How Do I Do It All?

I don’t know how often some well meaning friend or acquaintance will say to me, “I don’t know how you do it all!”

How do I write, homeschool three kids- two with special medical needs, one with autism, take care of my home, and cook from scratch for allergies, all while living with chronic illness?

The answer is simple.

I DON’T!! 

I don’t “do it all” every day.

Some days, my house is a mess.

Sometimes, I go a week without writing anything.

Sometimes, my kids don’t get the world’s healthiest dinner.

Sometimes I look at my 5 year old and wonder when he last had a bath.

I can’t do it all. 

I can’t do everything well all the time.

I pick what’s most important at the moment. Usually, my kids win. But sometimes, the house has to get cleaned and I know that they’ll learn plenty if I send them outside with a magnifying glass and a jar and tell them to look for bugs.

Sometimes, the pain from my autoimmune disorder is just too much and we lay in bed and watch Bill Nye the Science Guy together.

But, I think when I leave this world, my headstone will read, “Mama Tried.”

And that’s really all any of us can do.

I am not perfect.

I drink too much coffee.

Sometimes, I swear.

Sometimes, I yell at my sweet kids.

Sometimes, I forget to call a friend back for a month.

But I’m trying.

And I know that all my mama friends are trying just as hard.

I know that we live in a picture perfect Instagram/Facebook/Twitter world, but let’s be real. My life doesn’t look exactly like my Instagram feed. I don’t take pictures of the pile of dishes that needs to be washed and add a pretty filter and put it on the internet. I don’t blog about when my ten year old acts entitled or my five year old hits his siblings.

Maybe I should, though. Maybe we should all be more honest with one another.

So here I am, telling you honestly: I can’t do everything. I am not Wonder Woman or Super Mom. I have laundry that needs washing and boxes in my garage from when I moved. In March. I have so many projects I want to work on, but I can’t, because there isn’t enough time in a day. And that’s okay.

I’m trying.