A Love Affair with a Red-Nosed Reindeer

Nobody Told Me . . .

. . .  I would have very little time . . . to do anything!

As if I need more proof that I stink at time management lately, I wanted to post this particular topic on Friday, but alas, it's Monday.

I used to be able to manage my time quite well. Before kids, I worked 20-30 hrs a week, went to school full time, completed all my homework (yes, I was that student) and got decent grades. While I was teaching and preggers with Avery, I could take naps, eat tons of cheeseburgers, plan lessons for 3 classes, teach those lessons and keep my grades up to date. Oh, and also coach two sports. After Avery, while staying home, I could keep a clean house, make dinner, raise a kid and plan practices for volleyball and track, attend those practices and games and still manage to do the wife/mom/friend thing.

Well, all of my time managent skills have flown out the window. They are non-existent.  Those skills must be with my quick thinking brain cells somewhere. Those seemed to have disappeared during the second trimester of the second pregnancy. They have yet to return. The jump from one to two kids continues to challenge me, especially in this area. I used to read. I used to exercise. I used to clean. Sort of.

My house is an embarrassing mess. My poor, mostly tidy husband. I cannot keep up with the laundry. If we did not have enough underwear to last us a month, we'd be in a tough place. If I do happen to complete a few loads of laundry, I cannot seem to find the time to fold them. Ugh, I hate folding laundry. Then I have to put it away! What the heck!

I can get the grocery shopping done. Dinner made. I keep the kids pretty clean and tidy. Myself, clean, but not as tidy as I would like. Keep the kids from wrecking each other or the house and spend quality time with them. I think that's the tough part. I can always tell the difference on the days that I spend time with Avery during Nate's morning nap and the days that I clean the kitchen instead. She can develop quite the rebellious attitude.

Anyways. I know that there are many solutions to my time management issues. One is get up before the kids. I hate that idea. So much. I know some moms that stay up super late and get up early. That seems so terrible to me. Yuck. Although, I know once I create the habit, it should get easier. I also understand that the time I get to spend with the kids is far better than anything I could be doing. Its just tough because sometimes the state of my house makes me want to cry.

I would like you to know that I do get to do fun things. I have a standing Thursday hang out with my besties. Shout out to Megelle! What the what! And Mike is really purposeful about me having some time on the weekends. He obviously helps with the household chores. I just feel like I should be able to take care of all that.

So, just know, when you see some awesome looking baked good on my facebook page, most likely my house is a mess. Toys are strewn about. I probably havent haven't cleaned my floors in a week.

How do you manage your time? What do you wish you had more time for?

Wordless Wednesday - Shopping and Sharing

Mother of the Year Moment #1

We've all had those moments of realization when we have to acknowledge the fact that we failed in our role as a mother. I labeled this post with a "#1" because more will certainly follow.

So, one night Avery and I were watching Beauty and the Beast. She was watching it and I was reading, then suddenly I hear her say, "Damn it." So, I calmly ask her to repeat what she said because it is not unlikely that I would mis-hear her. So she repeats it and, unfortunately, I heard her correctly.

Upon asking for an explanation, she tells me that Beast just said, "Damn it!" in the movie. "When?" I ask. She tells me that he says it in the bath tub.

Rewind. Play. "Damn it." What?!? No way! Rewind. Play. "Damn it." DVD Menu. Closed captioning on. Rewind. Play. I hear "Damn it," but CC says "Daring." Phew. After a phew more listens, I confirm that he does in fact say, "Daring."

Then Avery and I had to have a discussion about the use of the damn it phrase. I asked her if she knew what it meant. She was quite proud to tell me that it meant "not good." Apparently, when she heard me say it, I was quite effective at communicating that the situation was "not good." I had to explain that she was right, but that we shouldn't say it. I was wrong to say it and shouldn't say it any more.

The unfortunate thing about this whole occurrence, aside from the obvious lack of motherly inner monologue, is that every time we watch B&B, she has to explain to anyone and everyone what Beast does and does not say. It goes something like, "Beast not say damn it. Nooooooo, nooooooo." Laughter. "He's not 'posed to say that. He says daring." This need for clarification led to a questioning text from my mother while she was watching the movie with her.

So, needless to say. I have said the d-word in front of my children. Let it be known that I saved it for an instance like spilling hot coffee all over my lap while driving. Or breaking a glass jar on my kitchen tile, then five minutes later breaking another glass object in my pantry. Applicable instances, poor self control.

