So much has
happened since my last post, but basically we moved to Utah, I got pregnant,
and because I get so sick when I’m pregnant, keeping up my posts was the last
thing on my mind. BUT, now we are
in a new little place that we love, down to only one dog, and up one more
little baby (the sweetest little boy ever!!)
Life with three
kids is not MUCH different than life with two kids so far… The girls LOVE baby
Theo, and are very sweet and gentle with him. Life not pregnant however, is way different than life being
pregnant for me! Because for most
of my pregnancy I would throw up anywhere from 5-25 times a day, doing anything
was hard (playing with the girls, cooking meals, cleaning the house, going to
church… everything!) Now that I’m
not pregnant it’s nice to be able to do things again. It seems like I had forgotten what it was like to be busy
and productive. Its amazing how
much easier things seem since Theo was born, even though we added another babe
to the family.
That being said, my
days are busy! Breakfast in the
morning, dishes, laundry, cuddling Theo, playing and reading with the ladies,
cleaning rooms, exercising… it is BUSY.
How do I find time to exercise you ask?? The first couple days we tried to go on walks, but pushing
the ladies in the stroller, and wearing Theo was well… the WORST. So now… the kids have playtime in their
room, and then Theo and I literally jog back and forth down the hall together
until I reach 10,000 steps on my pedometer. Something that SHOULD only take me, I dunno, maybe an hour,
some days takes up to 3 and a half hours!! Don’t ask me how… It probably has
something to do with the fact I get distracted and will do a load of laundry,
or load the dishwasher or have to handle some new ‘drama’ with the girls lol. Nap times, if I get all three down at
once, I try to do a little yoga to relax and clear my head. 
I feel lucky! I’ve only had a couple of days where I
thought I was going to lose it.
Most days it seems I’m able to find patience and love I didn’t know I
had in me. Whenever I have “free
time,” where I’m not using the hallway as a track/treadmill, I read! On one of the particularly hard days, I
decided that I needed to figure out how to make sure those kind of days didn’t
happen again (or at least happen on a regular basis). I remembered a conversation I had with my Aunt about a
couple parenting books that she loves.
I reached out to her to find out what they were, and next thing I know,
like the angel she is, she ordered them for me!!! So currently I’m reading “Christlike
Parenting.” It is the most
uplifting book about parenting I’ve ever read. It totally helps me keep a clear mind, and not beat myself
up about making mistakes.
Basically, I’ve learned that when I wake up thinking there is something
I want to do for myself that day, the whole day falls apart. Right now, I just
need to fit stuff in where I can, and keep my kids as my priority. When I approach the day with no
expectations… it’s usually a pretty good day! It takes all my energy not to get to stressed out, and to
stay calm amid the chaos, but like I said, so far so good.
I recently read the
talk ‘Daughters of God’ given by M. Russell Ballard. The whole talk is seriously incredible, but there is one
particular quote that I really loved and read over and over again multiple
times a day:
“There is no one
perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has
different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different
children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family.
Many are able to be “full-time moms,” at least during the most formative years
of their children’s lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to
work part-or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into
periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her
children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her
husband, prioritizes them above all else.”
I think we, as
moms, like to beat ourselves up about not being perfect. When we see other moms who seem to have
‘it all together’ we let ourselves feel like we aren’t doing a good job. Elder Ballard reminds us, that as long
as we love our children and put them first, we are doing a good job, and that
is so comforting!
Every day is filled
with new challenges and struggles, but all in all, there is nothing I would
rather being doing with my time than exactly what I’m doing!
Jess
p.p.s Here is a link to the book "Christlike Parenting" on Amazon incase you'd like to check it out.
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