Good golly does it get exhausting caring for two young kids, a three year old boy and ten month baby girl, all on your own. I wouldn’t trade it for the world though, I’ll tell you that!

After I had my daughter I went through post-partum depression. Never experienced it with my son, so it was completely new to me. Luckily, I had family in town to help when I needed them the most. Not to mention, during my post-partum depression I was in the process of building/closing on my home. Packing up an apartment, finishing the last few weeks of grad school, caring for a new born, and still trying to show my son much needed attention. It became hard! Things were starting to get rough, and this was just the beginning.

I currently have no family in the town that I’m living in, the nearest family is two hours away (including the kids father). Once I moved into my new home, got off maternity leave and went back to work, things got REAL, and I became stressed. Being the first to wake up, and the last to go to sleep it was like clockwork. Making sure children are taken care of are my top priority, I literally felt like a robot doing the same thing, day in and day out. “What was wrong with me?”

As we know having kids in daycare and school, they are constantly getting sick. This past year only my kids have had the stomach bug, the flu (at the same time), my daughter having RSV THREE times, with the third time being hospitalized. The doctors office became our second home. With my kids being sick and my attenion being focused on them, of course I didn’t take the necessary time to have that “me-time”. When you’re doing it all on your own and your little ones depend on you for everything, and you get zero breaks it starts to wear on your. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. I started to see myself becoming more irritable, and impatient, but not towards my children. I just wanted a break, “me-time”, quite time, etc. but I never got that.

I was tired of being strong, and people always asking “How do you do it?”. I didn’t want to be superwoman anymore, I wanted to give up, not once but MULTIPLE TIMES! But my kids depended on me and I had to keep going. I depend on my kids to keep me going . I had to figure out how I was going to get my quiet time, “me-time” in. Days where I get off early from work, and before I get the kids I take time for myself. I go shopping, get a mani/pedi, come home for a while, etc.

I strongly believe I’m one tough mama, and nothing can break me. I thank God for the support of my family and friends from afar, as well as my co-workers who offer to lend a helping hand. Though I had a routine in place, things got hard and still are, but taking time for yourself is important because physical, mental and emotional exhaustion can be dangerous. Keep it up mamas, you got this! ❤