Mommy Moment #1

So, I am starting a new series of posts titled "Mommy Moments". These are mainly for me to record and look back on, but others might enjoy them.

Mommy Moment #1:
Last Thursday, I got all the kids ready and headed to the zoo to meet Amy and her guy, Lorrin. It was a fun, but long day. It was going to be an even more full day since I had a stake primary meeting that night up at the stake center. So, after the zoo I was already worn out and I was going to have to leave for my meeting soon after Stan got home, so there was no hope of him taking the kids so that I could rest a little. I was really trying to find any way to lay down just for a little bit because I was just so exhausted. I finally got Brooke to take a nap, and as I was going upstairs to lay her in her crib, I decided I would go lay down in my bed and just keep the door open so that I could keep an ear out for the kids who were downstairs watching a show. Well, the show was almost to the end so about 30 seconds after I lay down I hear, "Mom! Mom! Where are you?". I say nothing. 10 seconds later, I hear the footsteps coming upstairs. I hover a little more under my covers hoping to hide for a minute or two more. No luck. 'Thing one' and 'thing two' have found my hideout. They commence to climb all over me and shove their little faces into mine. Jake follows this action with shouts of "We love you mom." He at least knows how to redeem himself a little bit and make me smile. They were good enough to hang out for a little while with me in bed, and I would open my eyes to see Kate occasionally getting into my make-up. I finally mustered up enough energy to pull my body from my comfortable bed to find that Kate has almost completely emptied a full pallet of eyeshadow and has decorated her face and body in a shimmering brown layer of make-up. I am finding that there is no rest without paying some consequences, mainly cleaning up whatever they destroy while I am turned away. I have so many things that could easily consume 100% of my time. Trying to do everything definitely spreads me thin. I have no maid, or chef, or nanny, and I have recently decided to pull my kiddos out of preschool (for several reasons). Now, it is going to be even harder to accomplish everything (or anything) without any breaks.

Occasionally, I do get out and go for a walk when Stan gets home. Recently, I have been listening to the book 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell. In this book it talks about how people who become the absolute best at what they do normally have to spend 10,000 hours doing it. Since being a mom is a 24 hour, 7 day a week job, I have spent a little over 35,000 hours in just 4 years, being a mom. So, this means that I should be an absolute expert by now, especially with 3 little kiddos, right? I wish.... but, I do try.