Motherhood has been filled with so many joys, some so wonderful I thought my heart would burst. I have cuddled my twin boys, loved them, fed them and cherished my time with them. I thank God every day that I have these two precious little men. But, there are times I think back to what my life was like before them and selfishly wish for some of the things I cherished then. Here is my list (in no particular order):
10 Things I Miss From My Life Pre-Kids
1. Time to Read. Oh how I miss the days when I devoured a novel a week, could tell you about all the literary award winners, and even re-read some of my favorite books. Right now, I have (no exaggeration) 20 books stacked waiting to be read. (bolivarescapes.com)
2. Sleep While I finally have my boys sleep trained I still feel like I am not getting enough sleep (apparently two years of sleep deprivation will do that to you). I honestly feel like I could go to sleep now and wake up next week.
3. A Clean Car Before kids I thought of myself as a tidy person. Someone who kept things neat, in order and organized. Then, came babies and eventually toddlers. While I work my hardest to create order and structure, I have lost the battle with my car. So much so that once a month I pay to have it cleaned inside and out so that someone else gets the joy of getting food crumbs from underneath the seats and in the consoles. I tip them generously and for that drive home I soak up the clean car smell.
4. Sleeping In (see #2) Sleeping is one of my best skills. I fall asleep easily, stay asleep consistently and can nap just about anywhere. My favorite thing to do on Sundays is to sleep as long as possible, then go out for brunch. Now, by the time other people are sitting down to brunch I am already through two coffees, breakfast, morning snack and am preparing lunch for the boys.
5. Money Children are expensive, that is no surprise, but twins are VERY expensive. Two of everything, from toys, to cribs, to car seats you need two. I have bought some things second hand, but a lot of the time it is easiest to find two of exactly the same thing to prevent a lot of hassle. And strollers, my goodness we have sunk our net worth in strollers!
6. Paying Babysitters (see #5) I remember fondly my husband and I going out to the movies and dinner and it cost $80 including tickets, snacks and a great dinner. Now, double that. Good babysitters are hard to come by and they are pricey. So, the movie better be darn good for me to shell out that kind of money.
7. Meaningful Phone Conversations One of my best friends from elementary school just called. She wanted to talk about her day and catch up. I tried. I really tried. But, hard to carry on a conversation with twins crawling all over me, yelling, screeching, and saying “mom” 1000 times.
8. My Parents Attention As an only child myself I used to lament how much attention my parents gave to me. Even into my thirties they were a little too involved in my life. But, since the twins have been born, my parents turned into grandparents and I have taken a back seat. Luckily the boys live with me or I might never see them!
9. Privacy I never thought that going to the bathroom alone was a luxury, I felt it was a necessity. I mean who are those people that leave the bathroom door open when they pee? Apparently, that is what happens when you become a mom, you lose all self respect and ability to take care of personal matters in private!
10. My Belly Button I was never a fan of my belly per se, in fact it has been an area that was always quick to hold extra weight. But, I had a nice belly button. An innie, proportionate and fitting for my body type and shape. Now, I have something that was once a belly button, got stretched to maximum capacity and then got swallowed by stretch marks and belly fat.
Is there anything that you miss? Can you relate to any of these?
I can relate to all…except the belly button and babysitter ones. So far the Grandparents are the only folks who have watched baby, and thankfully for us they don’t charge!
Great list! I wonder how old we’ll be until we’ll be able to pee alone again :)
Thanks Sarah! Grandparents are great babysitters! :)
I can tell you ladies to not hold your breath on peeing alone my twins are 12 now and I still can not go to the bathroom in peace lol sorry for the bad news. I can soooo relate to the belly button thing.
Patricia, Oh no! That means at least 10 more years! :)
This post has been effective in killing any of those instincts in me that tell me I want a kid…golly I take half of these things for granted!!
Samara, I took them for granted too. The negatives are definitely overshadowed by the positives! :)
Hi there found you via wkend hop. It gets better as they get a bit bigger. I entered your recipe hop thanks for hosting. a new follower. Drop by & visit when you get a chance @ DearCreatives.com
Welcome Theresa! Hope you can come by and visit often. Thank you for following.
Hi!
I’m stopping in from Friday Chaos! I’m one of the co-hosts and I’m so glad you linked up!
Hope you’re having an awesome Friday!
-Alexis
http://www.livingthewifestyle.com
Welcome Alexis! Love the title of your blog! Thank you for coming by.
A lot of those things come back when the kids are bigger! Seriously!
Yes! I miss sleep VERY much!
Julie @ Naptime Review
It is something that no one prepares you for. The lack of sleep and the loss of true deep sleep!
Ohhhh…. the belly button!!! I laughed out loud at that!! In all honesty, I find comfort in knowing I’m not the only one! :) Such a perfect list!
Found you on the Harvest of Friends Blog Hop. New follower here.
Falen
Falen,
I think there should be a support group for those of us that mourn the loss of our belly buttons! Who knew they could be so distorted?
I can certainly relate to pretty much everything on that list and my youngest is nine!! Motherhood is a never-ending job, but with spectacular results :))
Thanks for linking up with my NO RULES Weekend Blog Party!
Paula
lifeasweknowitbypaula.blogspot.com
Thanks Paula! Yes, it is the best experience in the world!
#2 and #7 are my biggies. Thanks for sharing. Stopping by from the weekend blog hop. I am a new follower. Hope to see you at True Aim!
