Balancing Act

 9:00 a.m. - Commence blog writing...

So my one week hiatus turned into closer to two... sorry 'bout that! But balancing this two kids thing is tough! : ) Well - I guess taking care of the kids is the easy part... It's trying to get everything else done that seems to throw me for a loop. Thank the Lord my mom (aka Nana) and step dad (aka Papa) have been here for the last few weeks - otherwise, I'm pretty certain my house would be featured on the next episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive due to the mountains of laundry, dirty dishes in the sink and Lenni's fur balls rolling around the house like tumbleweeds. Not to mention we wouldn't have eaten, slept or been able to get out of our own way in general. Parents are great! : )

So now that I'm almost 3 weeks post-delivery, I figure it's about time I start to figure out how I'm going to function once everyone leaves. Miss Paige seems to be bucking against her regular routine a bit - two naps are quickly turning into one and she's definitely testing her boundaries while I'm occupied with Baby Deacon (No Paige - you can't jump off the top of the sofa like a diving board! - and - Paige, stop scaling up the bookcase to reach my soda on the top shelf! - and my all time "favorite" -  Paige Karolina! Stop burying your brother under all your toys!! (as he lies wide-eyed in his bouncy chair)). But I've determined the key to maintaining sanity in this household will be figuring out a NEW normal routine and schedule ASAP. As much as I hate routine and doing the same exact thing day after day, I can't imagine making it through this first year without some sort of strategy.

Part of this strategy is going to have to be an early wake-up time for mama. Oh, and coffee. Lots of strong coffee. With Paige, I would sleep until I heard her wake up. But I've quickly realized that if Miss Paige and Baby Deacon wake up at the same time (which seems to be the pattern), I am already behind schedule! When I worked a 9-5 job and on occasion worked from the West Coast, I remember having the same feeling of constantly being behind the 8 Ball - I was always running 3 hours behind because of the Pacific Time vs. Eastern Time difference. By the time I would log on to begin work, my colleagues on the East Coast would have already filled up my inbox and I'd be like a hamster on a wheel trying to catch up all day long. That seriously is the WORST feeling! So to avoid that in my home, I've realized I'm going to have to get up before the kiddos - which probably means setting the alarm clock for about 6:30 a.m. to give myself a good hour of prep time. Shower, coffee, news - I've got to get myself going physically and mentally in order to keep up and maintain the type of home I want to.

10:30 a.m. - Finally finished writing : ) It took me 1.5 hours to write a rather short post... Because for every three minutes of thinking/writing, I was chasing, disciplining, feeding (both kids) for 5. And now, finally, they are both asleep - Sleepy, Sleepy Nap Time. And I can finish writing. And fingers crossed I have time to sneak in a shower (it's been a few days...). And then it's time to start again.

10:30 a.m. and I'm already exhausted. But happy. Exhausted, but bursting at the seams with joy and love for my little peanuts. Exhausted, but not too tired to thank God for the life I've been blessed with and for the family and friends that surround me. Life is good.