Before I Had Kids.......

Before I had kids I would go shopping on the weekends. I’d spend an hour trying on clothes to find the perfect outfit.

Before I had kids, I’d go out to dinner almost every Friday night. I’d order hot soup without worrying that someone would dump it on their lap. I’d order dessert and slowly savor each bite.

Before I had kids, I subscribed to a lot of magazines. When I lived in a condo, I would read those magazines poolside while I worked on my tan.  

Before I had kids, I slept in on the weekends. After a long day at work, I enjoyed soaking in a hot bath. I took hour-long spin classes.  

And, then I changed.  My interests changed.  My body changed.  My wardrobe changed.  My budget changed.  

I was a mom.

Suddenly, I was responsible for another human being, from sunup to sundown. Then, I was responsible for two little ones.  

From time to time, I participate in some of the pre-kid activities. I still go out on date nights. I still enjoy dessert, even it’s the last cookie that I’m secretly scarfing down in the kitchen. I still workout but now it may be a run around the neighborhood rather than going to the gym. I watch television, but a lot less of it.

Before I had kids, I didn’t really know what it meant to sacrifice. I didn’t know that I could feel fear and love at the same time.  

I didn’t know I could enjoy blowing bubbles in the backyard so much or watching a spider spin a web. My life is faster but I’ve also learned to slow down and enjoy the small stuff, because my kids certainly do.

Now, I appreciate those golden days of sleeping in past eight. I enjoy date nights more. I appreciate the few moments when my house is completely clean.  

I’m the same person. I have an identity that’s separate from my children. But I’m different. How could I not be?

Because I’m a mom and I’ve been changed forever. And, since becoming a parent, I really get this saying:

I also get this:

So, what did you do before you had kids? 

 

7 Ways Parenthood is Similar to Life as a Celebrity

After doing laundry, helping with homework, and changing diapers, you might think that your life is rather ordinary.

But let me tell you a secret.  

Your life is a similar to a celebrity’s.  

No really.

I know as you sit there drinking cold coffee in your worn ballet flats, you might be thinking yea right. 

And even though you may not own a pair of Manolo Blahniks or have a house in Malibu, if you’re a parent, your day-to-day routine might resemble celebrity life. 

Here are seven ways I think parenthood is similar to life as a celebrity (not that I have any real experience).

Tweet this: You can't get any privacy…and other reasons #parenthood resembles life as a #celebrity http://ctt.ec/c67R_

#1 I Can’t Get Any Privacy Some celebrities never get a break.The paparazzi are constantly in their faces and follow them everywhere. It’s tough for celebrities to go to the store or get some coffee without people following their every move.  Well, with two kids, I can’t get any privacy either. I mean, I never realized getting the mail was so exciting but my kids always want to follow me. And, I can hardly even go to the bathroom without two sets of eyes peering at me. 

#2 My Name, Mommy, is Often Chanted, and Sometimes Screamed People can become quite excited when they see a celebrity. Teens girls will scream or chant a celebrity’s name when they see a heartthrob. My children are always chanting my name: mommy. MOMMY, I’m hungry!  MOMMY come in my room!  MOMMY, M is peeing on the floor. Mommy, watch me! MOmmmmmmmmm-eeeeeeee.

#3 People Stare at Me It must be hard to have people constantly staring at you. I mean, I see the way people gawk at me when my three-year-old is crying on the way to drop his sister off at school. Look the other way people, he’ll be fine as soon as he gets his morning juice….don’t worry it’s organic, diluted with water, and in a BPA-free container. 

#4 People are Always Judging When people are staring, I’m pretty sure it’s because they are judging me. It might be because I’m wearing yoga pants or because my kids aren’t wearing socks today. Being judged stinks. I kind of feel for you Gwyneth P.

#5 There are Many Photos of Me Without Makeup I feel bad for those celebrities whose makeup-free faces are plastered all over magazines. The paparazzi always seem take a picture of them making an ‘ugly face’. Well, let me tell you, there are plenty of just-rolled-out of bed, no makeup pictures of me. After all, my kids like to use my phone to take pictures. As long as they don’t accidentally send it one of my social media accounts, it’s all good.  

#6 People Ask for my “Autograph” Celebrities are often asked for their autograph. People will stand in line to have someone sign a jersey or book.  However, people often ask me for my “autograph” too. Well, really they are just asking for my signature. I have to sign well-visit surveys at the doctors, reading logs, permission slips...it goes on and on. 

#7 When I Enter a Room, I am the Center of Attention When you have kids, at least little kids, you are the apple of their eye. If a celebrity walks into a restaurant, people will stop everything and stare. If I go to run an errand and then return, my children will greet me at the door and my daughter will say “Mommy, I missed you!” I can’t complain.

From time to time, it’s nice to feel like a celebrity. However, most of the time, I’m glad I’m not.

 

Carry Me: The Physical and Emotional Demands of Parenthood

My toddler’s in a “carry me” stage.  He wants me to carry him while we are at the grocery store, while I’m trying to get dressed, while I clean, while I eat, you name it.  Anyone who has a young child knows it can be quite difficult to put on a pair of pants or cook a meal with a toddler clinging to your leg.  

Yet, although it’s hard not to have any personal space, I’ll carry him, because I enjoy those long hugs and know they won’t be so readily available in the future.  Although my arms may be tired, I enjoy holding him and soaking up his love. 

Did you know that wolf spiders carry their young on their back? By attaching the egg sac to her spinnerets, the mother is able to carry the sac around. Then, when the eggs hatch, the spiderlings climb onto their mom’s back. She carries them around until they develop. Spiders can lay “between 2 and 1000 eggs” so that’s a pretty big job for some spider moms. 

As parents, we are accustomed to physically carrying our children. However, when they are sad, we “carry” their tears in our hearts.  We carry their fears, their hopes, their disappointment.  Sometimes, I wish I could transfer their trials from their bodies to mine so I could carry it for them.  At the same time, I know trials provide a growing experience.  I can be there to soothe them but I won’t always be there to absorb the brunt of the fall, the pain of the name calling, or the initial impact of a loss.

When my son was first born, I carried him so much that I started having back spasms. One day, I was walking out of the grocery store when I had a horrible back spasm that sent me to the ground.  I had both kids with me and somehow managed to get both of them into the car and drive home. When I went to the doctor, I couldn’t take a muscle relaxer because I was nursing.   At that moment, I wished I had invested in a carrier that supported my back better.  Lesson learned.   

Despite my best efforts, I know I can’t carry all of the physical and emotional demands that parenting requires. This is why I am so lucky to have a Savior who carries me, who carries all of us, every step of the way. When I feel weak, I know He is strong.   And in my weakest hour, that’s what keeps me going.