Take yesterday for example, I was having a totally shit day with both kids screaming, Gavin refusing to eat, and Emily crying about basically everything in her life.....and I thought to myself, I can't handle this. And if I'm totally honest, most days I feel like a below average mom because my kids are crying/fighting/not listening/not eating/not napping/not potty training/younameit and I'm losing my temper with them and I'm yelling (which helps nothing) and sending my husband texts that say, "you should probably come home before I lose it".
But during these crazy days, there is usually a moment with Emily or Gavin or both where I stop and think- "well, you must be doing something right because that was awesome".
Yesterday, that moment happened when Emily and I were lying on her bed and she was pretending to read to me. No book in sight, just flipping pages of an imaginary book and when she got to the 'end' of the book- she spelled the word 'please'. I looked at her in shock and said, "did you just spell please??" She just smiled. I grabbed my phone and asked her to spell it again and she did!
We read Penguin Says Please to her every night and the last page has the word please in capital letters and she always points to the letters and then says- "please has 2 E's!". She basically knows the book by heart but how in the heck does she know how to spell?? Proud mom moment for sure, even if I have no idea how it happened.
So in between bribing Gavin to eat 2 bites of mac and cheese with Baby Einstein (on the living room floor)...
and Emily crying because her sock was on wrong...
there was a bright spot that let me know I'm doing ok at this mom thing.
(and yes, we were in our pajamas all day)
Amen sister! You are an awesome mom & your kids are so lucky to have you. It's funny how G doesn't want to eat & all mine want is to eat.all.day.long. If Savannah hasn't had a drink in the past 30 seconds and you deny her one she freaks out & cries she dehydrating. Really.
ReplyDeleteYou described my house perfectly, even before the daycare kids. I seriously feel most days very overwhelmed and have to remind myself to take one day, one activity at a time. The minute I get overwhelmed literally all hell breaks out. I swear, my kids pick up on my stress. Anyways, currently we are desperately fighting Aiden to get back to going potty in the toilet instead of his pants. We've been having MAJOR accidents ever since he started school. Not sure if he's lazy or what, but he's certainly regressed. Emily is such a smarty, spelling already?!
ReplyDeleteI needed this today. It has been a crazy tantrum week at our house and I have been struggling (and yelling).
ReplyDeleteToddlers are crazy and they make you question yourself constantly. But they are pretty great too!
E is so smart!!!!!
I love this.. I love that you are admitting to what all of us are living. If I have to rush a toddler screaming "I have to poop!!", lifting her on to the toilet by one arm while holding a nursing baby who will bail her little eyes out if detached from her milk supply for one second, one more time.. I may lose my mind. ;) But it is those amazing moments inbetween all that which get us through, eh? Today that one for me was when Lids swam underwater, without her floatie on!! :) Proud mama. And wow, I cannot believe Em with the spelling. That is sooo awesome. What a clever girl!!!
ReplyDeleteI attended a talk recently where they were discussing how FB and IG and Pintere.st make us feel "less than". Yes, some people have it all together, but most of us don't. We have to realize that what we see on social media is just the tip of the iceberg and that the part we don't see is usually just the crappy-ness of slogging through our everyday life. No one wants to read about other people airing their dirty laundry, however it is good to be real like you were here, to remind us and yourself that you are human...just like the rest of us. :)
ReplyDeleteOh goodness! I could have written this myself. You just made my day. Not because you had a rough day but that you shared that it was rough and made me feel less alone! xo Ps-I think my text to my husband today was "Today is a total shit show. Shoot me." lol
ReplyDeleteCrying cause her sock was on wrong. That literally sums up all toddlers. Oh and you'll never have to bribe me to eat mac n cheese. NOM NOM!
ReplyDeleteYES to all of the above. I don't think I could hack being home with my kids all day long. I love them to pieces, but patience and Shannon do not combine well.
ReplyDeleteGo Emily on spelling please. I love that our kids pick things up and we can't even take credit for teaching them that. Happens to me all the time!
Why do they cry over socks?!? Charlotte does that too...just last night she burst into tears because she was trying to put her tiny sock on my big foot...crying because it didn't fit! This describes my house too and I only have one kiddo...last night she ate guacamole and chips for dinner - I considered that a win!
ReplyDeleteSolidarity. Seriously, I can't imagine the conversations we could have describing our days and the fun (or not so fun) our kids come up with. But you are doing LOTS of things right!! And they love you to pieces whether it's an off day or not, I try and remember that when I'm about to lose patience. And honestly, it's crazy how much better I feel after I let a tear or two fall to my cheek (which happens more than I'd like to admit b/c I always say I'm not much of a crier).
ReplyDelete