As much as I would love to have a routine it's really hard. I work full time I feel like I commute full time and quite honestly a routine and cooking dinner at the same time and putting the girls to bed at the same time always has me feeling short of what I could be or far from what others do to make it work...
Magic words spoken there folks: they flowed from my tongue right this instant: "MAKE IT WORK"
So I've come to realize, REALLY!, like no joke! I hate routines!!! Probably as much as I hate swimming with sharks. But I feel so far from perfect and feel so out of touch half the time because honestly every day is different. Everyday I end up catching a different bus, why? Someone had a melt down before the leaving the house, something unexpected happened, oh yes - like forgetting to fill up on gas the night before. Car tire has a leak, at the school or at my parents either girl had something going on and I hate, hate, hate to be dismissive and that parent who makes their kids feel abandoned, cause at the end of the day where ever it is I am trying to get to, IT WILL BE THERE. This wasn't always my mentality folks, but once you're a parent: shit changes, and it changes you fast. Bottom line is something is always up. There is traffic for no apparent reason and I get it, we live in So Cal, when isn't there any traffic? But life happens and I find myself stressing trying to meet the status quo, trying to be that mom that can do it, that gives their child a bath at 6:30 each day, that wakes up and goes for a run at the crack of dawn (there's coyotes in my neighborhood and I do need my beauty sleep) so yes. So I say hell to the routines: every night is a different day and my life is happening a moment at a time. I can't stick to a certain ways of doing things because it's just doesn't work for me. It doesn't work for us. Every evening is different, sometimes we have a home cooked meal, sometimes, we eat the food my mom packs me to go, Tuesday's is Taco Tuesday and so we may be having that, or we all meet once a week and eat out. But that's just it, that's "our" family time, that's what works. We "MAKE IT WORK", I make it work, somehow we all manage to have clean clothes, clean socks, plenty of clothes, food in the fridge. Is the laundry put away after the wash??? Maybe! they may or may not be put away after. Who cares!
What is consistent is the showing each other: love and kindness, teaching the girls to be respectful of others, to be sympathetic and empathetic, to show and share their feelings, to share and get along with others, manners, how to behave in different places or situations. Just stuff we hope to pass on to build their character, self esteem and more importantly their confidence. We like to talk to them like little people, my husband and I once told each other before having kids that we weren't going to do the baby talk thing, so now we pride ourselves in the fact that we have helped build their vocabulary by speaking to them like mini adults. It's helped in so many ways, in the way they communicate back to us, they are able to express their feelings better, what they need, what they want, etc.
Moral of the story here is YOU make it work, however it is that you make your family work, that's good and keep doing it, never feel like you fall short from being the perfect mom, wife, sister, daughter, etc... You just have to be you, and if routines don't work for you because of certain logistical reasons or timing issues, don't be so hard on yourself. At the end of the day, no one is keeping a score card on how beautfully you've decorated, how many Pinterest recipes you followed, how many workouts you got in during the week, how many loads of laundry you did and "actually folded and put away", how nicely curated your Instagram feed is, or how many times you eat as a family and cook dinner together, NO ONE IS KEEPING TABS ON YOU, let's face it we all try to bring our best foot forward but the bottom line is no one cares. I find myself finding IG feeds boring that are just too perfect. Life is imperfect, life is now, let us not feel compared to others because there is one you, there is only one you: who is perfectly made, yet we strive for perfection and fall way short, when what we should strive for is our purpose.
You "MAKE IT WORK" because in the end no one cares about what kind of car I drive, no one remembers if you left dirty dishes in the sink one night, or how much make up we pack on, what kind of purse I wear, the only thing that matters is that I leave a legacy of strong little woman behind, that I share myself and give them unconditional love and attention. Values and morals will last longer than the next trend.
That's all folks, sorry to get back into my little writing space with such vengeance here. These are my thoughts and opinions and well that's all, have a great night.
Love this quote.
I hate this phrase like I hate drinking a warm cup of tar. When you hear someone say this, surprise! You just hit a big wall. Good luck with that.
This is more like it! I need to embrace the chaos and think of healthy habits rather than sticking to stressing me the fuck out: ROUTINES
Disclaimer: the only routine I wish I could keep is wearing all the lotions and potions I buy for my face. So of course when I remember I just double or triple up on it. Tends to give double to triple results too. LOL! Just kidding.
XOXO,
Gabriela
Good points!
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