When Mom's Take On Too Much

So this blog has been a work in progress for almost a month now but I wanted to finish ALL THE THINGS so I could include them in this post. More than once in the last few weeks, I have talked with other moms and we all agree - we take on too much. Yet somehow we often manage to pull it all off, which makes us do it again and again. I was messaging my family photographer (and friend) about one of my many projects and she asked me why we do it to ourselves. Well that’s a great question - one that I am not sure any of us have the answer to. Have times changed? Is it because of things like Pinterest? Or social media? I know for me personally it has nothing to do with competition with other moms (although for some this may be exactly the reason). For me - I don’t know how to say no. And I want to do so much for my kids. My daughter had a very specific Halloween costume request - of course it was one I couldn’t find easily. Ok no big deal - I can make it....the entire outfit from scratch...for both her and her brother. My son turns one this week right before Halloween. That is so super exciting BUT it also means a first birthday party.

In order to really explain moms taking on too much, let me go ahead and give you a run-down of my projects this month: I made dinosaur Halloween costumes for both kids and decorations for Leo’s first birthday (Oh The Places You’ll Go Theme), all from scratch. I put together trick or treat stuff for my daughter’s school and went on a field trip for school. There is weekly dance, training for my own race, and of course, getting my business KB Healthy and Fit up and running while also currently hosting company for over a week. Do I need to anymore to my plate? I’m sure somehow I could and probably will but I am trying so very hard not to. So what does all this mean? I got the projects done in time, and if I do say so myself I love them!!! But am I exhausted and running on caffeine most days? Yup. I’m sure my workouts are suffering from burning the candle at both ends and in the middle most days. I’ve been slacking in the meal planning department, or when I do meal plan I forget to get the ingredients I need for each meal. Laundry is never ending and I definitely fall behind more often than I would like to admit lately. Far too often I am trying to get these projects done while the little ones are eating breakfast or lunch or I am rushing around during nap time like a chicken with the head cut off. I feel like I am forgetting to be present and just enjoy my time with my kids. I love to sew and do different crafts but these last few projects haven’t been as much fun for me. I feel rushed and then make mistakes, which is frustrating because I have to spend even more time fixing them.