a source of support for our children, she enjoys spoiling them. Her main goal as a grandmother is to spoil them with whatever they want, that gives her joy and so that is what she does. My kids are very shy in asking her for things, but she is always encouraging them to ask her for what they want. Grandparents are for sleepovers, fun and everything in between. There are also other people in our village like aunts, uncles that may also influence our children's life. It's important for us that our children have positive influences that will help them learn and grow.

Village Professionals

Our village have professionals that help us care for our children to make sure that they are healthy. We  have teachers, pediatrician, dentist, therapist, support groups and clergy in our village. These professionals are there to assist us with the needs of our children. Even though, as parents we are alone in the day to day tasks, we are not truly alone when we look at the big picture. There is help we just have to ask for help when we need it. 

Thank you to our village that help us on a daily basis! 

Parenthood Is An Honorable Path

 Parenthood is not an easy path but it is an honorable path. Choosing to have sole responsibility for little human beings is honorable and selfless.

Running The Race Of Perseverance

Perseverance has always been key for me, because every phase of parenting has challenged me in some way. I feel like I am constantly being stretched like a rubber band in many different directions. Yes, sometimes I feel like that rubber band that is about to pop under pressure. 😃 I am not going to pretend like everything is easy and organized at all times. When I started this blog I wanted to talk about my true experiences as a parent, you definitely will not get sugarcoating from me. There has been a lot of crying in my not so good moments of parenting, and a lot of praying to get my through the rough times. I am running the race of perseverance daily as a parent.

Embracing The Good And Bad Times

As a parent I have learned to embrace the good times and capture the memories that are special with my children. My children and I have done so many great things together, we have tons of memories and bonding time. The wonderful times we spent together as a family is something that we can all look back on one day. When my children are older they I know that they will appreciate those moments even more. Memories are forever! 

Confession: In the early year struggled with depression and so although I was present with my children, I did not enjoy motherhood as much as I could have. My children were my motivation to seek help for my depression, once I started to heal I was able to truly enjoy special moments with my children. My children were not old enough to witness me struggling from depression. I am thankful that I was able to recover while my kids were so young, it would have broken my heart to have them see me like that. 

That was one example of the bad times, there are also plenty of other parenting moments that are not so great. However, the lessons that I've learned from the tough times have been valuable. The rough times really taught me to stretch my thinking outside of the lines, and it taught me to have compassion for myself and my family. Most of all the lessons have all taught me perseverance. I can't give up no matter what the situation, I must have hope and keep moving forward. 

🏆🏆🏆Parenthood The Honorable Path🏆🏆🏆

Parenthood is an honorable path, congratulations to all who have chosen to walk this path.