Reel It In
It’s back-to-school time! This year is a milestone for my family because Louisa is going to preschool . She is so proud of herself, I love to see her shine! So I am alone with Georgia for 3 hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The first day of school when I dropped 3 of my daughters off, Georgia got so upset and cried for her sisters. She is so used to being with them, I think it gave her anxiety to see them leave without her! She kept whimpering, “Where Lulu go?!”
With three now in school, and with me working, I have to try to be as organized as possible. I lie out their uniforms each evening, pack lunches for the next day while I’m making lunch for the present day, go through papers in backpacks right after picking up the girls, and help with homework right when we get home from school. While keeping within this rigid schedule is my ideal, there always seems to be a “fire” I need to “put out” in between any or all of these activities.
Yesterday, while I was helping Bella with her homework, Gigi wandered OUTSIDE without me knowing. Luckily it was only a few minutes before my home became eerily quiet that I realized something was wrong. And, luckily, I know she loves to run to my neighbors back yard so it there that I frantically ran first, and found her giggling knocking on their glass sliding door to their patio. While I was getting Gigi, Louisa had an accident because she was wearing her leotard and couldn’t get it off on her own in time. All the meanwhile, Ava is hungry and snacking on empty calorie foods which gives me anxiety because then she won’t eat my nutritious dinner….ahhhhh!
I often find myself having to reel it back in, and reset priorities. These priorities are: for mama to remain calm, for them to wash their hands …often, and for us to remain happy. Being a mama has changed me in so many ways. One of the very biggest things I continue to learn is rolling with the punches. Laughing helps me do this a little more gracefully ☺ I hope my story can make you laugh!
~Stephanie Brennan