I'm Not Alone

As a mom, and other moms will say the same, I sometimes wonder if everyone's life is as frantic as mine.  Does everyone's house get THIS messy {{that you may just faint away if anyone would stop by unannounced}}?  Do all siblings fight THIS much?  Are all little girls THIS dramatic?  Does anyone actually feel like they have any of this really figured out?  Well, I think I know the answer.  We are all in this together.  None of us are alone.  There are the occasional moms who come around now and then, with all kids in bows, not a Kool-Aid mustache to be found, has a full-time job, leader of the PTA, volunteers in the community, drives a clean vehicle ((notice, I did not say "nice vehicle".  My only goal is "clean")), and just generally seems to have all her ducks in a row.  No offense to any of my friends, but we are not them, they are not us.

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to visit two friends that I adore while our children who also adore each other played.  When moms visit, they do so with one eye on the conversation, the other eye on the goings on of the kids, and yet another eye on dinner.  Oh, that's three eyes...well, count the ones behind our head.

During these visits I witnessed three temper tantrums, many displaced toys, familiar piles of laundry awaiting attention from someone,  messy bedrooms, a dozen toys being thrown, a treasured set of drink ware that only has one single glass left, reheated pizza that had lost its umph, a full meal being prepared to satisfy one adored child, countless interruptions, two kids stripping to their birthday suits, two sisters being splashed for "fun" where the sister was not having fun at all.....all things that I have at my home, daily, hourly......always.  It was a fabulous feeling.  I can breathe easier knowing that we are all teetering on the very edge of sanity as a collective group. 

So, together let's figure it out.  Share your secrets.  We all need the help.  How do you make it work at your house?  This summer, I plan to keep a daily schedule so the kids do not get bored, so I don't go insane, so the kids keep reading, so the world keeps spinning according to plan.  I plan to involve them in the planning of our lunch and dinner menus.  One week has passed and it has not yet been done...yikes.  Welcome to my world.  Help. 

Comment with your best so we can all learn a thing or two!

~ACZ

VoTe!! for my blog above!