Tomorrow is the day.

She knows it and seems both excited and nervous at once. The idea of going “every day” has started to creep in and I’m not sure it’s an entirely welcome idea for her yet. That’s OK though because it’s not an entirely welcome idea in my heart yet either…

But we are “ready”.

We’ve got the shoes, and the clothes sorted.

I’ve written her a letter and I’ve recorded her talking about what she thinks about going to school.

The camera is charged.

We had a morning tea at the school today and we already have a play-date planned for later in the week.

My head is ready…and my heart is getting there.

Maybe.

The time is here though.

The time is now.

and I’m as ready as I’ll ever be…I think she is too.

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Today is a day where I have well and truly felt outnumbered. Three children is absolutely exhausting…or rather, can be absolutely exhausting, and wild, and loud – so very loud.

But then there is this.

I couldn't capture a good photo of it but Bluey has the most amazing grin and I see it whenever he hears my voice which just blows me away. every time. He's smiling at me!!

Three is exhausting, but so is two. In fact it's mostly the two, when they are together, (or the first – wow, 4 year olds are intense!!!) that are exhausting…or when all three are yelling/crying/singing at once and I feel all I do is move between other people's needs. That's exhausting, definitely exhausting. But I'm still adjusting, still learning how to balance three and do it with patience and grace.

And this, this is one of the best things in the world…

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And do they know it?

The older Bliss gets, the more I find myself not just loving her to pieces but really liking her as a person. She’s fun, funny, unfailingly kind and thoughtful, gentle and yet completely mental. I like hanging out with her and though occasionally we rub each other the wrong way I think that’s kinda normal for two people who spend a heck of a lot of time together.

I’ve been trying to make a point of regularly telling her not just that I love her, but that I like her…and why.

We like having breakfast with you kiddo, you’re good company.

I am so proud of how kind you are to your brother.

I really like you Bliss, can I tell you why?

Do you like your kids? Do they know it? How do you tell them?

Just in case you forgot how important your job is…

Do you know what I think is one of the biggest lies (or misconceptions) going about motherhood? It’s that mothers are born, not made.

Mothers are not born, babies are.

Mothers are no more born in birth than babies are – both are truly made in the lifetime that follows. They are shaped through the feeding and sleeping issues of a newborn, the tears and tantrums of a toddler and the years of spilt milk, lost homework, scraped knees and broken hearts that follow. My guess is that mothers never stop being made, just as their children never stop growing – even when it’s into parenthood of their own.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I have heard a mum say “I’m just not cut out for being at home with the kids, we’re all better off with me working – happy mum a happy home and all that….”

My observations of mothers lead me to one conclusion – about 1% of the parenting popular fit the category of “being cut out” for life at home with small children.

The other 99% of mothers who are at home full or mostly-full time with their kids are there for a whole host of reasons that have nothing to do with being “cut out for it”.

I feel deeply sad about the lie that tells women and men that some people were “just born to be a mother”. It sets the majority up for failure…or for an idea that motherhood is something that should just come naturally. How can something as life altering as taking care of small, entirely dependent and yet strong willed person 24/7 be something that comes naturally?!?! Let’s get real for a moment.

If you want to work, work – no worries. But if you want to work because you feel like being at home with the kids “just isn’t for you” then please let me encourage you that most other mums feel like that too. Last week when Bliss came into the bathroom while I was showering just to let me know that Bear had opened and spilt the milk and that it was now “just like a waterfall” I was not filled with delight. Especially not since I’d started the day at 4.30am. Standing the kitchen, sopping wet and trying to mop up the mess without dropping my towel, I thought about how much simpler life would be if someone else could just deal with the it. But then I realised that someone else would also get to enjoy all the amazing times too. Being at home with the kids is a really worthwhile and surprisingly enjoyable experience…but a bit like everything else in life, it’ not great all the time. Don’t feel you have to opt out of that time because you’re not “cut out for it”. The surprising truth is that we learn to parent from our kids – and it just takes time.

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It was no small irony that a couple of weeks ago an amazing gift pack with the film “I Don’t Know How She Does It” arrived on my doorstep. It was a Wednesday and I had had one of those crazy days you imagine when you think about the whole motherwood-work-runningabusiness thing.

In between arriving 20 minutes late to pick up my beautiful Bear on his first morning of childcare. (Let’s just say I’m very thankful he is too young to remember that and be utterly traumatised by it. Me? not so much) to The Architect being called into an off site meeting half an hour before I was supposed to drop Bear off with him and hand over the afternoon pick up of Bliss and dinner-bath-bed routine (let’s also just say that leaving my baby boy with the office receptionist, as lovely and trustworthy as she is, does not leave me feeling like mother-of-the-day let along mother-of-the-year) it was a strange day.

When I first heard about this film, I immediately wanted to see it. Whether you are a SAHM, WAHM, working mum or something else who hasn’t at some point related to the “doing it all” vibe of motherhood? It’s everywhere. Clever to make a film about it really :)

I expected to feel a bit uncomfortable watching it; since becoming a Mum I’ve had seasons of being home full time, working part time and now running a business and each have offered unique challenges. Through each season I have realised that whether I am working or not, I am the sort of person who will be doing something and having (and sticking to!) boundaries is an ongoing challenge. There was one scene where I avoided my husband’s gaze but mostly, it was fun and lighthearted look at modern day living and I really enjoyed it!

I’m excited to say I have a wonderful gift pack containing I Don’t Know How She Does It and 4 other great DVDs to giveaway to one lucky reader…

to find out more, and enter visit my Facebook Page.