I’m here to unabashedly state that I am relying on Netflix to get through my days. You may shake your head over this but at this moment, I really couldn’t care less.
You see, I’m in survival mode. I went from a full time working Mom with two kids to a stay at home Mom with three kids overnight. There was no transition time. I worked right up to the Friday before my Monday due date. I was expecting to have at least a week at home with my kids, transitioning into the role of stay at home Mom (with homebound kids) before the baby made his appearance. But as luck would have it, my water broke early in the morning on that Monday, I spent the day in labour, and became a Mom of three a few days earlier than I was anticipating.
I have spent two weeks at home so far with my little trio, solo parenting during the days (and some evening and weekends). I’ve probably spent very few of these days out of pyjamas or in a bra. And please, don’t even bother counting the amount of showers I’ve had during this time. That would be embarassing.
This is the third time I’ve brought a baby into our family but that doesn’t mean that I now expect everything to be super easy since I’ve done it before. Instead, I have learned to make room for my limitations and be patient with myself in this transition period. I allow myself to just focus on surviving.
So, I flick on Netflix when I need the boys to be in a different space than the baby and I. I turn it on when they’re fighting over a toy and I need a distraction. I turn it on when the noise is just getting too much. I turn it off for their rest time, but it goes on again after the biggest boy’s 45 minutes of quiet time is over, because then (and only then) is he allowed to watch Pokémon while his little brother is still asleep.
Eventually we will turn on Netflix less and less. We will become intentional about our tv watching time. We will get dressed (most days) and get out of the house often. We will learn and colour and do crafts. We will play outside. I will follow a meal plan and control our budget clean up the house a little better. Heck, I will even manage to make deadlines (let’s just pretend this post was written and published in January, shall we?).
But for now, I’m focusing on the important stuff like making sure everyone is safe and fed and bills are paid and that Cameron is registered for kindergarten. I will hold my baby and smile as I watch (and listen) to my two biggest boys goof around together. I might not have it all together. I might be relying on Netflix a little too much. But we’ve done more than survive these last couple of weeks as a family with three kids. We’re happy. We’re loved. We’re thriving.
I am a member of Netflix’s Stream Team and as such I have been compensated with a complementary Netflix subscription and a few other perks. The stories and opinions are all my own and have not been bought.
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