I love Tuesdays! Every Tuesday my children go to the neighbors house all day long. And even better than that, every other Tuesday we have a cleaning lady who cleans my entire house! Not only are my kids gone for the day, but my house gets cleaned without me lifting a finger. It's amazing, heavenly if I do say so myself! Some may say "why do you need a cleaning lady?" My answer to them is this: I run a business from my home and I have 3 children and I am pregnant. I can either clean my home or I can spend some extra time with my kids. I chose to spend the time with my kids.
I typically spend my Tuesdays working on my business, going to doctors appointments, or grocery shopping, but occasionally I will pamper myself, get my nails done or even do some shopping just for me. When I first started taking my kids to the sitter, I felt overwhelmingly guilty about it. I wasn't sure if I was really doing my job if I was taking a day off from my children. But as the weeks and months have progressed I realize that this was a blessing that God laid at my feet.
My neighbors' children are the same ages as mine and she has an in-home daycare, coincidence? I think not! Our kids love playing together and at the end of the day on Tuesday I feel so relaxed and rejuvenated. It really doesn't matter what I did that day, the fact is, I did it alone. I was alone in my thoughts and didn't have to multi-task, I just did what I needed to do for me. Usually on Tuesdays, we have the best meal of the week (whether anyone notices or not), I actually do my hair and make up and get dressed in real clothes that don't start with elastic headbands and end with rubber tennis shoes! And when they come home, they are worn out from playing with the other kids and have new stories and experiences to share with me and the best part is, I actually have the patience to listen to all of their stories.
I admit that every Monday night I secretly plan how great my Tuesday is going to be, all alone in my thoughts and having no one hanging on me and wanting my attention, but by 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, I am always ready to welcome a house full of noise, endless chatter and laughter. At the end of every Tuesday awaits a loving, and welcoming mother and wife for my family! Tuesdays are my favorite day of the week and I am betting that my children and husband love them just as much as I do!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
The Pleaser, the Negotiator and the Clown
I love watching my children grow into little people with personalities. They are all so different yet they love each other so much and I can't imagine our family without all their little personalities.
The Pleaser
Reese is your typical first born "type A". He likes things orderly and is very serious about the things he is passionate about. If he's in trouble, all I have to do is mutter the words "I don't like..." and he straigtens up. I love that about him, but it makes me worry about him too! When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he answers very matter-of-factly "a paleontologist". To which many adults laugh and say "what's that?" I was so proud of him this past week when he had a class field trip where they discovered more about dinosaurs and his teacher said to me "he is quite an expert on dinosaurs isn't he?" She then proceeded to tell me how he knew all the answers that the teacher asked. This made my feathers puff up a little bit just like a proud momma bird!
Reese is a lover, not afraid to touch and hug and tell you that he loves you. He is the first one in my bed in the mornings and he cuddles up so close to me that I can rarely move without falling off of our king sized bed. I secretly hope those days will never end!
The Negotiator
Addison is perhaps the most like me. She pushes my buttons the most, but she carries a very special place in my heart because I understand her more than I understand anyone else. She is my sweet baby girl no matter what kind of exterior she puts on. She is unbelievably independent! She refuses to allow anyone to help her with pretty much anything. While this trait is frustrating when waiting for a 3 year old to button her shirt, it will be so rewarding as she grows into an adult who is trying to achieve a personal goal.
If I tell her no, she is likely to either try to convince me by wearing me down, or just asking another adult in the room! Sometimes she even says I told her it was okay. You have to admire her persistence!
The only thing that she is really attached to is the people in her life. Although she tells you she likes princess and Dora, it's rare that you will find her playing anything Reese doesn't need a playmate for (like Legos, Bakugan or Dinosaurs). She will give you lots of love as long as you make it look like it was her idea! Her love language is quality time. If you miss some one on one time with her in a day, she will find a way to get your attention and this is not negotiable!
The Clown
At only 14 months old Griffin has clearly made his place in this house as our clown. He is hilarious and he really isn't happy until everyone is looking and laughing at him. When he hears others laugh, he makes sure his laugh is the jolliest and loudest so you will turn to watch him.
When Reese and Addison are sitting on the floor playing nicely, he is very likely to jump on or tackle them when they are least expecting it. Luckily Reese and Addison welcome the rough play and join in happily.
Lately he has started standing up and acting like he is going to do a somersault and laughing hysterically at himself until everyone else looks and laughs too. He can often be found walking around with something over his face until someone says "Where's Griffers?" then he will let out his little giggle and then quickly reveal himself!
