When Three Feels Like Ten

Okay, peeps.

You see this adorable, overlapped gaggle of kiddos right here???

Welp.

They’re the reason my posts on this here blog have been trending more towards 2-3 a week, instead of 3-5.



Hoh-LY good-NESS, these babies o’ mine have felt like A LOT, lately.

Such a lot, in fact, that I’ve started saying my three feel like ten, and I’m really not exaggerating, ha.

Now…some context, of course. 

First: we’re so fresh in this new era of having kiddos split in different schools. I knew it would add to the busyness of our life, and, boy, was I right. Different schedules, drop offs, school events, homework responsibilities, lots and lots and lots of logistics to coordinate. Plus, the extra time of investing in Chica to make sure she’s remaining steady throughout this major middle school transition. 

Additionally, we’ve just hit a more intensive wave of some of Chicklet’s dyslexia-impacted learning, and all is good, these things come in peaks and valleys, and they always level out, but she’s required a bit more thought and care, of late, which takes time and love—plus a whole heckuva lot of mental and emotional stamina.

Thank heavens, Little Man has launched his school year with great ease. He has a teacher we know and love, he’s in a class with several good and kind and playful buddies, and all is stable in his world. Because, as every parent knows: when one or more child requires extra attention during any given phase, it’s so helpful to feel that another child is holding steady!

Add to all of that the slightly amplified volunteer responsibilities of navigating both elementary and middle school, plus a lot of home-related, labor-intensive to-dos that hit this time of year (more on that in a later post), plus two early release school days this past week, parent/teacher conferences for all three, a school festival (more volunteering), the launch of the book fair (again, more volunteering), allllll the extra curriculars and social commitments, and, well…this week pretty much KICKED MY BACKSIDE.

And honestly, my kiddos were feeling it a bit, too

I made it a point on one of the early release school days to build in some togetherness “down” time before homework and the late afternoon parent/teacher conferences. It wasn’t the longest stretch, but it was helpful to bust out some LEGOs, put something on TV, and just be together. 

The next day, things had been just as hectic, but my babies and I managed to carve out a bit of snuggle time in the early evening, and it was soooo helpful to feel connected, boost moods, and just give everybody a little time and attention.

It’s an absolute blessing to have three active, happy and growing kiddos, but there’s no denying that it takes WORK to give them all the love and attention the need.

Some phases or stretches of time are much more difficult than others, but it’s all worth it to see the direct impact of their growth and the way they can thrive, under the best of circumstances.

I’ve said it a million times, and I’ll say it again: these days are long, but the years are short. I know I’ll look back on all of this craziness as the golden era of raising my family, and I’ll wish I could do it all over again. So I’m going to stay in the moment, in the weeds, and take each day and phase at it comes, and we’ll make it through to the other side!

More mañana, peeps.

Seriously, I have, like, half-a-dozen catch-up posts to tackle, so, more sooooon!

Over and out.