I remember the pre-baby days when my Type-A, lists for days, planner self would hear “chaos” and think “I don’t do chaos.” Then I got pregnant…Fast forward 3.5 years, and here I am. A mom of two boys (3.5 years old and 10.5 months old) and if there isn’t chaos, I think there must be something wrong.

Chaos. It is something I have come to embrace. Recently I attended a Women’s Leadership event. It was the best event I have attended. I could go on for hours about it, but the two main things that stood out to me was: #1: take care of yourself, both emotionally and physically. #2: have humor and don’t take yourself seriously.

I also learned that in order to thrive, personally and/or professionally, you need to embrace the chaos. You have to be ok with things not being perfect and letting the little things go. Both of which are SOOO hard to do. I used to try to tackle every chore by myself in the house because it drove me nuts if it wasn’t done right away. Now, I often see how long the laundry will sit on the stairs after I have folded it. Or how long it will take for the trash cans in the bathroom to get emptied.

Before I had kids, moms would tell me stories about last minute plans for children’s birthday parties, last minute plans for family vacations, laundry baskets sitting in the middle of the living room, etc. I would literally get heart palpitations around the thought of not having a well ironed out plan and everything put away/spotless.

Boy have times changed! This includes making last minute plans and usually being 10 minutes late to everything. It has become the standard in our house, expect for big decisions like vacations.

Last month we went on our first [airplane] family vacation as a family of four with my mom and stepdad. We had planned the vacation months ago to visit Indian Shores, FL. Everything was mapped out, which included places to eat, beaches to visit, etc. When it comes to vacations, the planner in me [lists and itineraries] has rubbed off on my husband.

We were so ready for a beach vacation. Insert Hurricane Dorian. Nothing like a Category 5 hurricane predicted to hit right where you had planned to stay to throw a big ol’ wrench in your plans.

Less than 48 hours before our flight was supposed to leave, my husband proposed we postpone the trip. My response was “absolutely not.” Our toddler was excited, we had been looking forward to a beach vacation and some R&R. This was one of those times in a marriage where you learn a lot about how each other handles a fork in the road. We both agreed risking traveling to Florida was not on the table. Sooo we got to work.

Thankfully the airlines were accommodating and we rebooked our flights to San Diego, CA. We found a last minute deal for an amazing place on the beach in Mission Bay. And BONUS, we got to see my sister and brother-in-law since they live in SoCal! I couldn’t believe we had pulled off a complete change in vacation in less than 48 hours. I thought back to those moms sharing stories with me pre-baby and it had finally clicked. As moms, we thrive when there is chaos.

At the end of the day, we are all just trying to do our best and survive. Most of us at some point or another have experienced: blowout diapers, a sick kid, temper tantrums, children running around restaurants, crusted food stuck to your child, crusted food stuck to your work outfit, etc. etc. etc.

We need to remember that we are all just humans. There is only one of you and you need to take care of YOU. Go to the gym, drink the glass of wine, go to the therapist, get the massage, don’t take yourself too serious, embrace [and enjoy] the chaos and LAUGH. Because time goes way too fast!