Family comes first.
Baby Z decides when to eat, which seems to be all the time. The girls want stories, snacks, playtime, and cuddles. Brushing hair, changing clothes, kissing ouchies, wiping bottoms, washing hands, changing diapers, answering questions, building forts.
House duties have me going through the house back and forth picking up and cleaning things that I could have sworn I had taken care of 10 minutes prior. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner don’t make themselves. Well, sometimes dinner does. Laundry for days and days. Wash, dry, fold, repeat.
Hubby gets the bit of energy left at the end of the day. Dinner and sometimes a cup of coffee or tea. Conversation laced with yawns revolves around crazy customers and cute things the girls said.
can’t. keep. my. eyes. open.
PJs, brushing teeth, bedtime stories, Qu’ran, a cup of water, another sip of water. Goodnight girls.
One last nursing session. Another diaper change. Goodnight baby.
Picking up toys, straightening pillows, taking out the trash, another load of laundry, preparing for tomorrow to do it all over again. Then my head hits the pillow…zzzzzzz.
I miss blogging. I miss sitting in front of the computer and sharing a recipe that I had success with or a craft that I thought was worth attempting. I realized that I’ve been trying to make all my blog posts beneficial. Like you had to learn something from each and every post. I would stress about post topics, wondering what I had to offer.
What if I didn’t have anything to offer? What if it was just a post about how I burned dinner and we had fruit for dinner that night? What if I just dedicated a post to how my girls keep bickering and how I feel like I’ve somehow failed them because I can’t help them get along?
I sometimes get comments that I’m some kind of “supermom”. I’m sorry that I’ve given you all that impression. As most mom-bloggers, I tend to only blog about the good and the beautiful.The fun and pretty. But my days are not always fun and pretty. There are time-outs, a lot of spilled milk, stained clothes, unfolded laundry, uneaten breakfasts, unwashed dishes, and unvacuumed carpets.
I have a cabinet full of unfinished crafts, craft supplies for hobbies I’ve lost interest in, and craft supplies I don’t even remember buying. Half the things I make for J, she tires of quickly.
The time I get to actually really sit uninterrupted is while I nurse the baby, which is where I am now. Even during dinner, the girls decide they need an extra napkin or another cup of water half way through.
Where am I going with this? I even don’t remember since I’ve started typing this out on my phone. My thumbs are cramping and baby has fallen asleep.
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m loving the life I have now. While I was a teenager, this was the last thing I wanted. Now I appreciate it and feel special that so many people rely on me for their well-being. But with 3 children, I now realize that I need to make myself and my interests a priority as well. A happy mama makes for a happy home.
So while my blogging may have slowed down, it will not stop. There will still be crafts and recipes, but there will also be real life. This little life of mine is not all homemade sprinkled doughnuts and hand crafted headbands.
alhamdulillah….thats the beauty of life, the good and the bad. Rewards take effort….
Yes, always Alhamdulilah! The funny/sad part is that time for ourselves is considered a reward. I wish it was as much of a priority as feeding the family
I seriously feel more energetic once I’ve been able to do something for myself. Is that weird?
I love this post. Blogging gives me an outlet, some sanity and makes me happy. It will get better as sweet baby Z gets older but we’ll take quick posts off your phone anytime!
Thank you Mona! As someone with older kids, I believe you when you tell me it gets better. My girls are so young and require 100% of me which is fine by me. But I hate that I feel guilty for wanting a little time to do the things I enjoy.
Blogging is an outlet that allows me to record some of our memories and also to connect with other moms.
What I need to do is figure out how to carve some time for myself that doesn’t take from family time or has me waking up at 4 am for some alone time.
You are a super-mom, but change take time and we are talking about a major type of change here. When I had my fourth baby, I went through the same feelings and one question kept hitting me in the face, why, why 4, why me? but il 7amdellah all that had changed and will change with you, for you, and by you!! May Allah be on your side now and always.
Good luck, Amnah!
