I don't know who needs to hear this, but if your kids ate three popsicles on Saturday, stayed up way too late watching fireworks, and have somehow forgotten every routine you've worked on since January...

Mine did too.

As I'm writing this, there's still sidewalk chalk in the driveway, red, white, and blue cups scattered across the porch, and I think there are at least three sparklers that never got lit (Don't worry, the kids will be running to me with them as sson as they find them). The laundry basket is overflowing with swimsuits and towels, and my kids are somehow exhausted and completely incapable of acting like it.

I love the Fourth of July and really all holiday weekends for that matter. The following week though- it's a bit of a doozy!!
It's the day when reality taps you on the shoulder and says, "Okay... your turn again."

The dishes are still in the sink. The groceries need to be bought. The naps are completely off.

And one of my kids is genuinely confused why we're not having another party today.

For the longest time, I'd wake up after a holiday thinking I needed to get everything "back on track" immediately.

Perfect meals. Perfect schedule. Perfect attitudes.

If having 2 kids, running a business, and keeping up with everything else I love to do has taught me anything..I've learned it's okay if Monday feels a little... Monday.

I've found that easing back into normal works a whole lot better than trying to force it.

So here's what we're doing at our house today:

We're keeping meals simple. Nobody gets an award for making homemade muffins the day after a holiday weekend.

We're going outside, even if it's just for twenty minutes. Fresh air somehow resets all of us...not just the kids.

I'm trying to spend a few uninterrupted minutes with each of my kids. I've noticed that when I fill their cup first, they usually stop trying to get my attention in all the wrong ways.

And maybe most importantly...

I'm reminding myself that I don't have to earn my way back into being a "good mom" after a fun weekend.

The laundry can wait. The house can be messy for another day. The routines will come back.

The memories we made this weekend are worth a little chaos.

If your house feels a little louder, a little messier, and a little more emotional today...You're not doing anything wrong.

You're just a family that had a really good Fourth of July.

And if you need one more reminder today. There is no other parent better for your child than you.

You've got this.

#StayPink,

Rachel