Pages

Friday, November 1, 2013

The Having It All Post: Kristina Grum

Kristina is a mother of three, a certified parent educator, and blogger behind Sew Curly. She's also got a shop with her creations - I particularly liked these chalkboard cloth placemats! Here's how Kristina is having it all.

Briefly describe your life and what you think makes it unique. 
My life is amazing! At 40 I am finally happy with who and where I am. I’ve been married for 13 years and we have three girls: 6, 5, and 3 years old. I think what truly makes my life unique is that just 6 years ago I was on the brink of despair. I was barely surviving motherhood with a baby and another one on the way. Once I was diagnosed with post partum mood disorders and began treatment, I was able to take steps to get my life back on track. I went from barely surviving to beginning to thrive in my role as a parent.

What are some of your favorite tips and strategies for coping with the chaos?

We had 3 kids in just over 3 years so chaos runs pretty rampant in our house. I try to plan and prep as much as I can in advance so I'm always ready. I rarely make or post a recipe that takes 30 minutes to make. I make everything as easy as possible in our home. I also work really hard at giving our kids choices and responsibility. They are really independent for their age and we all do chores around the house together. Our family is a team.

Please share a moment where it all broke down, and how you got through it.

There are so many moments where it all broke down. Times that I rocked our oldest while sobbing through tears and times that I really wanted to just jump out the window. I'm thankful to have a super supportive husband who tried his best to understand and help as much as possible.

When things break down it usually means I need some time for self care. I try to get out alone for some quiet or something I enjoy doing. If I can't get out, I baby step it a lot during those times. I write down how I will get through the day hour by hour and what I will do. Seeing little steps makes the whole picture more manageable.

Do you have any balance role models? Anything you try to avoid because it wouldn't work for you?

I have a few amazing role models in my life. They help to keep me grounded and remind me to live in the moment when life gets crazy. There are two things I don't do because they don't work for me. I don't try to do it all because I CAN'T - no one can. I also don't compare myself to others. I'm living a different life than anyone else so they can't be compared.

Think back to your 18th birthday. How is your life different from how you expected it to be then?

On my 18th birthday I don't think I was thinking ahead to my life. I think I was so self-absorbed with where I was. I always knew I'd get married and have a family but I don't know if I thought about the logistics of how many kids I'd have or if I would work or stay home.

Relate to what Kristina is saying? Leave her some love in the comments. Read other posts from The Having It All Project here. Questions? Send me an email at havingitallproject@gmail.com.

No comments:

Post a Comment