This month, we celebrated by first baby’s birthday with a party, full of bowling, cake and, of course, friends and family.

Upon arriving to the bowling alley, I quickly remembered how stressful kid’s party are and how crazy they can get. I was fortunate to have family around to help, but I still found myself running around the joint. How hard could it be? All we need is a cake and some balloons and we’d be ok, right? Nope. I found myself continually catering to requests. But even amid what seemed like chaos, I had to remind myself that this was a birthday party for a child. If there are friends, activities, and sweet treats the kids will enjoy regardless of the details. So, I tried not to stress much and enjoyed the day.

We parents are constantly giving to our children. And never anticipating getting anything back. Let’s face it—parenting is a thankless job. Before we had kids, the Hubby and I had unrealistic, embarrassingly unrealistic, expectations of what it’s going to be like. It’s been hard work raising the kids, and most of the time we are simply just trying to do our best.

At times, I feel I scramble to find time for work, social and family functions. I never seem to have enough time to complete projects, to spend with family and friends, or just to be alone. Then there are the feelings of guilt and stress because of my divided attention between work and family.

But, ultimately, like bowling, having balance is an important quality to have as parents. Not all days are strikes. There have been plenty of gutter balls. But mostly, there are good days, days that I’ll to settle for a spare. And cake.