No more surviving

As moms, we talk to each other a lot. We complain, compare stories, laugh, cry, lament, enjoy, etc as we share stories or give our daily run down to one another. One of the phrases I hear most is, "You're in survival mode." I've been telling myself that for years, "Just survive. Its just a phase. We'll get through this." Well, I've realized that with such a big family, survival mode has lasted over a decade. I had a thought one day, "I need to stop surviving and start living." I fear that with the caveat of just survive, I'll look back one day and realize that I've missed out on living. I can always use the excuse that I have too many kids to do something but I don't want to anymore.  I decided to have a big family and I'm done letting that dictate my daily routine.