Hi, I'm Jenn from Two by Two Mom, and I'm honored that Veronika asked me to be a guest blogger! I have been following her blog for years now, and just adore seeing pictures of her as a mommy to sweet little Harper! A little about me! My husband and I met back in college and now live in New Jersey. In my former life, I was a recruiter for a large hospital in our area turned wedding planner, and now I'm a stay-at-home mommy to my 4 little munchkins. I have 2 sons, 2 daughters and a little maltese named Bella. Oh yea...and my kids happen to be 2 sets of twins! Nicholas and Logan will be 5 in January, and our latest additions, Aubrey and Alexis, will be 1 a few days after Christmas. Needless to say, life can sometimes be a whirlwind!
Whenever people find out I have 2 sets of twins, the number 1 thing people say to me is, "I don't know how you do it." And my go to answer? "Well, I really have no choice!" But the real answer? I'm organized and good at managing my time. I always see the glass as half full. I make time for me. I realize it's not always going to be perfect. And most importantly....I really love it. I was an organized person even in my pre-baby life, but having kids has kicked that up a notch. I love technology as much as the next person, yet I still need to have my old school planner and a handwritten to-do list. (And yes...I am totally the person that writes things on my to do list even after I have already done them just so I can cross them off the list.) My boys have afternoon preschool Monday-Friday from 12:45-3:15, so my mornings usually are spent in the house . The girls usually wake up around 7/7:30am, have a bottle and breakfast and play until about 9am. Then they take a nap from about 9am-12pm. During the girls nap, I usually throw a few loads of laundry in (I have a system-sheets and towels Mondays, Boys Tuesdays, Girls Wednesdays, our stuff Thursdays. Rinse and Repeat. Literally.)
I prep for dinner, straighten/clean the house, and have the boys do some kind of homework (either something they have brought home from school, a few pages from a preschool workbook, practicing their letters, etc.) When the girls wake up, I feed everyone lunch and we head off to get the boys to school. While they are in school, I run errands (and grab an afternoon coffee. Another essential part to my survival!). I pick them up at 3:15, and have everyone home and in bed napping by 3:30. Yup...you read that right. My almost 5 year old boys still nap, and don't think I don't thank the nap gods and my lucky stars every.single.day.
From day 1 when the girls joined our family, my goal was to get everyone on the same afternoon nap schedule. Mama needs a break too! So yea, I'm totally high-fiving myself here, but I have 4 nappers every afternoon from 3:30 until 5:00pm. And in case you can't read between the lines....that nap totally saves my sanity! Some nights we have activities, we have soccer on Saturday mornings, I am a room mom...I just find time in the day to prepare for everything and make it work!
I always see the glass as half full. I don't see any reason to be pessimistic about things. It doesn't get you anywhere. I'm not saying I'm Suzy Sunshine, but I also don't live my life in doom and gloom. Being a mom is tough whether you have 1 kid or 10. I've actually had people see that I have 2 sets of twins and say, "wow! I'm sorry?" or "Geez, better you than me." Sorry for what? And you're right...better me than you! I feel so lucky. SO blessed. I have 2 sons. Brothers. 2 daughters. Sisters. What exactly is there to be sorry for? The work involved? The exhaustion? I'm still trying to figure it out. I wouldn't trade my life for the world. It is an amazing blessing. 
I make time for me. Yup, ME....you hear that kids?? I am a wife and a mom first, but I'm still Jenn. I still like to do things that I enjoyed pre-kids. I love fashion. Mani's and Pedi's. Blogging. Working out (ok, I don't love it, but I do it!) Hanging out with my friends. Enjoying nights out with my husband. Reading. Going to target....ALONE! And I still make time to do and enjoy each one of these things. I am a better mom because I make time for myself. Better for myself. Better for my husband. Better for my kids. I change poopy diapers, play ninja turtles and am constantly feeding someone or wiping a hiney all.day.long. The least I could do for myself is grab a PSL and a pedicure.
It's not always going to be perfect. Sometimes the boys are driving me crazy and I have things that need to get done. So they might watch a little more tv then I'd like them to. Oh well! Sometimes I have good intentions of a delicious homecooked dinner and 5pm rolls around and I'm wiped, don't feel like cooking and just order a pizza or feed them grilled cheese. Oh well! Sometimes someone is crying. Or 2 someones. Or 3. Or 4. Oh well! Sometimes (ok, usually) I have somewhere to be and I'm 10-15 minutes late. Oh well! Sometimes I lose my patience. Oh well! Oh freaking well. I'm not perfect. Life isn't perfect. But it goes on, and there's always tomorrow!
This is my life and I love it. I mean, I really, really love it. No matter what happens, it's all worth it when you see those little faces smiling at you. Or telling you how much they love you. Or wrapping their arms so tightly around your neck. I never imagined having 4 kids, and now I can't imagine anything different. When I see the girls smiling and laughing at the boys, or the way the boys talk to and play with their little sisters...my heart could just burst with pride, joy and love. Having them is the single biggest blessing of my life, and I'm lucky to be their mommy. 
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