Tag Archives: parenting

Book Review, Faith, Five Minute Friday

Challenge Is An Understatement

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Challenge is an understatement

Every single day there is a question someone always asks me. It doesn’t matter if I am walking my kids to school, going shopping, or having a routine visit to the doctors. It’s always the same question…

“Are they twins?“

My devious brain wants to reply back with a quick quip…

“No, actually, they are quads but the other two are left at home”.

Instead, I just smile and nod my head. I’m hoping I can get to where I need to go before the next question gets asked…

“They must be hard work. Aren’t they a challenge?“

A challenge is an understatement - looking after twins

When I respond with the fact my babies are actually children number four and five, eyes open wide with shock. I say looking after my other three children when they were younger was more of a challenge than the twins. (I had a three year old, a 23 month old and a newborn by the time my son was born).

How hard is it really?

Often, people ask how hard it must be. My response has been to disagree with what they have said. I bravely put on a smile and make out everything is hunky-dory. However, deep down inside is a completely different story.

Yes, my twins are a challenge. Yes, it is hard work. I don’t want to admit that though. Who wants to admit they are struggling? And when people ask if it’s hard work, do they really want to hear the truth?

Challenge is an understatement

I underestimated how hard looking after twins was going to be. Twice as hard doesn’t even come close to it.

“Having twins is not twice as hard—it’s exponentially more difficult”

Natalie Diaz, author of What To Do When You’re Having Two and CEO of Twiniversity

I knew what to expect with having three children previously…the sleepless nights…the constant screaming…the never ending feeds. Well, I thought I knew what to expect!

Sleepless nights are taken to a whole new level when two babies are crying. The constant screaming is like having surround sound with the volume turned up! And as for the never ending feeds…I never realised how much milk would be needed. And what goes in must come out, right? Well, let’s just say babies seem to have a way of doubling everything that goes in!

It may be a little bit more than twice as hard, but the blessings I have far outweigh the challenges. I get double the smiles and twice as much love. This is what I try to remember when the going gets a little tough. I’m getting a little help to remember this truth by reading through Becky Keife’s new book “No Better Mom for the Job”.

As a floundering mama with bags under my eyes big enough to prove my lack of sleep, I made a choice to stop fixating on a deficit I had no power to change. After all, God is pretty set on the whole twenty-four hours in a day thing. Instead I decided to concentrate on what was fully within my grasp: my ability to give thanks.

I started to retrain my focus from what stressed me about being a mom to what blessed me.

Becky Keife, “No Better Mom for the Job”

Can I suggest that if you need a little encouragement, go and pre-order Becky’s book? Raising little ones is not easy. In fact, it’s down right hard work. Sometimes it feels like it’s a lonely job. Am I right?

You are not alone

Becky writes about the ups and downs of being a mother to three spirited boys, and I love how she makes me feel like I’m not alone in the job anymore.

You’re probably thinking right now that you haven’t got time to have a shower these days, let alone sit down and read a book. You don’t need to worry. Becky knows too well what it’s like raising little ones, so she has recorded an audio version of her book too! You get to hear Becky’s sweet voice for yourself.

No Better Mom bonus

As a parent I love receiving bonuses, so this one is a fab bonus…If you pre-order Becky’s book before October 1st you get to receive the Audiobook for free! How awesome is that? Order your copy on Amazon or other online retailers today then head over to NoBetterMomBook.com to redeem your FREE AUDIOBOOK preorder bonus!

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This was originally written for the Five Minute Friday Community, where a number of writers gather for a weekly writing challenge around a single word prompt and write to our hearts content, but only for five minutes (or there abouts). 

I couldn’t stick to five minutes on this one though. The word prompt though was “challenge”. You can click here to view what other people have written. 

Faith, Five Minute Friday, Write 31 Days Challenge 2018

Day 21 – Start in the Right Way

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Ever since we found out I was pregnant with twins, we have been looking at how we can get our other children a little more independent. We know looking after twins with three other children isn’t going to be easy. Actually, it’s probably going to be down right hard work.

We needed our children to be a little more self-sufficient. I know it might help me in the long run, but it will also help them. As parents, we can’t keep following behind them cleaning up their messes. They will need to learn to start clearing up after themselves.

So, we started a routine with them. One which we hope will stay with them for a long time. Maybe even until they have their own kids in which they can pass their wisdom on to. Who knows? All we can do is hope and pray that what we teach our kids now, will stay with them and they will not turn from it.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

You are reading day 21 of the Write 31 Days Challenge in conjunction with The Five Minute Friday Community. Today’s word prompt is ‘start’.

Faith, Midst, Motherhood

In the Midst of Motherhood

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I have already mentioned in a previous post that I haven’t made any New Years resolutions this year. I don’t see the point as it’s just too much pressure to try and keep one. Especially when you’re the parent of small children, right?

Instead, I’m focusing on one word (midst) which I hope will keep me centred throughout the year. This is the first post that I am writing, which focuses on this word, and I hope to write one each month for the rest of the year.

I, of all people, should be thankful for my children. It took me 5 years to conceive to have my first, and she was nothing short of a miracle when she came into this world. But do you know what? This parenting lark is hard. Oh my word! Hard is an understatement.

Continue reading In the Midst of Motherhood →

Motherhood

Motherhood. How hard is it???

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MOTHERHOOD IS VERY HARD!!!  No-one really sits down to tell you this before you have your first child.  No-one really tells you about the lack of sleep that you will have… or that you will have days where everything just seems so hard to cope with that you just want to curl up and cry.

I have 3 children (two girls aged 7 and 6 and one boy at 4 years old).  Yes, at one point in my life I could say that I had three kids all under the age of three!

OH MY WORD!

How on Earth did we think that this was a good idea at the time? We often got comments from people that we were either very brave, or just absolutely mad!  I am still trying to work out which one we are!

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My husband is an only child and he is the last one alive to carry on his family name. I so wanted a boy so that we could do this.  Well, third time lucky and I got my wish.  And boy, didn’t I know about it.  Let’s put it this way…We did originally want a big family and to have 4 children, but having my little man has absolutely wiped me out.  Being constantly knackered is no fun. The sleepless nights that I had for the first 2-3 years of his life were awful.

I remember one night it felt like the kids were playing tag during the night and each one were taking it in turns to get up.  I had one child awake screaming because she was teething… oh, and did she have a pair of lungs on her! Once she was dosed up and settled, my other daughter woke up coughing and spluttering. She had one of those irritating coughs that once it starts, it just doesn’t stop.

If that wasn’t enough, my son then had a sickness bug and he really knew how to throw up.  It was the projectile type of throwing up.  You needed to duck and get out of the way before it was all over you.  I walked in to him crying and I lifted him out of his bed and it hit me… literally! I was absolutely covered from head-to-toe in vomit.  It was horrendous!

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I got through those horrendous nights though.  It DOES get a little easier.  I do get SOME sleep now.  Admittedly, there are different challenges now though, and yes, I still find it hard to cope at times.  I’m just pleased that I am not where I was 3 years ago…

…Struggling.

It’s hard to admit that, but yes, I did struggle.  It’s not easy trying to live up the expectations of a perfect mother.  It isn’t going to happen.  You just need to roll with it.

I just want to encourage anyone reading this that you are not on your own.  Feeling helpless is normal at a time when you are sleep deprived.  It WILL get better though.  Hang in there.  You are doing a wonderful job.

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