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Back to Work
My first week back to work is behind me. It was a good week. Sunday night was hard as I was faced with the reality that I’d be leaving my sweet baby girl, who had not been away from me for more than just a few hours. I worried about how she’d feel and how well she’d eat (she’s been exclusively breastfed for the past few weeks and had a hard time with a bottle the last time she was given one). I knew I would miss her and the boys and all of our extra quality time. I knew my boys would miss me being home in the mornings and…
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Managing the crazy
Sometimes I feel like being a mom is like running a factory. It takes strategy and efficiency and planning and meticulous execution to keep it all running on time. And by on time, I don’t really mean on time (because that rarely happens anymore), I really just mean running… barely. Oh yes, motherhood, one of my two full time jobs. Just because I’m not home with my kids during the day doesn’t mean I shirk any of the other mom responsibility. Nope. The daily housekeeping, laundry, dishes, meal planning, grocery shopping, hauling in and putting away all the purchased groceries (as I was reminded of this weekend when I brought home a…
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Time
I’m not too fond of the excuse “I don’t have time…”. While I’m sympathetic to the fact that most of us are stretched too thin and time is our most precious commodity, I think what erks me about it is that people make time to do the things that are a high priority for them. As someone who strives to get the most out of each and every day – being a good wife, quality time with my kids, a full-time job, cooking dinner every night, the kids’ extracurricular activities, blogging, the dishes, the laundry, etc., etc. – hearing “I don’t have time to do this/that/the other” just kind of hits…
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Simply put… it’s chaos
I found myself in a conversation with co-workers today (who don’t yet have kids) trying to explain a day in the life of a parent. A parent with two rowdy, active (and sometimes gross) little boys. It was not too long ago that I sat in their shoes, outside looking in at the mysterious world of parenthood. I thought I knew what I’d be getting into, but I don’t think it is humanly possible to anticipate the way having children will turn your life upside down. It’s in these moments that the contrast between the kid-free lifestyle and mine is stark. Here are people who meet up with friends whenever they’d like, workout…
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Mother’s Day
Mothers Day – a day where moms everywhere get to kick up their feet. A day where they are fed and pampered – where the world revolves around moms and all of their desires come true. Well I’m sure that’s how mother’s day went down for some, but for me, mother’s day was spent… being a mother. This is one of the last weekends of Blake working in the restaurant business, and obviously, today is a busy restaurant day. So the Sundays off that we’ve become accustomed to fell by the wayside, and from early in the morning till late in the afternoon, I got to play the not-so-glamorous mother on…
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The Yes Mom
I decided to conduct an experiment with my oldest today. I had this thought while the boys were napping… what if I didn’t say “no” when they wake up… what if I agreed to all the requests made of me for the entire evening? What if, rather than “not now, buddy” or “in a second” or “maybe later” or “I don’t feel like it,” I just said “yes.” If I haven’t said it lately, parenting can be draining. It requires a lot of energy and patience and selflessness. And so when you’re already at your wits end just trying to keep the peace, keep them fed and keep the house…
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What kind of “not”?
Today was a rough day with Brogan. He tested every limit, he pushed every button. He didn’t listen, he defied, he lied, he hit, he back talked, he kicked, he screamed. He got me to a place I rarely go – a place of absolute rage. We’ve had a good run of positive reinforcement induced pretty good behavior, and December brought us a “Santa scared straight” good little boy. But today was so bad that it necessitated straight punishment. He was sent to his room (and told to stay in)… and he walked out. I closed his door (and told him to keep it shut, or he was in there…
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He gets it from me?
Ever since Brogan’s feisty little personality started to present itself – along with the mischief and hyper-activity, I was certain this came from my husband. I had heard the stories from his parents about he and his twin brother always fighting; I still hear from his dad (to Blake) the infamous words, “you pay for your raising when you raise your own.” So surely Brogan’s traits were courtesy of his paternal chromosomes. And if it didn’t come from my husband, then it must have come straight out of thin air. Made sense to me. And then one day at work, I was telling one my hundreds of Brogan stories, when…
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The Secrets of Parenthood
I’m going to let my non-parent friends in on a couple of the secrets that we parents don’t want you to know until you join the club. I’m probably breaking some code of silence, but here goes. It’s ugly, it’s shameful, but it’s the truth about being a parent. 1.) We try to look like we’ve got it under control (even when we don’t) – Every parent has been there. Out in public with your little one when they totally freak out on you. There you are, in a sea full of criticizing eyes, knowing that your kid is winning this one. What does a parent do? Fake it. Act…
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Why Being a Working Mom Works for Me
When I was pregnant with my first, I had many people ask me, presumably I think, if I would be staying home to raise my son. I would answer no, and I think for those who chose that path, it was hard to understand. Ever since I was young, I had a very strong drive to be an independent, working woman. Yes, I always wanted a family, a big family in fact, but I had a dual desire to pursue a career. I worked hard to get into college, moved to Atlanta for opportunity, found a great job, went back to school for my MBA and as soon as I…