#5 – Oh my gosh! I thought my first was a baby, and then Baby #2 (a girl) came along. Boy are little girls expensive! And I don’t that changing any time soon. My ladybug wants to change clothes at least three times a day so she can be a “pretty princess!”
Another one for me is waiting and waiting for my babies to say “mama.” Now I just wish they would go 5 minutes without calling my name!
Visiting from SITS. I’m your newest follower!
That is a good one! Yesterday we counted and the boys said mama 37 times in a 15 minute drive. Some days I feel like my head will spin off!
You know, I may steal this topic for a post. I love this idea. There are a lot of things I miss too about how it was before the responsibilities of being a parent. However, I would love to have a babysitter once in a while. We have never had one and some days I would give anything to have a date night with my husband
Steal away! I think everyone’s list would be different, but I also think we probably all have a few key points in common. Motherhood is awesome and hard all at the same time!
I totally understand. I miss being able to go out all the time with my hubby.
We used to roller blade after work three times a week, go out to dinner several times per week, go to the beach on the weekends, etc… We have three little ones now under the age of 10, and its very difficult to plan getaways with all of their activities. So, I guess I miss the flexibility of time we used to have. When the activities start, your schedule becomes so boxed in and structured. But, we love watching our kids in their sports and theater groups, so its all good.
We try to cram in two dates per month. Even if they are only 2 hours long, they really make a difference in our happiness level for the month. Love dates with my hubby. :)
Great suggestion of planning 2 dates per month. So important. It is always amazing to how things you take for granted, like flexibility of schedule changes.
I can totally relate!! I have a 20 month old and a 14 day old…my husband and were just talking about how challenging raising two is and how much the simpler things (such as taking a bath or having a decent phone conversation!) are so previous to us now!!
Lisa @bitesforbabies recently posted..Bye-Bye “Bottomless Pit!”
#2, 3, and6! Especially having to pay a babysitter. We live 1000 miles away from our family at the moment and rarely get to go on dates. But I have to say we do a lot of “at home dates” once the kids go to bed and they have been some of the best dates we have ever had. It would be nice to have more time out though. : ) Following from SITS! Happy SITS Day!
Are you trying to say yelling “I’m on the phone!!!” 30 times in a 5 min convo isn’t a meaningful telephone conversation?? LOL
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lol > i feel the same about my belly button. The other big one is sleep. if we get off routine, my son turns in to a night owl ( an inherited trait- his faither is the same way)/. I would definitely love to have a nap for a week lol. My mom will babysit for me but we haven’t really done a date night yet.
Ashleigh Swerdfeger recently posted..Yoga & Meditation Challenge
YES YES YES on all accounts. I seriously feel like I will never not feel tired again.
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I totally relate. I miss SLEEP more than anything else!!
Oh yes, I can relate to those!! I wouldn’t trade my kiddos for the world but I do kind of miss a few things too….sleep primarily. :)
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Yes – sleep is the one thing we all miss I think!
a great post topic! I definitely miss all those things too – especially time to read. Now I read at like 1 am but then I am exhausted the next day. STILL I *NEED* to read b/c it’s one of my passion so … I am just MORE exhausted than normal!
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I’m not sure that I miss too much from before kids – except sleep. Sleep was awesome!
Danielle @ We Have It All recently posted..Child Passenger Safety Week | Booster Seat Safety
You are so right about the loss of privacy!!! We’ll laugh about it one day, right? :)
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell recently posted..Capri Sun Kid Pickers Contest (1 Grand Prize Trip and 100 First Prizes)
I don’t recall needing so much sleep before kids, but now that I have them, all I wish I could do is sleep!!
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I love this article! I definitely miss sleeping in. I was queen of sleeping in as I worked 3-midnight in my younger days. I also miss having my home look showroom ready lol. I’m a clean freak (house is still clean) just has dings on walls, floor boards and writing marks in places. Oh and yes privacy. What’s up with kids having to come in the bathroom while we’re in there?
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sleep — lack of and lack fo spare.
and my belly button seems A LOT DEEPER now :(
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I completely agree – I miss my sleep! Even when my kid sleeps through the night, I’m up checking on him and making sure he’s okay! A lot of sacrifices come from having kids, but it’s completely worth it!
I can relate to a lot of this, especially missing the clean car.
As a mom of Teens.. I can say.. Well.. the babysitting money will come back one day..hahah but I stil waiting for a clean bar heck a clean house would be nice, too.. maybe one day.. they should move out someday.. right?? Wait, then the grandkids come over.. WELL.. yup.. I will miss all those things forever, too..lol.. Great post.. enjoyed reading it
Melanie a/k/a CrazyMom recently posted..Sofia The First fit for a Little Princess #DVDreview
What a great post. I miss ALL of these things too. I am glad that I am not alone.
Lisa @ Charlie The Cavalier recently posted..Tips on Booking a Cruise
While some of these didn’t apply when I only had one child, now that I have 2 kids, the oldest of whom is just over 2 years old, I am shocked at how dirty the car gets- and we only have the odd snack in the car. I still have to read, but I pay for it the next day when I’m even more tired.
Your post made me chuckle! My kids are a bit older now, so I’m over the worst with some of the above :-). However, it would be nice to be able to make decision to do something for myself without having to take into account the kids soccer training, Irish dancing classes, getting them minded etc. :-)