It Takes A Village.

My mom flew in from Florida last Wednesday night. To be completely honest- (and yeah this is a tad shameful for me to write) I was kind of dreading the week long visit. Most of you know my house- its small. Not like shoebox small, but small. And don't get me wrong, my mom is my best friend- I love her more than anything- but I felt like I was just kind of getting over the blow of them being "gone" and its like the wound reopened. Does that sound really melodramatic? Hope not.

Anyways, its Monday morning. My mom leaves in 2 days. And I'm devastated (once again). These past few days have been some of the most wonderful days... calm, fun, stress-free- all that good stuff.

We've all heard the quote "It takes a village to raise a child." And whoever said that (I apologize wise quoter) was RIGHT ON. I don't think parenting is meant to be mom and kids, at home all day, ALONE. I need my mom. You need your mom! We all need our moms! :)

Or SOMEONE... someone to help hold the baby while you take the toddler to the potty. Someone to take the toddler, while you feed the baby. Someone to help fold the mounds of laundry or do a quick sweep of the house. Someone to hold the fort down while you- HEAVEN FORBID- take a shower- ALONE. Someone to fall back on when the kids are being extra cranky and you just need an extra set of hands. To put it mildly, I've been spoiled this past week.

Our routine has flown out the window (and if you know me- I'm a tad on edge because of that) but really- I am going to miss this!

My mom is sleeping in Henry's room on a giant air mattress. Therefore, if Henry wakes at all during the night, she has been taking care of him. Um... I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am for this.

In the mornings, she's been walking Maeve down to the park, and I have about a solid hour to clean- this means at night (normally when the cleaning gets done) I can just crawl into bed- UNHEARD OF!!!

We've gone to the grocery store twice. Do you know how much easier it is when there is a 2nd adult present???? I mean- I am floored. And once again, really, really going to miss this help (and her).

And let me also clarify- its not just all this extra help that has me on cloud 9. Its having her "back"- even if its just for a week. It kind of made things feel like normal again. Although we are coming up on Wednesday (her departure day) I feel like we had a lot of closure this week. She's visited the old house a few times, tied things up with friends, and has spent a TON of time just focusing on the kids, which I think, was the most important thing. Maeve is at a weird age- where she is just starting to really get things- it was hard for me to explain to her where her "nana" had gone. It's been nice to get that load off my shoulders and have my mom here to help explain things.

I am sad that our week is coming to a close. If I had the money (well I wouldn't be in Jackson, MI of course) but I'd build a sprawling LADWIG compound- where we all resided in separate little homes, but had each other there 24/7 for support and help.

For now, I will relish the time I get with my mom. Countdown the days until we go to Florida and be thankful that I have my mom in my life at all- even if that means she is 20+ hours away in Florida.

Mom- thanks so much for coming up and helping out this week! Nobody can or will ever take your place. You are the nana and as much as you think the kids will "forget" about you- its impossible- you're way too loved and part of our village! :)