A-Artist. Your children think you’re an amazing one.
B-Balance. You’ve crafted the fine art of it.
C-Crying. You can distinguish between an I’m hurt, I’m sick, I’m tired or I need mommy cry.
D-Date night. You had one, stayed awake and didn’t talk about the kids (well, maybe only a little bit!). “We actually had a date night recently. It was great for it to just be us…no one pulling on us, needing to use the bathroom or having a meltdown. We were home by 8:30, but it was still nice!” says Colleen, Lenexa mother of two, soon to be three.
E-Exercise. Pushing a double stroller while wearing your third definitely counts as a workout!
F-Furniture. You successfully put a nice, sturdy crib together in under an hour—and there are only two screws left over.
G-Grocery. You not only fit your children and the groceries in the cart but made it out without anyone melting down!
H-House. It’s clean…for having kids!
I-Instincts. You’ve learned to trust your gut when it comes to almost anything parenting-wise: discipline, sickness, school, friends…because your first instinct is usually your best!
J-Jeans. They fit…again!
K-Keys. You found them…in the fridge.
L-Laundry and love. You’ve discovered you have loads of both.
M-Makeup. It’s on for the second time this week.
N-Naps. Everyone is down. Phew.
O-On time. You’re a pro at calculating the time required to load everyone up, get to your destination and still be on time.
P-Potty. You know where they are located in all your favorite stores…and have it down to an exact science when taking small children.
Q-Quiet time. You got some…in the shower…for about two minutes (see “S”).
R-Remember. You have the memory of an elephant and somehow manage to remember who needs what when, who needs to go where at what time, what you’re supposed to bring for the party Saturday, plus everyone’s birthdays, anniversaries, phone numbers, names of classmates and their parents and the list goes on.
S-Shower. You got one regardless of the fact that your children came in just to “peek,” use the potty and tattle.
T-Tantrums. You haven’t had one today!
U-Underwear. Everyone is wearing a pair…and it’s clean!
V-Vacation. Not only did you plan one and actually go on it but you survived and had fun as well!
W-Witching hour. You are the queen (or king!) of this three-ring circus. Managing tired, grumpy children while making dinner, getting everyone bathed and off to bed is no small feat.
X-XO. Your hugs and kisses never get old.
Y-You. Yep, that’s right. You. As Shawnee mom Alé Lorimer says, “It's really easy to get carried away caring for everyone else. I recently had some health scares related to not taking time for me. Now it’s so clear that to be a great mom and wife, I need to carve out time each day for me. It's not selfish, but the best way I can truly be selfless.”
Z-Zzzzz. Ahhhh, sleep. You are finally getting some!
Julie Collett writes from Overland Park, where she has experienced all of these triumphs at one point or another in her journey of parenting her 4-½-year-old, 2-½-year-old and 10-month-old!