Don’t get me wrong.  I love my kids.  I’d do anything for them.  I’d jump off the cliff for them.  They are my life.

But some days are hard.  Really hard.  When I’m sick, I don’t get a day off.  Sometimes I run from school to work in the city or Connecticut to the grocery store to the dry cleaners to dance to soccer to homework to making dinner to an event at their school, and I have no time to sit down.

The other day, I was cleaning out my jewelry box and my daughter asked me why I never wear earrings anymore.  Since I’ve had my kids, my personal appearance has taken a backseat.  I buy them clothes before I buy myself clothes.  I no longer wear make-up unless I’m going somewhere I need to present myself in something other than mom jeans and a tee shirt.

And some days I just stay in my gym clothes all day and never get to the gym.

Life has changed.  Sometimes I just feel like crap.  And it’s okay.  I may be running ragged for the next 15 years until both kids are safely out of university.

And I’ll have the rest of my life to take a rest.

Days gone by – this is a photo from our trip to Florence, Tuscany and Umbria when our daughter was 16 months old in July 2004.

Talking with other travel moms bloggers this week at #CocoTMOM made me reminiscent of all our early travels when the kids were young.

I’m ready for my next trip.

Precious: I never really talked in class before.
Teacher: How does that make you feel?
Precious: Here.

I can’t get this scene out my head. “Precious” is about living in the moment. That’s how I want to end the week.