I've often wondered, how to simplify my life a bit more. I'm kind of a middle of the road kind of gal. Not extreme in most things, just fierce in the way I try to Love. I love my family, I love my faith, I love my friends, and I love what I do professionally. I've kind of hit the mother lode as they say when people say "living the dream". I did not however, get here blindly.
It took a lot of sacrifice and faith. The whole "I do this now so that later... I can...." That was my mantra in college and the first few years of my nursing career. Helping my husband get through college was also like "We do this now for our family later" type thing.
It's hard. It's satisfying. It's tiring. It's happy. It's infuriating. It's living. But it hardly is ever, ever quiet.
Lately, I've been able to go back to daily mass. Thank you Lord for the new school schedule. I love being able to start my day with Him first. I know it'll be a daily struggle to make it a part of my life with so much going on, but it's actually then the more He needs to be prioritized with so much going on.
So, on the outside (a facebook look in), I have a great career in a family business we built from scratch, a loving husband, a beautiful home, and 4 amazing children. Here's what people don't see:
1) 6 to 6:30am, I'm feeding the 3 month old so he'd go back to sleep and I can attend to breakfast routine with the other kiddos.
2) 6:45, I finally get up and go to the bathroom. My husband and I mumble a good morning to each other as he hears me wake up our 5 &1/2 yo for kindergarten. He gets up cause he feels guilty if he sleeps and I'm running around getting kiddos ready (He works nights and being awake to help me is a huge thing). He takes over Zach (5 & 1/2yo), I wake up Elise (4 yo) for pre-school while we keep checking the monitor if the 2 yo has heard the commotion and is waiting patiently in her crib to be gathered.
3) 7:00, we get them out to the breakfast nook where thankfully, my aunt has prepared their cereals, milks, etc (she arrives around 7am, if she didn't, it's even crazier at the Sike Ward). She watches the 3 with Jon while I attempt to get ready for work. Some days I look readier than others.
4) 7:35, we're loading up children to go to school drop off where Jon and I drop off the 5.5 yo, the 4 yo, and the 2 yo comes along for fun.
5) 8 am, my husband and/or I get back to the house. I make sure the sitters are set up for the day.
6) 8:15, I head to daily mass with my mom and we finish around 9:15
7) 9:15 am, I'm at the office... which starts off it's own routine.
8) around 4pm, my husband wakes up (he works nights) to go pick up the school kids.
9) 540 pm, start heading home for me to do dinners, homework.
10) 700pm it's baths, jammies, tooth brush, readings and prayers.
11) 730p rocking and bedtime for Aidrey til 8pm ish unless Jon can't get Zekey to stop crying for mama.
12) 8pm Zach and Elise in bed with a few min of ipad and by 830, lights out.
Then it's kitchen cleanup, look over all the papers, feed baby Zekey, etc etc etc.
By 10pm... I'm exhausted and zekey and I are in bed.
It sure is a "sike" ward routine. Do it all again the next day. And I don't even wanna think of Sat and Sun. Haha.
