A Day in the Life of Mommy: Juggling Two Children

"Mommy, it's 6 o'clock!" Erica echoed.

I roll over, sleepily facing the two wide awake little girls in front of me.

Most days start like this, and any mother who started with 2 under 2 can relate. Now 4 and 2, the girls are up and at 'em early every day, raring to go. Juggling multiple kids can be a balancing act, starting from breakfast and going straight through until bedtime.

On any given day, you'll find my two girls and I eating waffles, oatmeal, cereal, and fruit, because no one ever wants the same breakfast. We'll head to the playground, where one child inevitably wants to be pushed on the swing while the other needs help on the monkey bars. Samantha wants ice cream for a snack, but Erica wants a candy bar. Of course, when the snacks are doled out, Erica wants what Sam got.

The day goes on like this. One child wanting to watch Aladdin, the other screaming for Tarzan. If we can agree on the movie, we can't agree on which child gets to sit on which side of me, and heaven forbid someone want to sit on my lap. At dinnertime, Erica wants to sit next to me, even though her plate is next to daddy. She throws a temper tantrum in hopes of getting her way. Samantha finishes her meal and politely asks for a popsicle. The roles are reversed in the bathtub, when Erica quickly and painlessly gets washed, and Sam screams (loudly) reminding me not to get her face wet.

Bedtime arrives, and I remind myself not to let my guard down to early. One's up, the other's down.

Finally, they're both asleep. I close the bedroom door and exhale.

I'll juggle them again tomorrow.