mom,  travel

Allattoona Lake Hike and Motherhood

September 30, 2020 /

Last week was a week! I have been struggling on the motherhood train lately for no particular reason. The children aren’t really behaving any differently than usual, squabbles are not more frequent nor am I really been woken up more than usual by the toddler. I just have been feeling blah. I haven’t been very productive around the house, just doing the necessary things such as laundry and vaccuming and of course feeding the troops. Why is it hard for children to realize they should be grateful their parents take them on outings, hikes and vacations? This past Saturday, we all enjoyed a pretty hike and a picnic. However to get to that point of enjoyment was not without its struggles.

Why do children have to complain about things that they ultimately enjoy? I know for a fact that once we are hiking, my boys enjoy the experience exploring nature, climbing rocks and seeing cool creatures and plants.

Yes, sometimes the hikes are a litle long for their taste but I am conscious of what they can and cannot do. I always bring snacks and water and in this case, I was bringing a picnic. But they typically have to complain and ask if they can stay home before we get to that enjoyment part.

This time, this mommy was not having it. I got a little cranky and told them, how lucky they were! They weren’t feeling so lucky, lol! Anyhow after the first 10 minutes of the hike, everyone was happy and we discovered some cool spots along the Iron trail at Red Top Mountain State Park.

Hiking along water is one of our favorite things to do: for some reason boys sure like to throw rocks into water. They all love that from the 2 year old to the 14 year old. So yes, it took us 2 and a half hours to hike this 3.7 trail but we stopped to admire the lakeshore, have a picnic and yes, throw rocks in the water.

There were some really cool dead trees along the shore.Great spot for pictures! By the way, this cooler backpack is awesome! It works great for hikes with plenty of pockets, mesh pockets on the sides for water, bottle opener and more. It has plenty of space inside for cold packs and food for a nice size family.

We really saw some cool moss. Once, my sister in law shared with us how much she likes moss so now each time we find pretty moss, we think of her and how she would like to grow moss. We love its vibrant color.

Back to the mommy struggles, I am struggling with patience. The age difference between the oldest and youngest has me wishing my toddler was more independent and slept better. Now, I do know that a lot of my struggles with him are because I give in a lot. I am not as consistent as I was with the others. We all know he is the baby of the family and he is defintiely a little spoilt and gets away with a lot more than his brothers did at his age. He is a cutie but a handful too!

This was my view for lunch: I left the rest of the family at the picnic table and enjoyed a few minutes of peace eating my lunch on a rock and looking at the lake.

Pooping snail on my hand. I have a weird thing for snails. When I was a kid, I wanted my own pet and picked upt 2 snails and made them a house out of a cardboard box and I tried feeding them lettuce. So now when I see snails, I gross my kids out by picking them up and holding. For some reasons, the snails in the US are a lot smaller than the ones in Europe.

My photographer!

This little one was so cute: he carried and played the harmonica for most of the hike: we had our own little troubadour! Jack and Jill sneakers that I thankfully got on clearance only lasted a week: he tore them up playing and dragging them outside on on of his riding toys.

So mamas, keep on trying. None of us have it all together. Don’t play the comparison game. As I write this on a Sunday night, I am looking forward to the new possibilities that Monday offers: I will be more productive, and I will be grateful for my family and I will take some steps to be a better mom, one tiny step at a time. I am not expecting miracles but I know that my attitude can make a big difference in how I perceive things. And I will keep taking my boys on hikes even if they complain!

A bientôt!

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27 Comments

  • Jill

    September 30, 2020 at 8:32 am

    It’s funny how kids are sometimes. I still have similar struggles with my now 19 daughter! It looks like you had a wonderful day once you got going! The scenery is so beautiful and your photos are stunning!

    Jill – Doused in Pink

    • mimifce

      September 30, 2020 at 6:41 pm

      Thanks, Jacqui! That state park has a number of hikes/trails and a lot of them border the lake in different spots.

    • mimifce

      September 30, 2020 at 6:39 pm

      Thanks, Danielle! They really go with the flow most of the time but some days they sure know how to push my buttons!

  • Joanne

    September 30, 2020 at 3:42 pm

    My kids often complain about getting out on hikes too but always have fun once we drag them out there. It used to drive me nuts but I’ve just begun to expect their protests and ignore them now. Glad you had a nice time once you got out there.

  • Pat

    September 30, 2020 at 6:43 pm

    It looks like a beautiful place to hike with lots for your children to do. The moss and lichen looked so interesting as well as the snail. I’m at the age now where I need a lot of encouragement to want to hike and then, like your children, I enjoy it so much when I do! It’s just getting the motivation for me.

    • mimifce

      September 30, 2020 at 8:22 pm

      The first few steps are always the hardest, I am that way with my daily walks with my neighbors, we don’t always feel like doing it but ocne we are, we are so glad we did.

  • jodie filogomo

    September 30, 2020 at 7:13 pm

    It’s nice that you are real with what happens Mireille!! It’s probably no different than why I was a picky eater as a kid…it was the only part of my life I could control. So complaining could be their only way???
    XOOX
    Jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com

    • mimifce

      September 30, 2020 at 8:21 pm

      That is a very good point Jodie! I never thought about it that way but I am often dictating where they are going and what they are going to do so yes.. makes sense!

  • Jill James

    October 1, 2020 at 1:37 am

    I remember the trials and tribulations of young children well even though my own boys are young men and one with a little son of his own. This time will pass and your boys will look back and remember how lucky they were to go on family outings . The hiking trails look wonderful . Sometimes as mothers we do just need time to ourselves and our own thoughts, don’t be too hard on yourself.

    • mimifce

      October 1, 2020 at 9:16 am

      I am in a much better place this week! Trying to improve my morning routine is helping and doing things that make me feel good helps (a cleaner house has even though I don’t especially like cleaning lol).

    • mimifce

      October 1, 2020 at 9:14 am

      You skipped the hard part lol! It was a really nice hike. We might go without the 3 oldest this weekend!

  • Mica

    October 2, 2020 at 12:56 am

    I find getting out in nature is always a good way for everyone to refresh – even if it’s just a walk around the neighbourhood! 🙂

    Hope you are having a good week 🙂

    • mimifce

      October 2, 2020 at 10:52 am

      It sure is! Just the outside playtime is fun too! We played dodge ball on the playground with our soft ball!

  • Shelbee on the Edge

    October 4, 2020 at 2:29 pm

    Mireille, thanks so much for sharing your struggle and vulnerability right now. I have been on the motherhood struggle bus for about 2 years! I just shared a post of our family hike last weekend and my kids are exactly the same way. They complain about walking but then have fun throwing rocks into the water! It took us 2 hours to walk 1.75 miles because we stop a million times to throw rocks and inspect nature. Keep on keeping on, I guess! But it’s good to know that I struggle not alone! Thanks for linking.

    Shelbee
    http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    • mimifce

      October 4, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      Yes! Sometimes all the pretty pictures of our hikes makes it look like everyone is yay, we are going on a hike but I sure was upset with them and their attitude on the way there and the first 10 min. Then much better thankfully.