Spring is here...maybe

The last few days have brought us warmer air and plenty of sunshine here in the North East. Although, there is a good chance we may still see snow this year, for the most part the dark winter is behind us. And for many reasons, this spring is breathing life into our souls. I know this is true in our house, and for many of our family and friends. For Matt and I and the boys, it feels good to return to outside activities, without 30 minutes of winter clothing prep time. This weekend we went for a walk to feed some ducks, I took the twins for a walk with some girlfriends down by the ocean. They were so happy to just stare at the boats from the stroller! Sunday afternoon naptime feels so good with streams of sunlight pouring over us(and the dog). There are deeper reasons why this spring feels good too.

Almost all our parents have at least one of the COVID shots required for vaccination. Matt's mom is done, and my dad gets his first hopefully this week. Matt's mom has been here twice now to help, and the thought of all the grandparents getting to see the boys again before the twins are a year old is so uplifting. This has been a tough year(or slightly longer) for a lot of people. Matt and I are lucky to have the resources we do, and are still exhausted and ready to have some relief. This comes in the form of seeing our families, scheduling play dates, perhaps reconnecting away from the kids....and I can't stress this enough....some solid alone time. For us introverts, it is so important to just find time by ourselves away from work, away from family commitments, to clear our heads and recharge. COVID has made that very challenging as a working mom.

Spring also signals that we have ALMOST survived the first year with twins. It is hard. It is exhausting. There are times you are not sure we are all going to make it. I have mostly given up on not stress eating. But we now have more moments of giggling and fun, and less sleepless frustration(if those darn teeth would stop giving us regressions that would be nice). Lachlan has found more ways to play with his brothers now that they can move more and giggle at his raspberry sounds. Mom and dad can almost find peace in those moments, other than the volume level. If you are still in that first year as a MoM, know that it does get easier(somewhat) and you will start to come up for air soon. I hope the spring air starts to bring some of that lightness to all those mothers of multiples out there!

I am of the few that also looks forward to spring cleaning and airing out the house! As the boys grow out of items I have been sending all our baby stuff to new homes(the twins are the last babies for us!) It feels great to get stuff out of the house and to hopefully help out some other mamas in the process. And despite the onset of dirty dog foot prints, I can start to pick little areas of the house to organize, clean and open a window. I think this is the time of year the sun and cool fresh air make or houses and minds feel renewed. And also maybe blow away some of the old pet hair stuck in the corners of the house? The house plants also start adding new growth, and I start to think about some outdoor plants. All good for the spirit. I find picking specific areas of the house, could be a whole room or just your favorite corner of a room, and thinking about how I want it to feel really inspires my spring clean and organize. Think about items you already own that might fit that area, deep clean it and get rid of anything you don't want there. Once you have a few areas done, you will be inspired to keep going. We made a great little nook for reading and toys for the boys and I just love having some coffee there while they play.

It also becomes easier to hold myself accountable to build exercise into my day. The sun and air that doesn't hurt your face anymore makes it easier to go out for that run on my lunch break, or walk the dog an extra mile. My training friends also start to focus again, and look for accountabilities partners. Although I am a terrible accountability partner because the kiddos make me an unreliable regular at group gatherings, I try to jump into those group work outs when I can. As more and more people get vaccinated I also have hopes of getting into the community pool...hopefully they have some hours over lunch or after bedtime.

Of course, I have hopes for all these things, but they are still hard to balance. It will always be a challenge to find time for the things that recharge my own mind and body when I dedicate so much time and energy to ensuring my kiddos, my work, and my partner have most everything they need. That spring air is somehow the reminder to refresh and renew our perspective as well, and squeeze bits of time for ourselves. Weather that be a walk, and clean corner of a room, or just being alone. As a wise friend once told me, "You do you Bo".