What a weekend! Rob was gone for a guy’s weekend with all of his high school friends from Denver and Owen and I had a fun weekend at home.
We went to the Green City Market, walked around Lincoln Park, checked out the petting zoo, bought apples, bread and flowers. We went to lunch on Southport, completely unaware that there was a festival happening, and then stopped by the park after. I was so tired by the end of the day that I passed out at 9pm!
On Sunday, we went to this mini kids festival at Bang Bang Pie with some friends, and baked pumpkin muffins in the afternoon and played around the house since it rained all afternoon long.
It was such a fun weekend, even though it completely wiped me out, and also reminded me of a few things that put my typically busy self at ease.
Joy is found in the smallest moments
We played a LOT this weekend. And, while I patiently watched him put puzzles together, organize and sort cars, put pegs in a board and make animal sounds while holding the accompanying animal in the air, and laughed hysterically during tickling matches, I found such a deep sense of contentment.
It’s easy for me to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of every day, but in those moments, I forgot about my mom guilt, and my concerns of whether or not I’m doing a good job or doing enough as a parent, and allowed myself to truly believe that I am a good mother.
We have too much stuff
I love the idea of minimalism, but if I’m being honest, we kind of suck at it over here. But, trying to keep up with his messes, dishes, laundry and stuff scattered around the house reminded me that we really could do a deep, intense and heavy purge of excess stuff.
I know that all the mess and clutter makes me stressed and I think if I really took the time to do it right, it would make a big difference in everyone’s lives around here—especially mine, since I notice it the most, ha!
He’s really smart
In all that playing, I learned, or rather remembered, this kid is smart! We played with just about every single one of the toys in his new Lovevery box. This latest box has bunch of puzzles and matching games and he killed it. I don’t mean to brag, but more remind all of us that when we really take the time to focus all of our attention on our kids, we realize that they know so much more than we sometimes give them credit for.
Taking care of myself makes me a better mom
I’m currently trying to re-train my body to go to bed earlier. A lot earlier—9:30 vs. 10:45 to be exact. I don’t expect it to happen overnight, but it needs to happen. My adrenal fatigue that hit hard after Owen was born has been creeping back in these past couple of months and this time, I’m not ignoring it.
I know that when I take care of myself, I show up better for my family. I have more energy, more patience and I’m happier and more excited about everything. I know it can be so hard to put yourself first, but girl, it is soooo worth it! I’m focusing on more time
The days are long, but the years are short
Isn’t that the truth?! Some days feel like they’ll never end and then 30 minutes after I’ve put him to bed, I’m checking the Nest cam and looking at pictures of him. I used to laugh when moms said that, but now I totally get it. The days can be incredibly long, but they’re worth it.
Patience is truly a virtue
And, frankly, not one I was naturally born with! I will say though, motherhood has taught me patience on a whole new level. This weekend was peppered with tantrums, meltdowns and freak outs from our poor dog. Every time I wanted to scream, I just closed my eyes, took a deep breath and forced myself to be patient.
I can’t say that I always react so calmly—I’m a work in progress, but I’ve come a long way.
Work can wait
I feel so lucky to have a job I really enjoy and a job that allows me flexibility. But, the flip side is that I don’t have normal work hours, and work often seeps into daily life. I use the weekends, nap times and after bedtimes to get a little bit of work done. Sometimes when I don’t get as much done because he wakes up early from his nap, I get really frustrated.
This weekend reminded me that work can wait. Yes, I still want to get stuff done and push my business forward, but this weekend reminded me that work isn’t going anywhere and it can wait.
I’m more capable than I realize
Sometimes I get really nervous about a whole weekend alone. I mean, what am I going to do with Owen for 2 whole days!? But, I realized that I’m more resourceful and energetic than I sometimes give myself credit for.
I’m thankful that I don’t typically have to parent alone, and bless all of you that do it more than me, you are amazing! But, I can definitely handle more than I give myself credit for.
It was a long weekend alone, but a fun one! And, even though I was worried it was going to be really hard, it was a good reminder of all of these things above.
BTW,
