By Krista Newbert
One of my 2013 New Year Resolutions was to get back to writing more. So as we round the end of 2013, and at the urging of the editors of this paper and my family, I figured it was time to get back to the “Mommy Chronicles.”
Like most people, as the year comes to a close, we ponder, where did the time go? Between working and trying to keep a household together, time vanishes like a sock in the dryer, never to be found again. So over the past few weeks I tried to figure out where those last 365 days went.
Surely, after that much time had passed, I would have a long list of accomplishments. However, after some reflecting, I concluded that most of my time was spent:
• Searching for lost library books.
• French braiding hair … and then re-French braiding hair trying to appease a particular daughter.
• Driving to soccer, gymnastics, baseball, chorus, music lessons, play dates, camps, swim lessons, parties …
• Laying down for “just one more minute” when putting kids to bed.
• Reading “just one more chapter” when putting kids to bed.
• Finding socks that didn’t hurt my son’s feet.
• Refereeing everything.
• Waiting for my son to finish breakfast.
• Waiting at walk-in clinics when ear infections inevitably hit on weekends.
• Waiting for my son to finish lunch.
• Patching up scraped knees and elbows.
• Waiting for my son to finish dinner.
• Trying to reattach tags to clothes that my daughter swore she liked, only to change her mind a day later.
• Going to the food store, only to return home to find we still had nothing to eat.
• Convincing my children (and husband) that swimming in the pool didn’t count as taking a shower.
• Looking for lost toys.
• Looking for a parking space at the beach.
• And finally, trying to figure out how to get to the next level of Candy Crush.
Of course, between all that I somehow still managed to work, occasionally put a well-balanced meal on the table (I think blueberry pancakes cover all the food groups), keep the house clean enough that no one called the Board of Health, and even squeezed in a couple of short vacations.
Not quite the list of accomplishments I thought it would be. No, I didn’t get to run that half marathon, but only because my daughter had a gymnastics meet on that day, and no I didn’t do a better job planning meals, but how could I when no one in my house likes the same thing, and no I still haven’t put up blinds in my living room, but with so many choices, you understand my dilemma.
However, I did manage to get back to writing my “Mommy Chronicles” and I did manage to put more than a few smiles on my family’s faces, so there is always next year for all the rest.
Until then, blueberry pancakes it is.
Editor’s note: Krista Newbert has returned to add her take on life as a mom in the Two River area. Please check for future editions of her popular blog, “Mommy Chronicles,” on The Two River Times™’ website at www.tworivertimes.com.
