It was another hectic morning. It started out fine – I got the girls and myself dressed and ready, despite me feeling like crap garbage because of this cold I can’t seem to shake. (No one told me how often I’d be sick once I had kids – more specifically, a toddler!)  But then we got to the park and it was chaos. Isabelle started screaming in my ear (I was wearing her in a wrap) and Clara, immune to Isabelle’s crying, continued to play on the playground and eventually began chasing ducks. I was trying to convince her to get in her stroller (and to stop chasing the ducks) but it wasn’t working. Meanwhile, I was getting a lot of sympathetic looks from other parents because there is nothing more pitiful than a hysterical newborn.

Isabelle screamed through lunch and the entire process of me putting Clara down for a nap, but she is finally quiet. THANK YOU JESUS.

But here’s the thing, in the midst of the chaos, I had a few moments of peace. When Isabelle finally quieted down on our walk home and Clara was happily singing in the stroller and after I had ducked into a coffee shop to grab a (much needed) mocha, I just thought about how blessed I am in this moment and in this season and how I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be in life. Because I am a mother of two girls and darnit, that’s pretty special.

It’s hard, but it’s special.

I’m glad God gave me that perspective and moment of peace in the midst of the screaming, because it got me through the next few hours with patience I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Now Clara is asleep and Isabelle is staring at me like “hey mom, do you want to let me just hang out on your boob all day, even though I’m not hungry?”

Wish me luck. Just a few more hours and it’s the weekend!

Things I’ve Read on the Web:

// Unless You’re Oprah, Be Yourself Is Terrible Advice: “Pay attention to how we present ourselves to others, and then strive to be the people we claim to be. Rather than changing from the inside out, you bring the outside in.” (here)

// FOMO: This Is The Best Way To Overcome Fear Of Missing Out: “And when you’re with friends, put that phone away. Seeing friends and family regularly is the happiness equivalent of an extra $97,265 a year. Whatever you want to check on social media ain’t worth a hundred grand, bubba.” (here)

// Things Worth Doing Badly:  “We often feel pressure to become an expert at whatever we attempt, and to become one as quickly as possible. But there is a reason amateur comes from the Latin word for love: we also need to do something for simple love of the thing, whether we’re good at it or not. We need to remember how to be a child, to do things—run, laugh, climb, puzzle out—for the pure joy of it.” (here)

// Community Matters: “It matters because community helps form our identity and the identity of our children. The way we spend our days, living life, shoulder to shoulder with others, is the way we spend our lives. I have wasted far too many years wishing myself out of this space, only to feel God tap me on the shoulder and whisper ‘This is where I have planted you. Grow deeper.'” (here)

TGIF!