Life in 2014

"Coming together is a beginning; keeping it together is progress; working together is success." - Henry Ford

 "Be careful what you ask for" is completely relevant in my life right now. In the last five years I have set to live my life with more intent. I take the time out to set daily, weekly, monthly, yearly goals for myself. And you'll never guess what has happened? EVERYTHING I ask for finds its way to me. Is it perfect? NOT AT ALL! But I ride the waves because I know in the end, I win! My kids are growing and thriving and I feel we have finally felt our groove...who cares that they are now 5 and 7 years old and it's taken us this long. ;) Progress is progress and I'm enjoying it. Of course, now that I feel like we got it...things are changing. I have BOTH of my kids in elementary school. This means double parent meetings, double homework and double the activities! But I'm going to put it out into the Universe now that everything is working in my favor. All good things come to me and I will work this schedule like the best of all time! Please excuse my mid-blog pep talk. :)

 So, I wrote this before school started in August but never published. I'm sure Mommy brain caused me to forget about the three half written blogs.

 Fast forward to November 2014; life is still a crazy mix of kids, school, work, business building, relationship building, family time, holidays, and birthday parties and on and on and on and ON! Thankfully, I am finding the time to focus on the things that matter the most to me. I've learned so far that the main goal is to make sure I am 100% and then I can give 100%. I recognized this early on but did not always execute it successfully. Insert a few anxiety attacks and days of feeling truly overwhelmed....my therapist (yes, I live in LA area it's a pre-requisite) told me to ASK for help, say NO, and most importantly, take time out for myself.

 Mommies let's do our best to give to our families and most importantly to ourselves!

 Until Next Time,

 JK

The Life of a Single Mom!

Wake up at 6am. Stretch, check on kids, and shower. Set up ironing board; turn lights on in kids’ bedroom. 7am wake up sleepyhead kids. Between 7am and 7:40am is the mad dash. I must get three people dressed and presentable for the world. Make sure they’ve have breakfast and make sure all homework has been completed. Whew…the life of a single mom!




For the last two years I commuted to and from work eighty miles a day! Thankfully, I have moved much closer and that part of my day is no longer a strain. If you’ve ever experienced Los Angeles traffic, hug yourself or anyone that drives in it every day. It’s a war zone!



I work for a bank in Southern California and my job is different every day and I never know what I am going to come across. It definitely keeps my day moving along. In between that I enjoy time with other adults and sharing stories that don’t involve much of the 4-6 year old conversation I have at home.



6pm….quitting time! I listen to music before I pick up the kids because as soon as they see me, I’M ON! My oldest son is in kindergarten and has a flurry of stories to tell me and tell me the things he’s learned during the day. My younger son is in pre-school and has equally entertaining stories to tell. Bugs, boys and girls, new friends, mini fights, yucky lunches, bathroom jokes, sports stories, new library books, and the list goes on!



We are home by 7pm and my second job begins. Kids complete any homework and reading assignments; they eat dinner, take a bath, and bed time! I can honestly say I do not know how I get thru the whirlwind from 7-8:45pm. It’s one of those perks in the life of a single mom that you just master. Now I am not saying I have it all down to a science, but I’ve definitely found my groove.



Now you may ask yourself, when do you have time for yourself?! Well this is the time, my friends….when the kids go to bed! Mommy can read books and magazines, paint my nails, talk on the phone, or enjoy one of the kids’ snacks!



It can definitely take its toll on a person to be the sole parent in the household. In any given day you are Mommy, Daddy, Friend, Nurse, Dentist, Police, Judge, Jury, and anything else children may need at any given time. It helps to have family support and the other parents support as well. Unfortunately, not everyone has those to help them. I find it most important to find time to decompress my mind and have a good balance in life. I make sure my children have me when they need me but I also make sure I make time for myself. Because I cannot be the best Mommy to them if I am stressed out and overworked!



Okay, my free time is over….back to the wonderful life of a single mom! Thanks for reading!

Good night weekend...

It was a calm and relaxing Easter Sunday….okay it wasn’t calm or relaxing, but that sure did sound good! I was up until 5am this morning talking on the phone like a teenager. Those are the moments that I miss the most about adolescence. No cares in the world, with time to chat with friends. Now why on earth would I do such a thing with an almost two year old and almost four year old home with me?! I have no idea! By 8am they were up and raring to GO! I was no match for the J’s…so I turned on a movie and invited them to hang out in my room while I caught few more zzz’s! *Patting self on back* after a couple of hours of rest, I was able to get up and get going before 11am. To make up for my lazy Mommy morning, I made Belgian waffles and bacon! I then made an attempt to clean the house. Ahhh, those children really have it out for me when cleaning time comes around. I am convinced they move from room to room to either a) make a bigger mess, or b) mess up what I’ve just cleaned. Is just something my rambunctious children do? Please tell me this isn’t some DNA issue that I’m stuck with?! LoL. As lunch time and nap time approached they seemed to wind down a bit. Thank goodness! I was able to catch up on news and television in peace and quiet. And before you know it….THEY ARE AWAKE! Since it is Easter, we decided to make an Easter Bunny cake. We didn’t brave outside because my youngest is battling a virus and I know his immune system couldn’t handle catching anything else. He is already a glob of snot…ewww! As I was saying, we made a bunny cake. The J’s loved it and helped me whisk out all the lumps. After it was done cooling we iced the cake and used candy to decorate Mr. Bunny (is what they named him). Then it was time for me to cook dinner. This is the beauty and the curse of this whole single parent life. I have moved away from my family, and this is my first holiday being on my own. So with no dinner prospects, I was in charge of making dinner. And just because I was not cooking for a ton of people, I went for a fancy dinner. Filet mignon, macaroni and cheese (cheddar, Monterey jack, and goat cheese), and roasted red potatoes. Yes, I know….no veggies! But this is the beauty part of being single…I don’t have to eat veggies if I don’t want.  The rest of the night was a blur of reality television, cartoons, cleaning house, and getting ready for the work week ahead! I am sad to weekend behind me, but I am blessed that I was able to spend time with my kids and thankful to have a job to start the week off with. With that…Good night!

Until tomorrow….

~jk

Single Mom...

I guess that is my new title...Jacqueline, a single Mom.  I'm not exactly sure how I feel about the term.  I have always been an advocate that you are not a single parent if the other parent is help in some way shape or form.  There are many different different facets to co-parenting children.  I am new to all of it.  I'd like to hear opinions or any helpful advice.  Oftentimes, people let their own feelings get in the way of how they parent their children.  I have not or will not let that be my issue.  I have resolved all of the emotional issues in my past relationship.  It feels easy for me to speak to my children's father about what needs to be done.  So with all of that being said...here's to a new journey.  I know that it will be hard at times, being that I am the primary caretaker of our children.  But I am up for the challenge.  Testing out my "SuperWoman" capabilities.  Here is a fun and fabulous 2011!

Ciao

~J