Unedited

This single parenting thing sucks. Period.

Just a few more weeks and we'll be a two parent household again hallelujah! You know when I was little, I used to watch Oprah and hear her go on and on about stay at home mothers. She would speak of them with such high regard and I really didn't get it. I mean, how hard is it to chill at home and look after kids!? Fast forward few some years later and boyyyyy! Even Oprah didn't do it justice. The only way I can explain it is that you're one person trying to keep humans alive, from medical care, to emotional support, being on a constant watch that nobody breaks an arm, playing referee, you're also the entertainer, the audience, the cheerleader, the educator, the spiritual leader, the EVERYTHING. And 99.9% of the time, it's the best job in the world! But then there are those days...

I don't often vent on this space so allow me a second:) so a few days ago Urijah wasn't hearing a word I'd say and Zuri was vehemently trying to get my attention with an ear piercing scream. Just then a shot a glance at the clock and my goodness it was only 9:44am. Nine-freaken-forty-four in the morning! So yeah, we were off to a rough start. The day didn't get much better but we did experience some moments of peace. In their defense I must also add that the kids and I have a cold AND for that reason we haven't left the house in 3 days. So I suppose the behavior can be blamed onto cabin fever.

I snapped this pic below early in the morning during those rare moments of peace...in this world of airbrushing, I thought to just post this as it is. Unedited life.

So now as I prepare for bed, I'm praying for a better day where I'm more patient and more focused on honoring their needs as best as I can.

4am stuff

It's 4am and I just got up.

If there's one thing I'm certain I'm not, it's an early bird. But for the last 2 nights I've been falling asleep at 8pm, clothes still on and everything! Either old age is settling in or mommy fatigue has started to take over.

But now my body is up refusing to go back to sleep. I've enjoyed the restful sleep but I do miss my personal time in the evenings.

So a catch up on our weekend...Urijah had his first talk on Sunday. He spoke to his primary class about preaching the gospel to all the world. Even though I had 2 lessons to teach that day, knowing that he had to stand in front of an audience made me more nervous than anything else. He did very well and sternly suggested that I be there right next to him. He got to a point of realising that the microphone could pick up on his breathing and so he stood for a few seconds, just breathing into it, which I found to be hilarious.

And yesterday was an easy day. I purposely didn't plan any activities because I'm a firm believer of easing into the week. Mondays are for pure lazy behavior here and I wouldn't want it any different. We did manage to do some grocery shopping though.

Have you ever gone grocery shopping with a toddler and a baby? Some trips are truly traumatizing and then there are those awesome trips where everything goes right. Because a shopping trip could go either way, I always try to make sure that they look neat and cute, I've found that strangers can tolerate your kid's loud tendencies if they look super adorable AND clean.

The highlight of my Monday was definitely seeing Zuri fight sleep and we managed to get it on video. It's up on my Instagram @precious.schamel ...it really baffles me as to why babies fight sleep, if someone rocked me, set up my room for adequate relaxation, I'd be the happiest human on earth, but not Zuri. I think she's mostly afraid of missing out on life. Little does she know that her naps are a downtime for all.

And talking about sleep, I should try getting in a few more hours before they get up.

Urijah's first soccer match

Today the first born had his very first soccer match (also the first time he's ever played soccer).

Have you ever had the privilege of watching 3yrs olds play soccer? If not, you must. It's one of the funniest things you'll ever watch, seriously, ever. I laughed so hard it was ridiculous.

Firstly, instead of bothering with chasing the ball, Urijah spent his time smiling and waving at us. He also made friends and chatted with his teammates as well as members of the aposing team. At one point I saw him attempt a game of tag. While he was having a jolly good time, there was also a lot of drama on the field. A minute didn't go by without a kid crying, some threw mini tantrums, others just chose to lay down on the field just because. There were impromptu potty breaks, snack breaks and overall pandemonium. At one point a kid burst out into tears right after scoring a goal. I'm guessing the cheering from the spectators gave him a fright, either way, it was quite an experience. Something that we'll now be doing every week for the next 2 months.

Since there's no score keeping we're not sure who actually won. Which is a good thing because all that matters at this point is that they learn the game and just have fun. And I'm glad to say that little Urijah had an awesome time. His sweet little sister was so busy snacking away that she didn't even care to run onto the field. And she's not a fan of walking on the grass barefoot so there's that...although by the end of the match she did brave the grass and entertained us with her high spirited personality.

Here are some pictures from getting ready to the exhaustion that preceded the game.

A neighborly hood

Best day ever! And it's late so I'll keep this super short.