Has your munchkin outed you regarding a not-so ideal situation? Care to share?


PS - Forgive my poor use of quotation marks. I'm aware of my lack of grammatical abilities. 


PPS - Please also forgive my blogging absence the past few weeks! I'll explain my time management issues in Friday's post. 

Wordless Wednesday - Grampy & Grammy Time

Happy 1st Birthday Nathan!

Nathan - 

I can't believe it's been a year since you were born! You are by far our most favorite son.

In the past year you have:

• grown 10 inches and gained 15 lbs
• eaten every two hours since birth
• learned to walk (at 10.5 mo)
• learned to wave and say, "Ba-ba"
• learned to make trucks sounds when driving anything
• sucked and chewed on everything - disabling many electronic devices
• cracked the screen to my iPhone (insert tear drop here)
• given your sister a run for her money

You love:

• doing anything outside
• trucks
• motorcycles
• books
• using tools - only real ones will do
• emptying any container, drawer or cupboard
• playing peek-a-boo
• singing "If Your Happy and You Know It"
• any food that is not a cucumber - including fish and tomatos
• pushing your sister
• being held by mom only when she's cooking dinner or if it's the middle of the night 

You don't love:

• having your diaper changed or getting dressed
• any facial wiping
• sharing Mom
• cucumbers
• being covered with a blanket
• being told no

You and your sister have shown your father and I that we have more love than we could have ever imagined. Happy Birthday. 

Love, 

Mom

Halloween: Yay or Nay?

I have limited memories of some things in childhood, but one thing I do recall is dressing up as Punky Brewster for not one, but two Halloweens. Yep, I had those awesome Punky high tops and I could not resist her misplaced bandana. Then, suddenly, Halloween was ripped from me - forbidden.

Okay, it wasn't quite that dramatic, but as a nine year old, it was pretty devastating. My parents and I had came to Jesus that year and we were converted under a pretty conservative denomination. Upon reflection, it was completely God's will because my parents had some life-changes to make and I think a strict environment was just what they needed. But, this meant no Halloween. Well, it meant "church halloween" where you get to dress up as a Bible character. This really sucks as a girl. You basically get to wear a robe with a rope belt and carry around a jug - or baby Jesus. There were many Queen Esthers because then you got to wear a crown. If you were truly rebellious, you could go for Queen Jezebel, but then your parents would be judged and whispered about until Easter.

Halloween was actually the first real heated discussion that Mike and I had. I remember this clearly. We were walking through Fry's, - on 22nd and Harrison - discussing whether our kids would be allowed to celebrate Halloween. We weren't even engaged yet! Mike was so surprised at the notion. Mike loved Halloween growing up. His mother is an amazing seamstress, so along with her mother, they would make Mike's costumes - Pac-Man, any Star Wars character you can imagine. They would load up in the car and drive house to house. I guess that's what you do when its cold and you live on a farm! His memories are really special to him.

As, you can tell from the previous post, I gave in. Avery gets so excited this time of year. She loves dressing up and seeing everyone else. When I put on Nate's costume to see if it fit, she cried when I took it off. She also truly enjoys handing out the candy. It was so fun for her. If Mike put candy in someone's bag without her help, she would get upset.

I am fully aware of the spiritual implications of this holiday. I did stay awake and do a lot of thinking about this. So many churches have Halloween alternatives, but I think those are just the same as celebrating the holiday. An alternative celebration doesn't fully negate the day. So, do we wait until the kids are older and let them make the choice on their own? In Avery's Methodist preschool class, they asked all the kids what their costumes were. It was a harmless conversation starter, but I was surprised because what if there was a child that didn't celebrate it? Would it devastate Avery not to be included? I don't know. I realize that as Christians we are called to be different from the world. I get it. I promise. For some reason, I struggle with this Halloween topic. I have no idea why I caved, other than I love that she loves it. It's great family fun.

So, I realize that this topic may be a week past due, but I was surprised when I realized who dressed up and who chose not to.

I'm curious, without judgement. Does your family celebrate Halloween? What is your reasoning, and if not, how do your children respond?

Wordless Wednesday - Halloween Fun

Well, I planned on having many awesome Halloween pics, but I cannot find my camera cord. My phone photos will have to do. I only have a few . . . and their quality stinks.