For everyone in those years of motherhood where all the children are cute and young, adorable but very dependent … today was a day!
Fatigue settles in and I had high hopes of taking a nap while my two little ones napped hoping my older son would play with some toys or draw a picture…. something, anything.
Just as I was getting my son situated to not need me for a bit… my baby woke up, her nap was over and now my chance to rest was gone.
This is not the first time this has happened so I’ve told myself to never get my “heart -set” on taking a nap… and yet it’s hard to keep going when energy levels are low.
But we do keep going because we are moms and we know that’s what our family needs us to do right?
Baby girl with her fancy sunglasses
Well we had some errands to run and I promised the kids a vanilla ice cream come from McDonalds after errands.
Baby girl who is 16 months had her first ice cream cone and she was messier than ever but loved it so much!
I took baby girl out of the car seat and sat down by her, eye level, to clean her face.
I meant to say “give mommy a lick,” because the ice cream looked tasty and it was dripping everywhere… but instead I said “give mommy kiss.”
Well that little cutie puckered up her ice cream face and went in for the biggest kiss and love.
And then when I asked for another kiss she walked away and was too busy.
It literally melted my heart because the kiss came unexpectedly and so quick, but it was so genuine and sweet.
That little kiss from baby girl reminded me that these little ones may be precious to us, but we are so precious to them.
My 2 sweet girls
Our kids love us and show us small acts of endearment throughout the day, if we can just focus on seeing the love.
That little surprise kiss today was the best “pick me up,” and I forgot about how tired I had felt.
When my oldest climbs in for cuddles … my heart melts
I’ve heard it said a million times, but right when we think we as parents are teaching our kids all the important things in life… it’s truly the children that have been teaching us all along.
Let’s be honest, there is A LOT that I don’t know about parenting.
Even when three young kids, somedays I roam the parenting life oblivious to what I should be doing.
However, I always remind myself that the things I DO KNOW about parenting, help me get through all that I don’t know.
My sweet little family. ❤️
So let’s start with what I don’t know about parenting.
What I don’t know about parenting is how to get all of my kids to sleep through the night, in their beds, period. We have tried the books and the help and we still end up with one…sometimes two kids in our bed.
Our kids are young…5 years, 3 years, and 1 year old.
We had a big earthquake here back in March and I can honestly say my three year old daughter has never slept the same since then.
So I admit, I don’t know how to get my kids to sleep well through the night.
I also don’t know how to deal with the different emotions and personalities that each child has.
All three of my kids are very different from each other, and they respond to discipline, love, and all things differently.
It’s a learning curve, maybe one day I will figure it out, but not right now.
Reading time with dad❤️
What I don’t know about parenting is how to get my kids to eat every meal without a fight, or without having to fix a separate side meal for some of my kids.
I have picky eaters, and I don’t know how to make them like certain foods.
Is it possible to make kids like certain foods?
I don’t know that.
What I don’t know about parenting is how to make sure I am meeting all of my children’s emotional needs.
There is no sign or signal that let’s us know if we are helping our children emotionally to the capacity that they each need. Is it possible to know that?
What I don’t know about parenting is how to be a kind, patient mom when trying to get kids packed into the van to get to school on time.
I am sure some parents have this figured out, but I don’t. I can bribe kids…that way I am not raising my voice as much, but I’m not sure that quite counts?
What I don’t know about parenting is …a continual thing.
However ….
What I DO KNOW about parenting is that the love a parent has for a child is indescribable.
And if we as parents can transfer that LOVE into every interaction we have with our kids….
Then we have EVERY part of parenting figured out.
Our cute kids playing together with smiles ❤️
We won’t have all the answers … raising children takes me to my knees a lot, asking Heavenly Father what I can do to be a better parent.
And what I feel from Heavenly Father is LOVE— and that is always the answer.
Love your kids through everything.
Love them through the tantrums and the heartache.
Love your kids through successes and honors…
If we love our kids through every decision and every move they make … they will FEEL that love in their hearts.
I felt it from mine.
That love will carry your children through all the pain and all the happiness.
So when it’s hard to know just how to discipline or work through a disagreement with your child.. stop and think of how your actions show love?
Love will change the world, one child at a time.
It starts with how we parent. When we parent with LOVE as the goal everyday… our children will benefit through indescribable ways.
That’s the only thing I know about parenting …that loving our kids through thick and thin is the key.
And guess what?
As long as that’s all we know… To love our children unconditionally … it all works out in the end.
Everyone parents differently, because EVERYONE has different children. Don’t listen to everyone’s “advice,” take them into account and do what is best for YOU and YOUR baby.
Give your babies vitamin D dropseveryday.
When your baby sleeps, you can get a few things done if it’s stressing you out. HOWEVER, if you can catch up on rest and sleep while the baby is sleeping–DO IT!
You shouldn’t work out for 6-8 weeks after having a baby. But if you can go on short walks, just enough to move around and get outside it helps. Moving your body is so key to a healthy mental state.
Pay to get newborn pictures taken. Babies change so fast and getting nice pictures of them is priceless.
