Applaud yourself for every victory: quick shower, quick workout, or a hot cup of coffee in one sitting! 

 

Balance. All things are important but we often have to find balance in time for ourselves, time for our kids, our partners, and all other busy moving parts in our lives.

 

Cherish the little moments, not just the big ones!

 

Dishes. That’s all, because well, they are always there…

 

Effort. The effort it takes to pack up and be that Mama on the Run! It takes 30 minutes to put shoes on and get in the car (let’s be honest here - VAN!) and the outing lasted 20 minutes. More time to prep than do an actual activity. But hey - we put the effort in for our littles! 

 

Farts. Because it’s funny. And we all do it. And there is nothing better than a little toot comin’ out of a tiny human. 

 

Genuine. Sometimes it’s hard to put on that genuine happy face when time seems to move backwards on some days. It is so important to allow ourselves any kind of genuine emotion and to teach our kids that having emotion is not a bad thing! We can feel grumpy but still go about our business - because, we are only human. (JK - Moms are superhuman but that’s another topic for another day!) 

 

Hydrate. Water. H20. Coffee has water in it too, right?

 

Ignore how other Mom’s do things if it causes you too much stress - what works for you and your family is unique to your dynamic - and no one else’s business!

 

Juggling schedules. What. A. Doozy. I recently missed my son’s first haircut appointment with his new barber. We showed up 30 minutes late and had to reschedule. Oops! (Thanks for being awesome Dylan!)

 

Kids. Because that’s who made us the crazy Mama on the Run in the first place!

 

Laugh. You know those chaotic moments where if you don’t laugh about the situation, you’ll cry! 

 

Make messes! My key phrase to my kids: What do we say to big messes? “No Biggie!” 

 

No Biggie! Every mess is a memory. I’d rather paint all over the front glass door of my house and have 3 toddlers screaming in the bath (I mean, hypothetically speaking, this never happened on a random Wednesday this past summer…) than be clean! 

 

Outside. All the outside play. All the time. My favorite quote from someone I read somewhere at some point in time: “Sunshine is delicious. Rain is refreshing. Wind braces us up, snow is invigorating. There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” Here in CNY we definitely see the range of weather! So, just layer up and GO! 

 

Practice. You’d think by kid #3 I’d feel like I had a handle on parenting! Oy vey! Every kid is different and practice does not always make perfect when it comes to motherhood! 

 

Quiet time. Naps suddenly not happening? Let’s talk about quiet time! AKA Mama gets another hot cup of coffee while your kiddo is either a) watching a show b) up in their room playing c) laying down in their new big kid bed and faking a nap! It’s a good reset for everyone after lunch and good prep for the second part of the day!

 

Relax. Our kids are not in a developmental race. My daughter took 10 months to roll and 15 months to start walking. We did PT twice a week for one year. I had to constantly remind myself that she is on her own schedule - and voila! I have a fabulously happy and cheeky 17 month old who doesn’t stop talking or moving! So, in sum…

 

Slow down! Bumps in the road are bound to happen. Let these stressful moments of parenting be a reminder to take a step back, and re-evaluate whatever needs re-evaluating. Give yourself and your family as much time as you need to get back into a working routine. Slow and steady wins the race, right? 

 

Thank you. Usually, Moms do not hear the words, “Thank you.” But really, thanks for showing up for yourself. Thanks for showing up for your partner, your kids, or your dog! Thanks for picking up that toy truck so I wouldn’t slip and fall. Thanks for cooking me breakfast even though you were still half asleep. Every little effort a mother makes for someone else in the day is worth a thousand thank yous!

 

Usually, the last to fall asleep and the first to wake up. Or, wake up multiple times at night. Or, not sleep at all. I’ll say it again: thanks Mama for always being there for the family. 

 

Vultures. Let’s kick those bad-mom vibes out the door. We can see those judgmental vultures circling around our parenting decisions. But instead of looking to the critic, we can look straight ahead and carry on! Not to mention, leaning into your inner-Mama community for support when the judgmental vultures really start to swoop in! 

 

Washing. You name it - it needs washing! Face, hands, floor, table, countertops, dishes, and most importantly, your hair! But really, motherhood is a dirty job and it’s a good thing we have the grit to power through! I mean, my sister had blood, baby spit-up and some fresh newborn poo on her shirt all within an hour. Two kids in two years, she is a rockstar. 

 

X. Cross out your plans - kids are sick! Sometimes our day is flipped on it’s head when the littles suddenly come down with an illness. But, like I said, we power through, and we take a minute to slow down and re-group if we need to! It’s a balancing act. And us Moms are the star of the circus! 

 

Yak Yak Yak Yak Yak. Anyone else’s littles strongly dislike silence? The quiet game doesn’t even work for me anymore.

 

I hope you enjoyed this playful piece on the ABC’s of Mama-ing on the Run! You might have noticed I forgot the Z…well, we know most parents can’t seem to catch ZzZ’s at night so I figured I’d omit the Z since we can’t find the ZzzZ’s…

 

Until next time, Mama!