We had story time this morning. So we walked to the library and actually arrived on time, hooray! During our walk, Urijah practiced he's talk for primary on Sunday. Our church has a children's gospel class called primary and the little Mr will be giving a 3mins talk on preaching the gospel to all the world. He almost has it memorized and I'm excited to see his delivery infront of the whole class. I've also had to check myself and not place pressure on him to perform but instead to just speak according to his own abilities. I'll admit that I did have a moment of panic and wanted to drill this talk into him so that he's delivery would be perfect. Then I realised that this was his moment, not mine. And therefore the preparation also has to be enjoyable for him...life is about the journey right...

After the library we sparked a conversation with a neighbor a few streets from us. Turns out she's from Croatia and naturally she and I bonded on our immigration tales. She's also a plant based eater and invited us to enjoy her splendid garden. As a result we came home with some goodies for dinner. She also has chickens so Urijah was allowed to pick some eggs (he's a big fan of hard boiled eggs but only eats the egg whites, it's the same story with Zuri so maybe they dislike the texture of egg yolk).

The night ended with a baptism at church. The missionaries then came by for dinner and we all enjoyed good conversation which has me thinking about my patriarchal blessing. The thoughts are geared towards how I truly have no idea, in fact, how I can't even comprehend the things that my Heavenly Father has in store for me. So we know our lives in this moment and the experiences of the past, but the future...we have absolutely no idea. Our general understanding of life is just so limited. It really is. No matter how enlightened an individual may seem, at the end of the day you are still human and Heavenly Father is in charge.

That knowledge has removed in me a need to control my life. Instead every single day is about being open to learn and experience.

Ah man, how good it is to be alive.

SA vs USA

You see the difference between a South African and American can be broken down to one thing. Music.

Let me explain. And of course I'm generalizing hardcore.

An American (in my experience) enjoys the sound of music. The music is detached from the actual person. There is no movement. Seldom you'll hear some singing along. It's a controlled experience.

For a South African. The music and the individual are one. Listening is a physical splendor. The social mask disappears as sound and person become one. The moment is no longer still, it is alive.

And now I'm thinking...instead of a national difference, could this also be a racial/cultural difference?

Either way, there is something to be gained from both.

Working out - a mom's story

Working out. Oh boy what a struggle it has been to stay consistent.

A while back I remained super consistent with my workouts because it was my business to do so. And when I stepped back from doing that work, I lost the motivation to exercise consistently. What used to be 6 days a week of 30mins workouts, became one workout a month (if even). 

So naturally my body began to change. I didn't mind the jiggly changes, after all I am a mom of two so my excuses were a mile deep. But then that's all they were, excuses. It took some real self talk for me to become honest with myself. So let's be honest. 

A healthy diet alone is not enough. It needs to be coupled with physical exercise. I know you know this already and so did I. Now what's holding us back from maintaining a consistent workout schedule? For me it was just plain laziness. And the less I exercised, the lazier I became. It wasn't so much my physical appearance (though it did play a part because when I don't exercise I begin to look like a serious beer drinker! Even Urijah noticed by asking "mommy do you have a baby in your belly again?") or the number on the scale that shook me into action. It was noticing how tiring it was to be unfit. 

And when Urijah started asking me to race with him up a hill near by the house, I was embarrassed to see how uncomfortable it was to run. So that evening I devised a plan. The plan was simple, it was to move every day.

So for the last 3wks I have remained consistent by choosing to workout every morning and actually getting it done. Since my physical activity directly affects my parenting, it has now become a priority. No excuses matter when it comes to the quest of being a fantastic mom! And with my laptop gone with dear husband + not having a DVD player, I had to improvise. I haven't been able to follow a workout program so I started doing what I can by creating my own workout routines. I'm sure if I was following a professional workout DVD I'd have better results, yet I'm still proud of where I am right now. And looking forward to now being a mom who's able to race up a hill with her toddler! Oh and it doesn't hurt to notice that the abs are back.

Keep doing your best

In my post yesterday I did not mention the 4 tantrums that exhausted my emotions. I did that deliberately because really, what's a day without some kind of parent-child mayhem.

I choose to mention it now because I wouldn't want anyone to think that I'm some super mom with perfect kids and flawless life experiences. I probably shouldn't even care about what anyone thinks. But I care here because as a new mom I found myself comparing my life to other moms. They seemed so put together and here I was, just trudging along and trying to figure it all out. I don't yet have "it" figured out. That day may never come. But I am desperately seeking to be myself and a decent parent at the same time.

So keep trudging on because the open secret is that nobody has it figured out. We're all just doing the best we can with what we know.