On My Plate

This may seem like a rant, but really I am just trying to paint a picture for you of my current life. I want to show you all the different hats I am wearing at the moment and why I am not always able to find the time to write like I would like to. Just recently I have realized how many ‘jobs’ I have actually taken on. While I don’t mind this in the least- I did so because I wanted to- I do feel like I need a break. Badly.

First and foremost, I am a mother to two wonderful littles. A toddler and a baby who keep me busy. We attachment parent and I breastfeed full time. Our children are a ton of work, but they are the most important things (can I say things? Beings?) in my life and I am so in awe of their fabulousness (yes, that is a word…)! I am in love with them and every day I get to spend with them is an absolute honor and a privilege. Did I mention that they are a lot of work?

I teach German online. In the evenings, after putting the littles to bed, I sit down at my computer and try to help people learn how to pronounce words like ‘Autobahnraststätte’. It is tiring, but makes me feel like I am at least minimally contributing to our household income.

I am studying to be a doula. Most of it is reading, but those of you with children will know how hard it can be to find a few minutes to be able to crack open a book, so the theoretical part hasn’t been going as quickly as I had anticipated. Sometimes the letters all fuse together on the page and I’m too tired to make sense of anything… I also get to attend births. All I can say about this is: Whoa! What an awesome privilege! (It is also physically and emotionally very challenging; more so than I had expected)

I am training to be a La Leche League leader. Breastfeeding has become more than a food source for my babies. It is very close to my heart and something I want to help women with. The LLL is an incredible organization that has provided me and countless other women with a support network, as well as priceless information. Becoming a leader will be my way of giving back, or so I hope.

I run a meetup group for SAHMs. We have around 60 members. It is a fun, but very thankless job. When the old organizer decided to step down, I didn’t want to see the group that helped me meet so many awesome mothers die. Hopefully, it will be a group that helps new mothers in the area meet new mommies who will then become part of their support system. I am also the assistant organizer of another meetup group for women from foreign backgrounds in our city.

I think I’ve listed all my ‘jobs’. Add to them my recreational obligations, such as friends, Twitter (you know who you are, my lovely social network friends), and blogging. You can probably understand how I almost never get to do anything for myself, something truly relaxing. Again, I am not complaining. Right now all I would like to stress is that I will need a break in the near future. With our families living far away from us, getting a break is not always easy. However, I think I will have to hand my plate over to someone else for a few hours, or else it might just start cracking…