I’m so excited to share Kami’s story with you. Kami is smart, determined, kind, and genuine. She is one of my closest friends who I admire because of her unconditional love for people, (me included). I love and agree with the advice Kami gave as she shared her story.
Side Note: Kami announced something big to me in this story. See if you can figure out what it is. I’ll tell you at the end so you can see if you were right.
“I absolutely love being a mom! Some may think it’s silly, but that’s all I ever wanted to be when I grew up! From the second I got married at 22 I wanted kids. But my sweet and very smart husband said that I needed to finish my degree before kids or I would never do it after!
It took me 4 long years to finish my degree while working full time, but I did it!! The following month we got pregnant. I was very fortunate that I was able to quit my full-time job and stay home with my little one. Life was amazing for the first couple of weeks while my husband was home and we had family in town to keep me company, but I soon found that being home all day and not being able to get out freely was lonely.
I am shy but very extroverted and I craved being around people. Prior to this precious little bean my husband and I worked out daily together after work, or I went running with friends! I worked out up until the day that I gave birth, and I loved every minute of it! It was my time, where I felt free… I was either having great conversation connecting with friends on runs or listening to music at the gym clearing my mind! It was and still is very therapeutic for me.
Fast forward 8 years and I now have 3 amazing little boys that are 7.5, 6, and 3, with one on the way! They fill my life with so much fun, energy, pure happiness, and love! Yet I still need “me” time.
It took me many years to understand that it was okay to love to be a mom, but also okay to need to getaway! I used to feel guilty when I would complain about a job that I loved and even guiltier when I would say “I just need a break”. Now my family knows that I am a better wife and mom because I make time for myself!! I still go to the gym 4-5 times a week, go running with friends, bike rides in the evening, have a girls night once a week connecting with other women that know exactly where I’m coming from, going dancing every couple of months, and finding new adventures that fill my bucket!
All of the hats that we wear are important and bring value to our lives and others! I haven’t mastered the balance, but it is something that I work towards every day! After many years of feeling like I was losing who I was, I strive to be the best version of myself so that I can in turn be the best mom and wife I can be! You can’t truly make others happy if you aren’t happy yourself!
The balancing act as moms is simply amazing and in my opinion, overlooked every day! For some, you wake up to your kids crying… it’s a day full of putting everyone else first and taking care of their needs and wants! Cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, playing barbies or soldiers, coming up with fun activities, and trying will all your might to teach them to be good people. For others, you wake up to an alarm and get your kids ready so that you can go to work, come home, and do all of the above after a full day in the office! Finding the balance between family and me time is hard but worth the time to navigate!
A couple pieces of advice to both working moms and stay at home moms is know without a doubt that you are incredible and appreciated! Your efforts may go unnoticed now, but one day when our kids are older they will recognize all you did, and thank you! Secondly, live life to its fullest- I know we have all heard that statement a million times, but have you ever sat down and asked what that statement means to you?? My advice is to figure it out and make it happen! Make time doing what makes you happy even if it can only happen once a month and don’t feel guilty about it.”
**Kami announced that she was pregnant with baby #4!!!!**