A Super-Mom Moment

Yesterday, I felt like a supermom.

No, let me clarify.

Yesterday, I was a supermom.

I woke up early for a six hour shift at the hospital, and was home by noon. Hubster left to go help with a Habitat for Humanity build, and so the boys were mine for the afternoon.

I've mentioned it before, but when the weather is wonderful, it is hard for me to stay put. I want to be out and doing. So the boys and I headed downtown. We went to the playground, where we ran around for an hour. Then we shared a gelato and played some more. Well, Bug and I shared gelato. Monkey could barely be convinced away from the playground, even for cold creamy mango and strawberry. We then strolled to the library where, finally, some books I requested were in!

Even after that, no one was ready to go home. We decided to go explore a greenhouse we had seen on one of our drives. We wandered through greenhouses, decided on some beautiful chocolate coleus to add to the flower pots on the front porch. They also had snowball bushes, which I have been dying to have. The price was reasonable, so after talking it over with Bug, I decided to get one. (Yes, I need to justify my purchases with my 7 year old son.)

We then went home, where I did dishes, swept, mopped, vacuumed, and dusted. Did you catch that? I actually dusted.

The rest of the day was finished out by playing baseball in the backyard, cooking blueberry waffles for an al fresco dinner on our new picnic table, (Yes, I love breakfast for dinner!), board games, story time, bedtime for the boys, exercising for me, and then a movie with Hubster.

I went to bed late, but feeling completely amazing.

I was truly a supermom yesterday.

I am absolutely exhausted today.

I've always set very high expectations for myself. I had this idea that I could be all things, all at once. That I could be mother, doctor, wife, and myself all at once. And not just that, but I could do all things equally and excellently.

I've come to realize that it's not possible.

Trying to do everything, things slip through the cracks. Yes, there are days like yesterday, where I feel close to invincible, no one fights, no one yells, everyone eats all their food and goes to bed on time. But most the time, days aren't like that. When work is more demanding, things at home suffer. When home is requiring my attention, things are work slip.

The important thing is finding that delicate balance that allows enough time for each area of our lives or recognizing which thing we have to let go of.

The other thing I've learned to recognize at the people who allow me my supermom moments. I wouldn't call them sidekicks...they are superheros of their own accord. Hubster, who continues the baseball game while I cook dinner. Bug, who willingly, without a single word of complaint, cleaned up all the toys in the playroom and cleared the table. Monkey, who ate all his dinner.

I'm not a super mom. I'm part of a super family.