I often looked forward to going to bed for the night, at 8pm when the kiddos went down, my battery ran out and all I could think about was lying my head down and closing my eyes. Forget the dishes piled high, the laundry baskets overflowing, the toys scattered like leaves in Fall, any personal time or working to achieve my goals, hey I even forgot that I had a husband that just walked in the door minutes before.  Sleep had become my happy place, the only thing I wanted to do as soon as I woke for the morning. And then something changed.

I have now opened my eyes and continue to do so daily. My life as I had dreamed and I mean “dreamed” about as a young adult has evolved and changed. My role right now is different than the role I had imagined while I was racking up student loans. And guess what, that’s okay with me now.  I have come to embrace my life as I know it today as a married mother of three. I now know this is where I need to be.  I take in every moment good and bad and know that it’s part of my journey.

My reality has changed in the past few years and that’s okay.  I accept that my JOB will be a mommy first and whatever doors open up for me in between those daily hours, are up for discussion and maybe one day for an interview.  I truly believe that when the time is right I can revisit my non-mommy goals and add something else to my plate. What I look forward to now is a day filled with life and laughter, messes and meltdowns, and the calm before the next day’s storm. For now, here’s to the non-staged and non-photographed “magazine home.” My life my reality!

Written by Guest Mama Shannon whose favorite drink is Starbuck’s Very Berry