It Takes a Village…

Sometimes it takes a village to raise a family. I fully understand this statement, loud and clear.

I’ve been traveling quite a bit lately. Actually, quite a lot. I literally was home for only 3 days in all of May without traveling somewhere. I was in Florida, New York, Boston, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Long Island and then New York again… in just May.

I was able to take the kids and Matt on my New Jersey and Washington D.C. trip, which was AWE-some, but all the others… I went solo.

And this is what I mean about “it takes a village…”

I get the question a lot from friends and readers, “Who takes care of the kids when you’re away?

My husband. My husband is the go-to man. He’s running them to school, practice, games and activities. He does it without complaining… not even one little bit. I love this man.

But with 4 kids comes, well… 4 schedules.

William is in afternoon Kindergarten, swims on a spring swim team and plays minor league baseball.
Alexander and Benjamin go to morning preschool and play t-ball.
Henry goes to toddler classes at the YMCA and does swimming lessons.

That’s 3 different schedules, around the clock. And it ain’t always easy.

I don’t often thank the people in my personal life publicly for helping me so, so, so very much… but I wanted to do that today because I couldn’t do this without them. Not ever. Because you know what, it does take a village, it really does. And there’s so much behind the scenes stuff going on with schedule juggling, calendars being re-done and re-tracked, that I just really wanted to thank a few people who make it all possible!

Matty… my husband. He’s my rock. He takes care of the boys and the house and everything when I’m working and when I’m away. The thing about my husband is… he doesn’t get “rattled” by anything. When I call him and he tells me he’s at Target or grocery shopping or at the park or at baseball with all 4 of the boys, I cringe. “Really?” I say. And he does it because, well… he does. Nothing overwhelms him. And it’s always amazing to me because I’m SO not like that! He holds everything down and does an incredible job!

My mom is my other saving grace. From picking up the boys 3-4 times a week from school to taking them to lunch to watching Henry in the morning to helping us out with bringing William to swimming on days I’m away. She’s always there, and I cannot even begin to thank her enough. Everyone always asks, “How do you manage it all with the 4 boys?” The secret is… my mom is a HUGE help for us.

My dad is also my other saving grace. Even last night, as I was heading to an event in Providence and Matt had all 4 of the boys and our house was being re-carpeted and there just happened to be a baseball game for William, I called to see if he could bring William to his baseball game and help us out. Without even a hesitation, “Sure honey, what time do you need me to get him?”

My in-laws, my brothers, my sister and my sister-in-laws have all been there to help us out, too. And I can’t thank everyone enough!

It takes a village. It really does. And I’m blessed to have a really, really good one.

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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