What does it feel like to be a mommy?

I generally wake up tired, to the sound of one of my kids waking up. And once one of the kids wakes up, the other two follow quickly.

I turn the TV on for the kids, so I can wake up some more and shower. Oh, and I'm still tired.

"Oatmeal, bagel or waffle," I ask the kids as they are watching TV in the den. I then ask them 3 or 4 more times since they never answer on the first try. Still tired.

Make breakfast, watch the kids eat breakfast, clean up after the kids breakfast. Now I'm tired and hungry...

My husband takes my 4 year old to preschool and the other two follow me around as I make the beds and pick up a bit. Here's the part where I throw some laundry in the washer and put away the laundry from the previous day. At this point in the day, I'm tired, hungry and now sore from carrying the baby in one arm while putting clothes away with the other.

Close to noon I bundle my baby and toddler up in their coat, hat and mittens because it's 19 degrees out...time to pick up my 4 year old from preschool. Thankfully his school has outdoor pickup, so I can keep the younger ones buckled in their carseats when I pick him up. I sing songs on the way home to keep my baby awake, because if he falls asleep in the car then the nap just wont happen at home. 12:15 and I'm tired, hungry, sore and cranky from singing Twinkle Twinkle 12 times in a row.

Time to fix lunch for 3 hungry kids...baby is screaming "more, more, more, more, more" while I rush through the preparations because it's the only way he'll ask for food. Oops, got to remember to squirt my 4 year old's hands with sanitizer before he touches anything after school. Now my 2.5 year old wants sanitizer also...OK, couldn't hurt. Watch kids eat lunch, then clean up after lunch. Crap, did I eat breakfast yet? Ugh, tired, hungry, sore, cranky...but relief is on the way...

Time to put the baby and 2.5 year old down for naps. I tell my 4 year old that he can watch TV during his quiet time and I sit down with my laptop and lunch. Well, I'm not hungry anymore, but still tired, sore, cranky and now I'm feeling pangs of guilt for getting "me" time by turning the TV on for my son. I'll likely keep the TV for the duration of the younger one's naps.

The afternoon can bring anything from a playdate, to errands to just hanging around the house. Today we are housebound because there's a snow storm in the works. Hopefully the kids will play nicely while I do random things around the house and maybe start dinner on time. I predict a few potty accidents (currently training my daughter), 1 or 2 time outs and a handful of trantrums. About this time I'm tired, hungry (again), sore, cranky, guilty and chapped...today my hands have washed countless plates and sippy cups, changed several diapers, and have been exposed to powerful kitchen wipes and cleaners. Not great for dry winter skin.

Around 5:30 I start to feel hopeful...the day for my children is coming to a close. We're at the final countdown. Dinner, bath, pajamas, books, books and more books, then bedtime! 7:00 for the baby (almost there!), 7:30 for my 2.5 year old (I can see the finish line!) and 8:00 for my 4 year old. And phewwww.....relaxation. Even as I scrub down the bathroom and kitchen to erase any remnant of my child's tracks, I feel more at peace now that the kids are all asleep. I know soon I will have that wonderful glass of wine, a warm dinner and a clean house.

My husband gets home from work and I fill him in on our day. I tell him the funny joke my 4 year old told me and that our 2.5 year old went a whole 4 hours in dry underwear and that the baby said his first sentence ("more, mommy"). I'm no longer tired, hungry, sore, cranky, guilty and chapped. As I relive the day's events I'm proud and happy, full of love and wonder...and excited for what the next day brings.

You want to know what it feels like to be a mommy? There are so many different answers depending on the day, the time, my mood, who's sick, who's healthy, who's fighting, who's sharing, who's crying, who's laughing. And while I can feel stressed and miserable while changing the diaper of a very squirmy and loud 1 year old, it doesn't compare to the happiness I feel everyday of just being a mother.