What it is REALLY like to be a SAHM- 1 year later

So my anniversary of becoming a full time stay at home mom, came and went. Hard to believe it has been that long since I turned in my work keys.

We've had....

Surgeries

Hospital stays

Another pregnancy

The winter and sickness season from He**

Potty training

Gone down to a one car family

First carnival rides

First kisses

Stitches

Birthdays

I am sure there are more things, but my brain capacity is on a limited basis these days....

So in a brief and nutshell sort of way, one of the best ways to describe what any given day can look like:

Hubby is home sick, so even though you have him home, he isn't really home. The kids still think its a day off, so any usual routine is challenged. Your 2 yr old decides that any out of reach contraband item is worth a fight for and drags out any item he can climb in order to get to it. Your 3 yr old keeps asking what show is on next, despite telling her multiple times the answer. You haven't even reached snack time, and they are already demanding what breakfast cereal they will consume the following morning.

After lunch has been thrown to the natives, you try and inform daddy in the nicest way you can that you never get a full day to get over being sick without child watch responsibilities. The clock has run out and you are going to clock out and take advantage of having the car and no kids in it.

But the sometimes tricky thing about leaving, is getting out the door. PJ pants have been stripped for jeans and a top that isn't stained up, purse, keys and phone in hand...check check check!

Wait....where are my shoes? (starts a search and rescue for said shoes)

Then you find them in a spot that you would never have taken them to. But it is on the other side of the general living space and you must brave your life and step through a minefield of toys, dry cereal, legos and other things you don't want ruined. Once you've reached the prize of your shoes, you have to navigate back to the front door after the path you just took has already been altered by the natives.

You shut the front door, walk to the car and let out a deep sigh in the drivers seat.

Whew....I made it.
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With all we've gone through in this last year, some of the hardest things experienced has been working the hardest job and not seeing a tangible paycheck to show for it. You are providing an invaluable service to your family, but your service does not produce a resource to help pay the bills or general staples.

It is HARD to balance one's life whether or not you work outside the home or not. Neither way is any easier and comes with different sets of challenges. I don't regret the decision from working outside the home, but I do look forward to the start of the school years in the future and being more self sufficient in self care :)

If You Give a Child a Book

We were blessed by a visit this weekend with the grandparents. Due to work responsibilities in our area this week, we benefited with family time. The kids are so excited by their visits as they grow older. Laps and reading voices were in full use as book after book was presented.

Maybe when I'm Older

This seems to be a very common response from Eliza these days. She'll see things the big kids or even adults are doing/saying/traveling to, and she'll ask to do them while immediately answering her own question with this phrase.

Trying to convince a 3 yr old to enjoy just being 3 while she can is a challenge. To her, being more grown up means always sitting at the big table, not taking off your mud boots when getting home and applying toothpaste without any assistance.

Why is it when we are finally old enough and burdened with adult responsibilities, we long to go back and be 5 again. Carefree and imaginative, where eating a bowl of sugar cereal and catching Saturday morning cartoons was the start to a GREAT day off. In a recent dinner table conversation with Matt, we recalled still remembering a few cheat codes to our Sega Genesis. Up, down, left, right, select, start! This would open up every level available in Sonic. Eliza now chants or sings this cheat code at random times, thinking it is the coolest thing to say.

I think one of the most scariest things to do as a parent is to let your kids grow...at their own pace. We either keep trying to protect and do everything/shield them, or grow frustrated about their "childish" behavior. So which is it ma?

We are in the home stretch to having a 4 yr old in the house. In the fall, she'll ride the school bus on her own to preschool and begin a marathon of learning in and outside of those walls.

Before she'll even know it, she will be older :)

Parental Learning Curve

I thought I'd list a few of the things I've learned in my time of being a parent to multiple children...


>Permanent marker can be removed from wood furniture with scrubbing toothpaste over it.

>When your daughter says her tummy hurts....take her seriously and park a bucket in front of her.

>Baby gates can and will fail you.

>No tv as a punishment for the day is more so a punishment for the parent, than the child.

>When downtime occurs in a car, removing shoes and hiding socks is entertainment. You don't find this out      until you are ready to pull them out to whatever appointment you're already late for.

>You will tell them time and time again to not throw their toys around, but feel pretty guilty when you step
   and break the wings off.

>Mac n Cheese is best requested at breakfast, lunch and/or dinner....every day.

>To avoid saying "no" to your child multiple times, just say, "when you're older" as a polite way.

>A cheap quarter machine bouncy ball still has its charm.

>Wooden tension baby gates work much more effectively as door knob covers to keep crafty kids out.


......and by the end of the day, you better understand why some mothers eat their young in the wild.

Arriving on a Jet Plane

In preparation for our little addition and the realities of having all three kids sharing the same room, we've decided to give the boys a theme with the hopes we can sometime soon move to a bigger place and they'll get a room to themselves. The only way of perking up Eliza about not getting a sister is telling her that one day, she'll have her own PINK room to herself.

I constructed a plane mobile to hang over the changing table out of cardstock craft paper and cut wire hanger. They were given a 3D shape so no matter what way you look at it, you should see a silhouette of each plane. I also tried to stick with patterns that would be visually striking in contrast for those early months of eye development. 

An aviation nursery mood board was put together for a friend who is expecting their first. Many items here can be cheaply purchased/DIY'd for those who are either renting short term or have a limited budget. Painting contact paper and cutting out stickers for the wall is an inexpensive alternative for renters.

PB Spa Treatment for Littles

Yes, this really did happen in the house.....

They were not suspiciously quiet as they played in the bedroom....

It took teamwork from both to pull this off.....

Older sisters will always point blame on little brothers!

Not even the couch was safe

And the other surprise place was all over the back of their bedroom door....

If they had dry skin before.....not anymore!

The Adventures of a Box

Some will say, that a young child will be more interested in the box the toy came in than the toy itself. Depending on your child, I think laundry baskets have more appeal in general as my kids are quick to help me rescue the toy from the twist ties and corrugated fibers.

I decided to throw a good sized box out to Eliza during one quiet time and encouraged her to decorate it with crayons. It had once housed a care package from my mother, and it had been kicking around our bedroom as I procrastinated dealing with the contents.

So here is a chronicling of the box this week.....

 Place of choice for quiet time one day

This was the next day, sans clothes...down to underwear

Squatters not appreciated in this creative real estate