And I'm feeling so overwhelmed! I managed to talk the kids out of an organized party by instead doing something special on their day. My oldest daughter is taking a friend to a pottery painting place for the afternoon and for some reason I thought this was going to be easier. But instead I realized I didn't talk her out of anything. We still need to make the cake design of her choice, let's not forget the pinata (clearly she has decided that is her favorite part of parties), clean the house extra well since my parents will be attending, oh and wrap a few gifts.
The baby doesn't know it's her birthday, so she will get a cake, a few gifts (or shall I say a few boxes to unwrap) and of course, no friends are needed to make it complete, just the in-laws- and I see them enough I don't need to clean for them.
The middle child was easy to convince that she is having the first birthday sleepover by having a camping birthday. We invited all of our camping friends with kids, so it will be a simple celebration. Again, I need to make a cake, pack for camping, wrap a few gifts.... so really not so easy, but at least I won't need to entertain the kids which I always find the most stressful of it all. It's hard to keep up the energy going from craft to game to food for two to three hours. HOW DO SCHOOL TEACHERS DO IT?
So my advice to those who haven't had kids yet, given a choice in the matter, spread out the birthdays a little. It may seem like a good idea to have birthdays close together, or spring babies, or whatever was going through my mind every two years, but for the sake of birthdays, have a winter, summer and fall birthday, it will seem a bit more special for all involved.
I quit my corporate job to stay at home. We don't stay at home. This is what we do everyday.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
A Blog to Inspire
Whenever I'm contemplating working vs. staying at home I often seek the Internet. (Yes, I question it often) Here is a great website to offer insight on life as a stay at home mom. It was cancer that made her take a step back and realize her meaning in life.
Wendy, the blogging woman wrote an article about taking your kids to work day as a stay at home mom, and won the contest- pretty cool.
Wendy, the blogging woman wrote an article about taking your kids to work day as a stay at home mom, and won the contest- pretty cool.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
A Reason to Blog
I imagine I've run my readers away by not having a post in weeks, so be it. I'm going to write anyway since I'm finally feeling a reason to write.
I've been a single parent for the last week, husband traveling, saving money for the company by spending the weekend in Europe... Not a problem, I can handle it. I used to stay at home full time without help, I know I can handle a few weeks without help in the evening. Well, tonight is the night that has made me doubt whether I can handle this mom thing at all. Bless those true single mom's out there. I really don't know how they manage.
Around dinner time Saturday night I had had enough of the endless fighting. I offered pizza as the main course tonight with a fancy side of cantaloupe, who wouldn't love the lack of green vegetable, right? I was instead greeted with tears over a new found hate of pizza. Not to mention the constant request for a veggie burger instead, I was just about over the top. I had reached my limit of unhappy children and I was not about to accommodate any requests for another option. It was going to be another night of putting the kids to bed hungry- they will survive.
After dinner I suggested that if the girls took a quick shower without fighting and tattling, then I would let them watch a movie we picked up from the library. Midway through the shower they started fighting, so that was it, no movie allowed. They started crying, but I held firm, sorry, no movie tonight. They wailed while putting on their pj's, I chose to vacuum while they got dressed in effort to drown out the tears. Then while the dirt was being removed from carpets, they decided to become friends instead. They got together and discussed that if they were sickly sweet to each other, which I so often praise, then maybe I would change my mind. I was so enjoying hearing them working as a team that I decided to finish vacuuming the upstairs, and heck, if time allowed, I would even vacuum a staircase or two.
Briefly turning off the vacuum to swiffer the hardwood, my oldest daughter came in to announce that Audrey was putting toothpaste into the baby's hair. I scolded her tattling, then continued to vacuum. I finished the room I was working on then headed off to see the mess in the baby's hair (trying to make it seem like I was heading that way anyway, rather than a result of tattling). Wow, was it ever a mess. Audrey had managed to squeeze out the majority of the tube all over the freshly showered baby. At this point no amount of vacuuming was going to drown out the mess. I lost my mind. I was truly shocked over the white creamy paste and just how much is still available from a tube that has been around for 6 months. Rather than harming my child, which was what my mind was telling me to do, I instead sent her straight to bed, after she changed into fresh toothpaste free pj's.
Wow I could use a husband right about now, because a walk with the dog on this warm spring night sounds like more fun than cleaning the kitchen, which is another story, but trust me, don't leave my three alone at the table for ten minutes while chatting out front with a neighbor when really, they hate pizza these days.
I've been a single parent for the last week, husband traveling, saving money for the company by spending the weekend in Europe... Not a problem, I can handle it. I used to stay at home full time without help, I know I can handle a few weeks without help in the evening. Well, tonight is the night that has made me doubt whether I can handle this mom thing at all. Bless those true single mom's out there. I really don't know how they manage.
Around dinner time Saturday night I had had enough of the endless fighting. I offered pizza as the main course tonight with a fancy side of cantaloupe, who wouldn't love the lack of green vegetable, right? I was instead greeted with tears over a new found hate of pizza. Not to mention the constant request for a veggie burger instead, I was just about over the top. I had reached my limit of unhappy children and I was not about to accommodate any requests for another option. It was going to be another night of putting the kids to bed hungry- they will survive.
After dinner I suggested that if the girls took a quick shower without fighting and tattling, then I would let them watch a movie we picked up from the library. Midway through the shower they started fighting, so that was it, no movie allowed. They started crying, but I held firm, sorry, no movie tonight. They wailed while putting on their pj's, I chose to vacuum while they got dressed in effort to drown out the tears. Then while the dirt was being removed from carpets, they decided to become friends instead. They got together and discussed that if they were sickly sweet to each other, which I so often praise, then maybe I would change my mind. I was so enjoying hearing them working as a team that I decided to finish vacuuming the upstairs, and heck, if time allowed, I would even vacuum a staircase or two.
Briefly turning off the vacuum to swiffer the hardwood, my oldest daughter came in to announce that Audrey was putting toothpaste into the baby's hair. I scolded her tattling, then continued to vacuum. I finished the room I was working on then headed off to see the mess in the baby's hair (trying to make it seem like I was heading that way anyway, rather than a result of tattling). Wow, was it ever a mess. Audrey had managed to squeeze out the majority of the tube all over the freshly showered baby. At this point no amount of vacuuming was going to drown out the mess. I lost my mind. I was truly shocked over the white creamy paste and just how much is still available from a tube that has been around for 6 months. Rather than harming my child, which was what my mind was telling me to do, I instead sent her straight to bed, after she changed into fresh toothpaste free pj's.
Wow I could use a husband right about now, because a walk with the dog on this warm spring night sounds like more fun than cleaning the kitchen, which is another story, but trust me, don't leave my three alone at the table for ten minutes while chatting out front with a neighbor when really, they hate pizza these days.
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