When we first moved to ABQ in October 2010 I started a blog called "Beginning Anew in ABQ" (http://anewabq.blogspot.com/). Okay, I know the name is cheesy but I'm not that creative and it was the truth as we were starting a new life of sorts since Micah had just finished his PhD and we moved from Colorado to New Mexico. Anyway, I was just re-reading some of my old posts and realized that my old blog was sometimes thought-provoking, and this blog is really just a chronicle of Alexis, Jack, and Faith's lives. I am writing my current blog to share what is going on in our lives and also to help me remember events (and the routine stuff) as time goes on, and someday Alexis, Jack, and Faith can read it as well. But I do think about many things throughout the day that I could share here but I never seem to find the time to sit down and do it.
Every situation has it's challenges
One thing I hear almost every day is, "How do you do it with three?!" My answer is usually something like, "You just do it," "We don't know anything different since we never had a singleton," "One day at a time," or "Every situation has its challenges." The last response is now my most common answer as it is SO TRUE! All moms (and dads) work hard regardless of the number of kids they have. Yes, some things are more challenging with triplets, but some things are also easier (built in playmates). There are many circumstances that can make being a parent challenging, but even with "normal" circumstances I truly believe that every situation is challenging and it's amazing anyone makes it out the door with their kids.
SAHM is the hardest job I've ever had
Lately I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my job as a stay-at-home mom (SAHM). Honestly, if we had a singleton I would at least be working part-time but I love being a stay-at-home mom and I'm glad that having triplets made the decision to stay home an easy one (mostly from a cost standpoint). Yes, there are days I think that it might be easier to go to an office job so I get a break from the food prep, clean-up, diapers, and crying (yes our babes do cry!), but I am so happy that I get to be around for the day-to-day.
Before I had kids, though, I thought being a stay-at-home mom would be much more relaxing than a full-time job outside the home. When I worked full-time I woke up at 6:30 to shower and get ready for the day before commuting to work,
working for 8+ hours, coming home and
trying to squeeze in a workout before making dinner, doing the dishes,
and possibly getting a little time to relax before going to bed. BUT, now that I have experienced 15 months as a SAHM I can tell you that it is MUCH HARDER than working full-time. It is completely and utterly exhausting both physically and emotionally, and sometimes mentally.
My day still starts around 6:30 but as opposed to a nice, relaxing shower I hit the ground running as the babes need me ASAP. And I go non-stop pretty much all day as even nap time is busy with cleaning up the house and trying to get other things done (and hopefully squeezing in a two minute shower!). And my day isn't over at 5:30 like it was when I was working. Nope, my workday now ends around 8:30! Although I did worry about things at my full-time job after leaving work, it is nothing like having kids. As a parent you constantly worry: Are they eating enough, are they developing as they should, will they be too cold tonight, will they sleep through the night, are they getting sick, should I give them something for the teething pain??? And the list of concerns goes on. This job is no joke. I can't even imagine working outside the home full-time and then coming home to kids as that is like having two jobs! You moms that do that are truly super moms!
Before I had kids I imagined meeting up with other moms and talking over coffee as our kids played quietly. Maybe that is in the future when our babes are older, but right now it's more like trying to squeeze in a conversation while managing the babes (feeding, diapering, keeping them away from unsafe things, etc) which means there isn't much "real" conversation happening. I always thought SAHMs were so lucky since they could just hang out with friends whenever they wanted, but now I know that not only is it not relaxing to have a play date, you also spend most of your time talking about your kids and giving and receiving advice. I now understand that when moms meet for play dates it's the equivalent of co-workers talking in the office. It is a necessary break to keep going with the real work as you are able to vent and help each other out with stuff, but it's definitely not what I thought it would be like.
But even though this is the hardest job I've ever had, it's totally worth it for me. Some days our babes are meeting milestones and some days are just plain frustrating, but I believe I have one of the best jobs around!
Friends change (somewhat) with stages of life
I've realized recently that, although I did not want this to be true, it is much easier to be friends with others that have kids than those that don't when you're a SAHM. When I worked full-time outside the home I had stuff to talk about because I had my job that was somewhat interesting and I interacted with people throughout the day. As a SAHM I find that I really don't have much else to talk about other than my kids and most people without kids find that pretty annoying after awhile. On the other hand, other moms seem to think that's fine as we can give and receive advice or just commiserate with one another. Please don't misunderstand as I appreciate friendships with women in all walks of life, but at this stage in my life I've just realized that I'm a bit boring and I'm okay with that because I'm enjoying this stage.
So there are some of the things that I think about during the day! Hopefully I can continue these kinds of posts in the future as they are just as important as our vacation recaps, daily schedule summaries, and monthly updates, even if this post does lack cute photos.
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