Can I go to bed yet? And A lesson Learned!
Mood:  hug me
Its 10 PM...and I know where MY children are!!! They are (YES, even Jonah!!!) sleeping! Sam probably won't stay in his current slumber for long, but for right now...blissful sleep!

I've been in burnout mode lately and I don't think today will come to an end soon enough. (Actually, today will end in just under 2 hours, but I'm not sure that I will be sleeping by then...) Not complaining...what good would that do anyhow? I actually went to the health food store today and picked up some Valerian Root, hoping to gently end my insomnia. So far, it hasn't worked. That stuff sure does taste nasty though...so, no sleep but the good ol' gag reflex works just fine.

I've been doing a lot of self examination lately. All of these wonderful and wise women who tell moms with extra-special kids that "you need to take care of yourself or you won't be able to take care of anyone else." What wise, wonderful advice that is. Too bad its taken me 5 1/2 years of internalizing seizures and a million other kid issues to realize that this little gem of advice is one that ALL mamas need to take to heart. Taking time for ourselves, even if it is a hot bath after a full day of chasing our babies...we need to do whatever we can to nurture our spirits because we have so many people depending on us. We need to feel fresh and as calm as we possibly can in order to be the best Mamas we can be. My fuse has been prety short of late, a sure sign of burnout. I'm starting to take time. Just a bit of time to breathe. Time to calm down. My sweet boys need me to be open to them at all times, they don't need me to be frustrated at something else when they are needing me. I don't ever want them to think they can't come to me. This parenting *thing* is harder than any other journey I've ever taken. I'm learning and want to follow the right path. And that's the right path for my children, first and foremost. We need to take time for ourselves, true, but it is a very delicate balance... keeping our selves intact, keeping our spirits fun and healthy and vibrant and alive, and being and becoming the very best mothers we can be.

So, lesson learned. Take time to nurture our spirits, keep learning how to be the best mothers we can be and keep our kids first, and throw a little fun into the mix as often as humanly possible. Childhood is a journey, not a race. Motherhood is a journey, not a competition. Peace within ourselves is a journey that we must consciously choose every minute of our lives.