Lately, I’ve been extraordinarily stressed. With three kids and only one me, I’m always worried that there just isn’t enough time in the day to make all of them feel loved and special and attended to. At the end of every day I realize that I literally have nothing left to give. I am spent.
To top it all off, Mack is a force to be reckoned with. I must constantly remind myself that he’s 2. And a boy. And the middle child. And that he has two sisters. He’s a bull in a china shop, and more is never enough. He exhausts me (but I sure do love him!).
Evie is so happy to be my little shadow – baking cookies, reading books, helping out around the house – and with a rambunctious brother demanding most of my attention I can’t honor her quiet disposition the way she deserves. My mom took Mack today, so it was just me and Evie and Vivian. Just the girls. I thought it best that we do activities Evie enjoys, but that we can’t normally do when Hurricane Mack is in the house.
So, we started the afternoon with simple paper crafts. Its amazing how creative a 4 year old can be when I give her kiddie scissors, colorful paper, glue and tape. On her own, she created a paper doll family – one doll for each member of our family.
She hung up the paper dolls on the fridge so Dad and Mack could see them when they came home.
And lovely Vivian was so happy to participate. Just one of the girls!
Later in the afternoon we painted pottery at Glazed Expressions here in Chicago. Evie could not have been more delighted with this activity! We both chose Christmas ceramics, and every few minutes she’d ask me to look at her work. She was so proud. And so was I.
Even Vivian was happy to quietly observe from her car seat.
Throughout the day we talked about how much we missed our Mack. I’m pretty sure Vivian felt a little unsettled with the unexpected quiet afternoon. It will be nice to see our little man again tomorrow!
Homemade Mothering is a movement that aims to simplify life and foster self-reliance while being kinder to our families and the planet. Its about encouraging people to get back to the basics when it comes to mothering and homekeeping. 
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HOW do you do it? I only have two (boys) 2 years and 6 mos, and most days I feel my meltdown starting around 10 a.m and then 3:30pm. And you’re on “your own”???? Truly? Or is husband just away frequently? Share your secrets to sane mothering.
I have a *WONDERFUL* husband who is building his own business – he is typically gone from the house for 14 hours a day, so in many ways I feel like I’m on my own a lot of the time.
Perhaps the biggest trick I use to staying sane is keeping it all in perspective. There are many times throughout the day that I ask myself, “How would my great-grandmother have handled this?” I apply it to everything from homemade baby food to cloth diapering . I think of women on the Oregon Trail or settlers on the midwest prairie. They somehow made it work with a lot less than what I have, you know?!
I am also a BIG believer in routine. Kids thrive on it; parents survive on it. Try to keep the general flow of every day the same, and life gets more comfortable and predictable.
There are plenty of tough moments throughout even the best days…we just gotta hang in there.
Good luck!!