Parenting is bloody hard.

I was recently playing Trouble with my kids and realized that parenting is a lot playing Trouble. Some moments, it's all 6s and you feel like you’re flying through life’s little challenges. While other moments it feels like your kid is on top of you, knocking your down and you’re being sent back to the beginning.

This pretty much summarizes my world right now. Lots of highs, sprinkled with (thankfully) fewer crappy lows.

In the course of my parenting “career”, I’ve come to realize the following things:
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1. We’re all in this together. Surrounding myself with smart, funny, brave, wise and kind friends makes me a better mom;
   
   
2. When I am in a great space, our family is in a great space. When my spirit bowl is empty, I can be a really unkind mama;
   
   
3. Discipline is about learning and not punishment.
   
   
4. Finding Balance is hard, but crucial. Being a mama is my first priority, but I am a better mom when I put energy into being a healthy woman, a wife, partner, friend, community member, volunteer and (for me) creative person. BUT, wearing all these hats doesn't mean I have to be perfect. Rather, I just need to find my balance;
   
   
5. Meditating grounds me and makes me feel more in control with my emotions;
   
   
6. Slowing down and enjoying the moment is harder than it looks. But if we alter the schedule and make “time” a priority, then balance follows; and,  
   
   
7. Clean house = Calmer mind. This is awfully cliché, but I really am a better parent when my house is tidier, clutter is minimized and I put a priority in making spaces in our home welcoming and inviting.