I'm Kristin.  I am a wife, designer, Christian and for now a SAHM.  My husband and I are parents to three kids- Dylan Archer, Kyler Jude and Noelle Rose. Despite the name, this isn’t a mommy blog and you won’t find sponsored content here. Ultimately my goal is to leave it as a legacy to my children and possibly anyone else who wishes to follow my journey. This little corner of the web documents my family's adventures and lessons I've learned along the way.  The Mom Jungle is a modern interpretation of both the family newsletter and scrapbook.  

I call this The Mom Jungle because motherhood is fun and messy, filled with laughter and sometimes heartache… it truly is a jungle out there!

A Paradigm Shift

A Paradigm Shift

THE MOM JUNGLE

Today I want to share a revelation I had [as well as an apology to my boys].

You see, I am wired as a “Doer.”  I thrive on lists and checking off completed tasks.  I feel most accomplished and successful when I am productive, however; as a SAHM, my usual standards of success need to adapt.

Currently, I’ve been working on my business launch, a message [sermon] I'm preparing for church, several DIY projects on-the-go and hitting the gym hard daily- all while running a household, raising my boys and investing into my marriage and friendships.  These are all good things, but it requires proper prioritization and balance.

Sadly when I try to work during daytime hours, I can often become frustrated with my boys due to all the starts and stops, the distractions and painfully slow progress.  Today I thought to myself:  Can’t they just STOP interrupting me?!

“I’m unsure if it was God or my own conscience, but as clear as day I heard:  They are not interrupting you.  Your to-do list is interrupting them.

”

THIS.  This is a paradigm shift in my perspective.  I have such a short window of time where my children are going to be this dependent on me.  These are short, sweet years and I don’t want to take them for granted. 

Dylan & Kyler, I am so sorry.  You ARE my priority and my parenting will reflect that. 

To my amazing three-year-old boy:  You are a three-ager in full force, but you are kind, tender-hearted, wild and FUN!  You have the best laugh I have ever heard.  When you struggle with patience, I promise to try to be more patient so that I can teach you patience.  I promise to listen to your stories and rambles with interest.

To my sweet one-year-old babe:  You are sweet, silly and developing a sassy side, which I love. I know I have been overwhelmed at times seeing how you have mastered baby gates, escaped into the basement once and can even climb onto the kitchen table! [#moderndayHoudini]  While you give me at least one heart attack a day, it’s an honour to be entrusted to care for you and keep you safe.

I want to be a joyful, patient, calm and softer mom.  If anyone deserves a mom who possesses these traits, it's these two.

T-H-R-E-E

T-H-R-E-E
Wild One

Wild One