Karate, Ballet and Motherhood!!

I love being a Mom!!!  I've always wanted to be a mom. When I was a little
girl, I wanted 12 kids 6 boys and 6 girls.  I changed my mind when I was a
teenager, because I saw what pregnancy did to your body.  When my hubby and
I got married, we both wanted 6.  We now have 7!!! And no we WON'T HAVE 12!!

Lately, the title grumpy, tired stressed out mom fits me much better than
Happy Mom.  I'm not sure if it's because we are trying to cram 9 people in a
small home that was built to squeeze a family of 4 or the 7th baby put me
over the edge or it might be because I now have a child at every phase in
life that requires more of me than I have to give. I'm not sure, but I do
know I'm being pulled in so many directions that I feel like an over-used,
sticky hand (the gummy ones that they fling and stick to the wall) that my
kids get from the dentist.  I can't be pulled or stretched any more, and my
sticky is all gone.  I'm just no fun any more. One friend told me its my
fault for having 7 kids.  That helped a lot!! HAHAHA

A while back, I was talking to my sons karate instructor, and he said that
my son is at the belt now where it will make or break you.  The kids get to
this belt and will give up because it is too much work.  This is when it
gets tough!!! I told him I understood because I was a dancer and did ballet
(I know karate and ballet are so much a like). The same thing happened when
the dancers got to pointe shoes.  I know when you watch ballet it looks
easy, carefree and beautiful, but the dancer is dancing on bleeding and
blistered toes.  They actually teach you how to make it look easy, even
though it hurts -- a lot!!!

After I was leaving the karate studio, I was thinking, and it hit me.  I'm
in the ban bu belts of motherhood!!!  This isn't all fun anymore.  This is
tough and sometimes I will want to quit!! I will get pooped and or thrown up
on, teachers will drive me crazy, and I will get caught up in all the drama
of Jr. High 7 times over. I will have to study for spelling tests, math test
and ACT tests.  I will do mountains of laundry only to finish and see a new
and most likely bigger mountain of laundry.  I will nag kids about studying,
brushing teeth, taking showers and being nice. But one day, I will be able
to say I've earned my 7th degree mommy black belt! My husband told me this
life isn't the reward, but the test.

One day my little house will be too big for just me and my hubby.  I will
miss running my kids everywhere, and I might even miss science fair
experiments (but I doubt that one).  I will look at my kids and be grateful.
Be grateful for everything I had to go through to get that mommy black belt.
So to my dear friend who told me, "That's what you get for having 7 kids." I
say "YES!!! Yes it is, and I wouldn't trade them for anything!!! "