Advice

I'm sitting here at the kitchen table, surrounded by two messy children in their booster seats with food half on the tray and half on eir clothes and the floor. The table has two cups with straws, cheezits, a left over syrup bottle from breakfast and a spoon. If my husband came home right now, he'd wonder what the heck I've been doing all day and why this room is such a disaster! Well, honey, I've done 4 loads of laundry; all washed folded/hung and put away. I've cleaned the living room and partially cleaned the bathroom! Sure the kids are a mess but they've had baths, naps and the two meals they should have had by now. Not to mention, the baby was bathed, recently fed and is now sleeping peacefully in his swing. I feel accomplished! Of course my job isn't yet done, but the sun is still shining so I've still got time ;) but for now, this is the only "me" time ill get today, so I'm gonna take it :)


Blogging is kind of relaxing. It's nice to take 10 or so minutes a day to just kind of relax and evaluate your day. Or tell a story. Either works! After all, it is MY time, so I'm going to use it however I wish!

So anyway, a while back a few of my friends who were going to be first time moms asked me for advice on being a mother, what worked for me and what didn't, etc. I was thinking about that today a lot while I was cleaning. First off let me say this, our house isn't always clean, he laundry isn't ALWAYS done, and our meals aren't always the healthiest... HOWEVER.. I do try my hardest. This is my job. I chose this. I chose to be a mother and a wife, it's what I've always wanted, and just as another person in their "dream job", I strive to do the best I can. Sure I don't always succeed, but every little ounce of effort counts. Am I right or am I right? I thought so.

So back to the advice. Rule #1 NEVER fall behind on your family's laundry. Ever. Ok just kidding, because its gonna happen to us all, but at least try not to, because it truly sucks! Remember up there how I said I've done 4 loads? Yeah I'm still not done. I have two more to do. Granted that does include blankets and sheets and such, but still. Rule #2 if you DO get behind on the laundry, and say you begin it but don't fold it right away so it ends up extra wrinkly on your bedroom floor for a day and a half, DON'T worry. Folding it and putting it away isn't really THAT bad. Laundry is kind of like working out. Starting it sucks, but once you're doing it and then finally done, you realize it truly wasn't all that bad, or hard, and didn't take that long. Rule #4 if you don't have more than one child, don't complain about having no time to do anything!!!! Just kidding. This is all just becoming awkwardly funny now, but on a more serious note, with each child I have, I realize how much I can really do in a short amount of time. 2 hours for a nap used to mean me watching the Ellen show, maybe a little prep for dinner and making our bed, ON MY GOOD DAYS. Crazy right? Shooooooooot, NOW a 2 hour nap means cleaning our bedroom, the living room, bathroom, doing laundry, prepping for dinner AND watching Ellen! It's kind of that feeling after you get off the phone with someone who drops that dreaded line "I'm heading that way and just wanted to drop by" ..... So you say "suuuuuure!" In your high pitched fake-as-hell voice, hang up the phone and become a crazy person cleaning everything in sight, knowing you have MAYBE 10 minutes to get the job done, and surprisingly, you do! That's how nap time goes for me. I know if I finish my job early, I can relax. Though most days the second I sit down, I hear someone making noise/waking up.. But that's ok too, because atleast that part of my job is d.o.n.e. mission accomplished.

Sooooo back to the advice? Yeah I really don't have any serious advice other than do what's best for you and what WORKS for you! Some people get up before their kids to get things done, and sure I could do that since my kids sleep till 9:30, but who wants to wake up earlier than they HAVE to? I enjoy my 9ish hours of sleep each night. I am up every 3-4 hours to feed the baby but no complaints there. In my opinion I have it good, and that's something I remind myself of often. Especially when I'm feeling frustrated or discouraged. My days don't always go as planned, and most days I look like a mess until 10 minutes before my husband comes home (or I just look like a mess. All.day.long) BUT I have three happy healthy children who have all the love and support in the world! I have a hard working husband who I know loves me and would do anything for our family, and THAT to me is what life is all about. Not counting the good times, but making each good time count ;)