Motherhood is hard.

Motherhood is definitely the hardest and yet most rewarding job in the world, and today is proof of this: one child (while completely not thinking) stabbed the leather couch repeatedly with a newly sharpened pencil while another child (the one who has been super difficult to deal with ever since the first day of school) got right to work this morning and finished her schooling before lunch. 

With having several kids super close together, I often feel like I continually deal with the same issues because as one child overcomes a particular "phase" (hair cutting, coloring on walls, etc.) another tends to move into it. Then you add new problems to work through with the oldest (or sometimes one child does something new that you have never had to face with your older three). Some days it feels like a constant battle. Then you have days where you see progress: the kids make their beds without prompting, the child who has been struggling with a concept in school finally gets it, your child offers to help with something because they thought it would be the right thing to do. The days where you see progress are the days that we must look forward to, must remember, and (from what my parents tell me) will some day treasure as beautiful memories. Hang in there. Find opportunities to encourage some other mom who is most likely struggling. Remember that none of us is perfect or has it ALL together. Happy Monday. Enjoy another cup of coffee.