It takes a village…

It takes a village to raise kids. I honestly did not appreciate this old adage or fully understand what it meant until I had a child.

I have been really busy at work lately. A pretty big case load, added responsibilities…all adds up to a lot of time at work and a bit of added stress. In fact, yesterday, I worked all day 8:30 to 4:30 and spent the evening 5:30-10:30 prepping work for today. Well, being a working mama ain’t easy.

For starters, it is always so hard to work in the evenings when I have been away from my son all day. Not only does it suck to leave in the morning, but it sucks just as much to be at home working when I could be spending that time with him. (Luckily, it doesn’t happen often). Thankfully, my husband took my son on a few errands and even surprised me with a new double stroller that we were wanting to get for when new baby arrives. It made it easier knowing my son was out and about and not in the next room. My husband also did bath time. I was able to snuggle with my kiddo a bit before he had to go to bed and before I needed to get back to my work. But, how on earth could I have accomplished that without the support and help of my husband? Truth is, I probably couldn’t, or at least if I did, I definitely would not have been as well rested for my incredibly busy and important day today!

After a pretty decent day work, my mother in law, graciously extended an offer to keep my son a little longer than usual so my husband and I can grab a bite to eat together kid-free to catch up and celebrate the minor reprieve we will have from the work stress. (Thank the Lord above for her).

In addition to all the work related stuff: it’s also summertime, which translates to wedding season. My husband and I were invited to four weddings within a short period of time. Each of these requires a baby sitter. If it weren’t for our families and friends who offer to watch our son for us, we would miss out on celebrating these precious moments with our friends and our extended families. That or we would have to shell out a ridiculous amount of money for childcare which let’s be honest, is most likely NOT in the budget.

To top of it all, it is pretty difficult to start potting training your child when both parents work. I think it is pretty obvious that a routine has to be established at home. Consistency is key. Luckily, one of our best friends who watches our son twice a week has started to implement potty training into her routine with him which definitely helps my husband and I out since we are doing this on the weekends and evenings.

As I said, it takes a village to raise littles….and we (my husband and I) are so thankful for ours. Our son (and soon our daughter) is a/are lucky kid(s).