Lol Nilly, I’ve tried to convince you that I’m not a supermom, but if you think so, who am I to change your mind :-p
Alhamdulilah, I am very grateful for my children. I hope I didn’t give the impression that I’m not. I love being a mom and all that entails. The point of this post was that I am here for them and all that they need first. My posts have been slow so I wanted to let me readers know what has been going on.
I adore each of my readers and I would hate to lose any of them because I was busy being a mom
I really miss you but baby Z and the girls must get priority. Inshallah when Z is settled into a routine it will get easier.
Aww Humaria <3
Once I get into the swing up having 3 kids under 5, I think I’ll figure out how to have a bit of time for myself.
It’s totally understandable and natural that your family is your priority, now that you are a hardworking mum of 3 little ones. Blogging will always be a creative outlet for you to come back to but babies need their mama’s.
Subhanallah, the joy and hardships of motherhood are a blessing and rewarding.
Thank you for understanding. Your comment summed it up perfectly
lovely post..thats exactly how i feel sometimes..although i hav two kids and my lifeis not reallyasbz anywhere as urs as my son is 2.75 and my daughter is 5 months…kids r just a true blessing…i just love z’s pic..she is so cute mashAllah..n i like ur blog v much tooo…i hav a creative side but havnt catered it for a long tme..hav unfinished crafts and a sleeping baby in my lap rite now..i bet it must b fun to hear the girls talk and talk with them.,..my son has a lot of energy, lots of cars to zoom and park and not much time to do talking with mama…lolbut i love evry minute of my life…thanks for a beautifulpost
Thank you! Yes, our kids will be kids that always need their mamas. Being there for them and their needs is the easy part. It’s when we want to do something for ourselves that it gets hard. Alhamdulilah for everything.
I just caught up on all your posts— and yes it’s me your friendly lurker lol. Just wanted to say you will always be a supermom to me and dust bunnies are the best kinda fairy dust! MashAllah your daughters are gorgeous!
Lol Awww, thanks Noor. The dust bunny fairy dust has doubled, so that just makes me double awesome ;-P
Oh and whoever invented the crockpot is truly my personal hero
Amen!
I’ve been feeling the same for a while. Two littles plus one on the way, due any day. The blog has been put on the back burner. Insha’Allah, things will get better and more manageable with time. LOL reading this post made me think, “OH MY GOD! What the heck was I thinking to have another baby??”
Just know that you are not alone! Take it one day at a time. {Ha! Let’s see if I listen to my own advise when my time comes!} All the best, Insha’Allah.
MashaAllah, mabrook!! I haven’t been neglecting my blog alone, I hardly read anyone else’s anymore either. MashaAllah, such wonderful news.
We can do it together…one day at a time
Very honest and I think we all understand that with 3 children you are more than busy. It’s a pleasure to read about the ups and the downs, to see your children cute little faces and know we are not the only ones struggling to make it all fit in one day!
Take care and read you soon.
Asalaamu Alaikum
I have more kids than you but you seem to be doing more. Does anyone help you? I think somebody needs to pitch in.
Lol yes MashaAllah, you have way more than I do. But didn’t you homeschool them all?? That’s WAY more than I can I do. MashaAllah, may Allah reward you for all that you did for your family.
I do not have help. I wish I did
I keep telling my sister that I wish I had someone to help watch the kids with me at home so that I could bake and sew for them. Seems silly and counterproductive.
I was only homeschooling two last year…before that 6 but only for awhile. Now I just have one had at home. By help I meant your dh, lol. Without my dh I could never accomplish half the things I do. Masha Allah.
Your posts are wonderful no matter what you post/write about, keep it all coming to your audience!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!
Hallelujah…glad to know I have another buddy in the real world of parenting. Its not all sprinkles and rainbows but we wouldn’t trade it for the world right? And soon your girls will grow as tall as you and you will wonder where all the time has gone. And you won’t remember the spilled milk. That is unless you blog about it. And doesn’t it, even the spilled milk matter? I know I want to remember everything. Even the parenting struggles.
You are a beautiful mother. I love your blog. But yes, please take care of yourself. Happy mama, happy home. Absolutely!