Raising Up Richards: It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's SUPERMOM!!!

So this morning I had a catch up session with my dear friend Dusty. I will probably talk about friends and why we are friends a lot in future posts simply because I think it's important. I want my kids to know how and why I have the friends I do. I want my children to learn and see how to chose worthy friends and how to be one in return. We can learn so much from those we associate with and I take this very seriously. I want to surround myself by people who will help me be better and Dusty is one of those people.
Dusty and Josh were friends from childhood and she is one of the first people he introduced me to when we started dating. First impressions are huge to most of us and my first impression of Dusty was a desperate wish I could hate her. I say this out of love... Dusty is stunningly beautiful, a natural beauty without a stitch of make up on. She is tall, tan, thin with light eyes. Dusty is educated (teacher by profession), creative and loving. AHHHHH I have often said she is so perfect I wish I could hate her but she's just to sweet. Instead of searching for her imperfections I instead made her one of my closest friends and she has remained such for almost nine years! Dusty and I agree on the basic ideals of how we want to raise our children. We both believe in less is more and want our kids to be productive, giving, loving and strong children with a strong sense of family and self. Dusty is trying to keep up with my tribe of kids and is getting close after she delivered fraternal twins 6 weeks ago. Pretty crazy two friends having twins together within a few months, right? I'm happy to be on this roller coaster with her. I can speak frankly with Dusty and when I say things that I should probably keep to myself, she generally laughs because she has thought it too.

This is Dusty and I on her wedding day.

So back to the point... Dusty and I were talking about the hard parts of having twins today but it's probably not what you think. We both struggle with time, not time to get things done but the quality time we desperately want to have with our babies. When you have one baby even if you have multiple children you can find time to sit and cuddle the little one, staring into their precious little eyes to the point of amazement that you have such a glorious gift, forever! With twins it's extremely difficult.

TWINS=TASKS

I constantly am multi-tasking and have a hard time holding and loving the babies individually, not because I don't want to but because one always needs something and if they don't, the big kids do. Don't get me wrong, these babies are held 24-7 but its typically both of them, feeding them, playing, changing, bathing but its not the same. It's just not... I have found myself regularly waking one up from a nap or right before I go to bed in order to love on them. I enjoy holding, kissing, and nursing them one at a time and I can tell they like it too. I don't mind loosing a little sleep for those moments and I know I will cherish them forever. Most new moms would think I'm crazy for waking sleeping babies but Dusty doesn't, she gets it...

During our conversation the topic of this blog came up and we got a good laugh out of it. We both are continuously being praised as the SUPERMOM! I get a lot of "I don't know how you do it" or "Your amazing, a real supermom". I think it's funny and although I appreciate it, I generally have the same response, "Nothing super here, I just do what I have to do." I'm right, right? It's not like I have a fairy godmother who is going to wash the dishes and juggle the twins while helping the big kids with homework, it's just me during the week. Does keeping the kids alive make me a supermom? If it does then yes I am because they are all still breathing! The fact of the matter is I just don't think I am doing anything extraordinary.

Yes I am raising five children that include a set of twins which is a lot of work and is even more work when you are trying to do it right but I can't fly.

Yes I do work as an emergency room nurse but only part time and I can't climb walls (sometimes my kids can).

Yes I am married and pretty much take care of all the household duties but I can't shoot lasers out of my eyes (my husband may disagree, he's gotten some crazy looks from me today).

Yes I have taken up a few hobbies like photography and sewing but that's purely selfishness to keep me sane and I cant shoot webs and scale the buildings.

I am not a supermom, just a mom who tries.

If you base your perception of me off Facebook posts or the fact I nearly always am smiling out and about then you would think I am super but the fact is those are just glimpses of my life. I do have amazing moments but I also have horrid ones as well!

EXAMPLE:

Today we ventured out to do things that had to be done. I loaded up the kids after school and picked up my ring from the jewelry store, made a return to Buy Buy Baby and then hit Costco...(sigh) Costco is really hard to manage with five little ones...Typically Josh and I go together on Mondays when the kids are in school so we only have the twins and even then its tough but I worked a night shift Sunday and was just toooooo tired to shop, so we didn't get it done. My cupboards have never been so bare so I did what had to be done.

Out of the car, set up the stroller, two babies buckled in.

I push the stroller while holding Gianna's hand and Ty grabs a cart while Paris daydreams.

We get half way through the store successfully. I instruct the kids to grab the bread, pick out lunch meat, grapes and broccoli then the dreaded sample station.

"mommy, mommy, mommy I want to try!"

Penny starts screaming as we block the isle with the stroller, cart and Gianna trying to get a sample like she hasn't eaten in a year! As we finally push past to the next isle, Gianna has a complete melt down as her caterpillar she made in school brakes and she locks up devastated that her new little creature is broken in her hand. At this point I am pushing a stroller, holding Penny and trying to get to Gianna so we can just get this over with when I hear my name called... A family friend who wants to see the twins...(sigh) I get Gianna in check quickly, Penny stops screaming and we get out of the passer byes way and we move on. As we walk Ty tells me a woman told him I was a "supermom", he laughs that people are so amazed by our circus act. Next isle in Charlie starts screaming, I put down Penny pick up Charlie and the scent of her overwhelming diaper explains her screams... "Lets go kids, we're out a here!" Two isles left and we jam through them but not not before Penny goes in to her "someone is killing me" scream. I am now holding both babies, Ty pushes the cart, Paris pushes the USELESS stroller and Gianna dances behind me. We stand in line to check out when a new beautiful mom in work out clothes and her sleeping baby approaches, "You are amazing, I am having such a hard time with one and I was watching you juggle five so brilliantly. I hope I can do it when I have more." All I could say was "Thank You"... I couldn't deny the fact it was a huge accomplishment...It is a huge accomplishment daily... Maybe Dusty and I are supermoms but not because we have litters of kids but because our kids know we love them and at very young ages respect adults, love, laugh and cherish their families....Maybe our superpowers are fueled by love....