Having a baby is time consuming. It’s such a beautiful stage of life, but it can be enduring. Make sure you take time for some self-care. Have a hobby that you are working on, go to the store alone, or dinner with friends. Being a new mom is wonderful, and yet, completely changing ALL the norms is hard. It’s important to take care of YOU so that you can be a happier mom for that sweet baby.
If breastfeeding is hard, enduring and not working well, don’t do it, and don’t feel guilty about it. Period.
Take care of your baby’s bum to prevent diaper rash. Be faithful about putting ointment on their bum so that they are not sore and miserable.
If your baby is crying most the day, take the baby to the doctor. If things are not changing and the baby is still crying, let the doctor know it is getting overwhelming. Try second opinions such as chiropractors, chiropractors know some great things for colicky babies
Invest in an owlet if at all possible. It’s a foot monitor that can give you peace of mind that your baby is breathing and sleeping well.
Keep some type of journal or log of your baby’s growth and development. It is so much fun to look back on baby milestone, and it reminds you what a blessing it is to have your sweet little baby!
Again with throwing out ALL the expectations, parenting fits into this as well.
Didn’t we all have those dreams and ideas of how parenting would be?
And it’s not necessarily that our dreams are taken out completely, but when it comes to the “reality” of parenting…our dreams of parenting change.
Basically, until you become parents you seem to have an idea in mind as to how it will be to raise your children.
Then—you see reality, and sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh and know that all is well, nothing is perfect including “parenthood.”
Having expectations just puts more pressure on parenting which stops you from enjoying all the moments.
Here is a list of EXPECTATION VS. REALITY in our current parenting life.
-Expectaion: I will never allow my child to throw crazy, spoiled and spontaneous tantrums because they will know that my parenting style does not allow it.
–Reality: My children ALL have moments of crazy and monumental tantrums and I have no control over most of them. In fact, I have learned the better way to handle it is to walk away and not “REACT,” say a prayer, and then try my very HARDEST to talk to them gently about their poor behavior and set a consequence.
–Expectation: My children will eat very healthy.
–Reality: If my kids have a “taste” of a fruit and a veggie a day, I am ecstatic!
–Expectation: My child will be wise beyond their years. As a former school teacher I will do all I can to have my children reading and writing and learning advanced academics before kindergarten.
–Reality: My son specifically does not enjoy learning from me–his mother. I have to gear up to try my very best to get him to do ONE line of a new letter. He can write his name but sometimes forgets a letter. And you know what? I am completely satisfied because I know he is smart and will do just fine if he isn’t the very top of his class in kindergarten. He learns on his own time in his own way.
Baby girl in her onesie!
Expectation: My children will not go out in public unless they are fully clothed and groomed properly.
–Reality: My baby wears just a onesie most of the time, I am happy to get out the door with me carrying some shoes for the kids, and if they have some attire on, life is good—matching clothes has been thrown out the window! Having hair done is a bonus!
–Expectation: I will have a wonderful and delicious home-cooked meal for my entire family to enjoy six days a week.
–Reality: My son rarely eats what the rest of us do so I start feeling like a short order chef and often get overwhelmed by the idea of what to cook for dinner.
–Expectation: As a mother I will always look my best — hair, makeup and cute clothes on.
My kids recent pictures July 2020
–Reality: My go-to outfit is a t shirt and sweats, a headband and a pony tail often grace my hair, and if I get a full face of makeup on —I’m extremely lucky!
–Expectation: majority of my house will be clean and my kids will have set jobs to help keep the house clean.
–Reality: my house has toys everywhere and at the end of the day, my kids do the basics to help clean, but they are still a bit little to help with all the household chores. So, yes my house is not the tidiest these days , and that’s ok.
My littles happily playing with toys and making a mess.
The list goes on but I just have to say … I write this to remind all of you that life doesn’t go as planned.. whether in your parenting life, work life, or whatever it may be.
It’s ok if you’re “expectations” aren’t your reality.
Should you stop creating goals and expectations ?
Nope?
Should you give yourself some grace ?
Yes.
And can I tell you something more…
I am very happy with my reality in our parenting life, it’s ok with me because at the end of the day… our little family is happy and healthy.
So before you get worried about all the “expectations” you aren’t living up to… remember that you’re not alone.
Give yourself a break.
Enjoy the little moments of your cute kids, it goes oh so fast!
2. This cute TropicalLife Cactus Flower diaper bag is on my “wish list.”
I have a new baby girl and my husband doesn’t love that our diaper bag is “pink” for him to carry around. After looking through a variety of diaper bags I felt that this cactus one was more “unisex,”wasn’t very expensive, but has the quality that many people love in a diaper bag. And don’t you just love the print?
Price of this cute diaper bag is: $36.99 + $2.00 shipping. Click here to purchase.
3. 3 Pack of Boogie Wipes for only $9.36
Not only are baby wipes wonderful for ALL my children, they are especially nice for babies so that you can gently wipe their nose and help take away that unfortunate buildup of mucus.
This is a great deal for boogie wipes! To purchase click here.
4. Another great baby item to own is the nose frida
Pricing for the nose frida is: $17.71
Which is the best price I could find because it includes a pack of filter refills as well. If you look at Target, where they also sell this item, you would be spending about $19.00 for both items.
My pediatrician recommends using the nose frida because it truly does suck out all the mucus sooo much better than the bulbs.
