Juggling it all.....

Somedays, I honestly wonder how I manage it all- 5 kids, homeschooling, designing (and all that entails!), knitting, crafting, general household management, AND being a student midwife (did I mention that? I started studying with my home birth midwife in about August and I LOVE it! My last birth was such a healing experience for me, and I was so impressed with my midwife that I was so excited to join her team! I'll definitely have to write a post on that, and my birth story, soon!), so yes, juggling, it ALL! This past week, I was invited to share my thoughts on a crafting blog (https://whileshenaps.com/2015/01/infants-trade-shows.html) about my experiences nursing at TNNA. While I was sharing my thoughts with the writer, I realized that not only do I juggle nursing while working out and about,  but I juggle nursing and childcare and homeschooling in EVERYTHING I do. And have for the past decade. (whew.....I've been nursing for 10 years straight, is there some medal I'm forgetting to pick up somewhere? There has to be, right????)

Recently I attempted to hire a nanny of sorts, just so that I could have a couple of hours a week to dedicate to work (and so that I could have a responsible person other than my husband to call during those rare times I need to go to a birth during the day, or am coming in from one in the late wee hours of the morning and need to SLEEP!). I say attempted, because, frankly, my efforts were not successful. I registered on one of those sites with a good reputation, screened applicants,  spent time corresponding with several, and set up a few interviews. Only one person showed up for their interview. Everything seemed to work out, and so, I asked her if she could work a trial week, just to make sure it worked out for the both of us. I got a text in the wee hours of the morning (which is really difficult, because it woke me up, I was getting in, go to a birth mode, and voila, it was honestly something that could have waited until normal business hours- like 9 am versus 4 am!), and that was that. No nanny. I need reliable, and dependable childcare. Which just isn't happening, so I juggled again.

We recently moved around rooms, and changed the playroom into a bedroom, so I inherited an office/overflow room for toys that only 1 child wants to play with (also storage space for toys for baby to grow into). I've moved things around so that it is as baby-proof as possible, and is a good space for the toddler and the baby to spend some time playing together. I sat down to work, and before I knew it, all the children were in my office "helping", The toddler was wearing a hilarious get-up of my boots, and a dinosaur toy turned costume, while the 6 year old was wearing a train outfit and being Thomas, and the oldest was attempting to read to the baby. While it was not the most productive work environment, it did work. I even got some sketches that I've decided to incorporate into a project I'm trying to get finished up, courtesy of the art-loving toddler.

So, while it might not be perfect, or the ideal situation for everyone to work in, it's what works for me, for now, for this moment. Life is constantly changing, and to be honest, I don't know ahead of time what any day is going to look like- what baby might decide to be born early, or which one might be days, or even a week!, late, and I don't know if there might be two that decide to be born in one night.....but it's life, and it happens, and I just have to be flexible. It would be easy to just throw everything out and accept defeat- it IS hard to attempt to do complicated math with 5 little distractions, it's darn near impossible to wind yarn with a baby who wants to "help" (especially when he is in a clingy, must-hold me mommy phase!), but I'm not willing to surrender- at least not yet! I've got dreams I'm dreaming, and life I'm living, and I want all these crazy little munchkins to be a part of it. So, I'm making it work. I'm giving them all my time and attention during "school" hours, reading all the books, and putting pause on all the distractions (do you know how much easier it is to get through a Kindergarten lesson when you don't stop to check every e-mail that comes in when they arrive?) and I'm taking the time I need to be organized, or ask for help when it's something somebody else can take care of- like, do you know how helpful it is to have your third grader read the worksheet to the K? The third grader practices his reading, and you know that he understands it, because he has to explain it to someone younger than him. Then they can all discuss ants with daddy at the dinner table. And the momma falls into bed exhausted. The end......(but not really because baby wakes up in 20 minutes hungry!).

I guess the moral to the story, and what I hesitate to tell you is: this too shall pass. It really is a fleeting moment that they are little. And it does seem to happen in the blink of an eye (I think this EVERY time!), but it is also possible to get work done. You just have to be willing to juggle, and maybe drop a ball or two on your foot from time to time! And, to know when to say NO. Now, excuse me, I have some cupcakes, I mean, math lessons!, to go finish.