I had heard the term “It Takes a Village” many times in the past, but I never truly understood what it meant until I had kids.

When both my kids were infants, my husband’s job required him to travel. He was fortunate to be home the first couple weeks after they were born, but soon after he had to get back on the road. My mom stayed over every night he was gone. Yes, you are reading that correctly. EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. She would come over after working a full day herself, to make supper and clean up so that I could focus on tending to the little one(s). Neither of my children were “easy” (if that’s even a thing). There were a lot of sleepless nights, trips to doctors searching for answers to the no sleep and constant cries, and emotional breakdowns on my part because I just wanted to fix it. But every step of the way I had help.

I will never forget when my daughter was just 5 weeks old (and colicky) the doctor prescribed her a medicine for acid reflux. THANK GOD my mom was here the first night I gave it to her because she noticed that the name of the medicine seemed odd, as she knew it to be a type of steroid. I immediately called the pharmacy and they confirmed what I had was correct. At this point I was worried because I had given her a dose and google was telling me something very different. With my mother’s encouragement, I called the doctor… sure enough that was absolutely not the correct medicine and the pharmacy had made a mistake. Well let me tell you, my mom went marching down there and gave that pharmacist a piece of her mind. Here I am, a new mom with a colicky baby and I had just given her a STEROID! I was petrified and my mom was furious. Thankfully because she noticed it so soon, all was fine. I just can’t help but think of all the “what if’s” had my mom not been there. It’s funny how when you become a mom, it’s almost like you need yours even more. Or maybe that’s just me?!

Fortunately for me I also have an amazing mother in law. She has watched my kids two days a week since the day they were born. I, as are a most, am a full time working mom. On “Mimi days” I see how excited Katie and Jake get because not only does she watch them, she does art projects, brings them to the beach, takes them to music classes, helps me with preschool pick up and drop off and so much more. Since Alex and I grew up together, I’ve known his mom for many many years. But as much as I have always loved her, I never imagined we would be so close. It’s really incredible how much you bond once becoming a mom. As excited as my kids get for days with her, I get just excited because it’s my chance to talk to her and catch up on all the crazy events happening in our lives. If there was a mother in law lottery, I certainly picked the winning ticket!

My sister is 3 miles down the road and would drop everything to be there for me if I needed her. We have always had more of a best friend relationship and now that we are both wives and moms we can relate on so many levels. It’s kind of a running joke with our husbands that we are CONSTANTLY on the phone with one another. She herself is a “tired mom of two” and on top of that she’s an Assistant Principal of a middle school. I’m pretty sure she runs on about 5 hours of sleep every night. I’m always amazed at how much she does and how much she loves her job and truly wants to make a difference in her students’ lives. Some people are just put on this earth to help others and she is 100% one of those people.

My husband and I are very fortunate that we grew up in a small town with a very close network of friends. It just so happens, we pretty much all moved back “home” when we were ready to get married and start our families. Those close friends are a big part of our “village”. Whether it be to meet us at the playground to get some fresh air because the kids are melting down and patience is running thin, us girls going out for wine and dinner to get a much needed break from the dreaded bedtime routine, or the guys golfing together because they get jealous of our “girls nights”, there is always a need for one another.

I know we are beyond blessed that we have so much help and support nearby. I honestly can’t imagine it any other way. I say all of this because I have no shame in all the help I need to keep this family running. I promise you, if you see a pic of my house looking super clean, it’s because I have two wonderful cleaning ladies who work wonders on this place. If my kids are out smiling during a weekday, at a beach or park, most likely my mother in law or the nanny took it. If I’m out on a “date night” with my husband, it’s because my mom misses the kids and wants to see them. I am not a “Pinterest mom” who creates masterpieces from toilet paper rolls or never raises her voice at her kids… I am real, I struggle with finding balance between work and family EVERY DAY… and that’s ok!