I can't wait until he starts talking and we can hear what thoughts are going on in that cute little head of his!
As we watch our kids grow into little people I wonder what this next child will add to our home. Where will she make her place? How will our household change with her arrival?
The Pleaser
Reese is your typical first born "type A". He likes things orderly and is very serious about the things he is passionate about. If he's in trouble, all I have to do is mutter the words "I don't like..." and he straigtens up. I love that about him, but it makes me worry about him too! When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he answers very matter-of-factly "a paleontologist". To which many adults laugh and say "what's that?" I was so proud of him this past week when he had a class field trip where they discovered more about dinosaurs and his teacher said to me "he is quite an expert on dinosaurs isn't he?" She then proceeded to tell me how he knew all the answers that the teacher asked. This made my feathers puff up a little bit just like a proud momma bird!
Reese is a lover, not afraid to touch and hug and tell you that he loves you. He is the first one in my bed in the mornings and he cuddles up so close to me that I can rarely move without falling off of our king sized bed. I secretly hope those days will never end!
The Negotiator
Addison is perhaps the most like me. She pushes my buttons the most, but she carries a very special place in my heart because I understand her more than I understand anyone else. She is my sweet baby girl no matter what kind of exterior she puts on. She is unbelievably independent! She refuses to allow anyone to help her with pretty much anything. While this trait is frustrating when waiting for a 3 year old to button her shirt, it will be so rewarding as she grows into an adult who is trying to achieve a personal goal.
If I tell her no, she is likely to either try to convince me by wearing me down, or just asking another adult in the room! Sometimes she even says I told her it was okay. You have to admire her persistence!
The only thing that she is really attached to is the people in her life. Although she tells you she likes princess and Dora, it's rare that you will find her playing anything Reese doesn't need a playmate for (like Legos, Bakugan or Dinosaurs). She will give you lots of love as long as you make it look like it was her idea! Her love language is quality time. If you miss some one on one time with her in a day, she will find a way to get your attention and this is not negotiable!
The Clown
At only 14 months old Griffin has clearly made his place in this house as our clown. He is hilarious and he really isn't happy until everyone is looking and laughing at him. When he hears others laugh, he makes sure his laugh is the jolliest and loudest so you will turn to watch him.
When Reese and Addison are sitting on the floor playing nicely, he is very likely to jump on or tackle them when they are least expecting it. Luckily Reese and Addison welcome the rough play and join in happily.
Lately he has started standing up and acting like he is going to do a somersault and laughing hysterically at himself until everyone else looks and laughs too. He can often be found walking around with something over his face until someone says "Where's Griffers?" then he will let out his little giggle and then quickly reveal himself!
I can't wait until he starts talking and we can hear what thoughts are going on in that cute little head of his!
As we watch our kids grow into little people I wonder what this next child will add to our home. Where will she make her place? How will our household change with her arrival?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
What makes you tick?
Today was a beautiful day! The weather was perfect the sun was shining and the temperatures were unseasonably warm and we had nothing pressing to do. Usually days like these are easy. Usually I feel like I have things under control on these kinds of days, but not today! Addison would show me, I didn't have control over her.
We planned to go to a friends house to have a play date. We have a half and hour in the car to get there and Addison kept screaming in the back seat. This was one of those nails on a chalkboard pointless screams that she (and I believe most little girls) have perfected and use when they are just bored! Of course to combat the screaming, I found myself screaming back "If you don't stop that, we won't go". I knew this was an empty threat. Every mom knows that play dates are just as much for mom's as they are for the kids (maybe more so). So after the 3rd blood curddling scream I decided a new threat was in order so I said it.. "if you do that one more time, I am going to pull this car over and spank your bottom." And so of course, she, being my daughter and always testing authority did it again. So I said "Addison, stop it, I am going to pull over and and spank you." hmmmm...didn't I just say that like 3 minutes ago? So on the 5th and final scream I stopped on the shoulder of the highway and got out of the car walked around to her side, got her out of the car and gave her one firm swat on her toosh. She let out a pathetic "uuuuhhhhhuuuuhhh" that lasted about a tenth of a second and at that moment I knew she had learned nothing from being punished. I got back in the car, and as I began driving, the car tires let out a "ffffrrrrrrrrr" noise from the grooves in the shoulder and Addison began laughing hysterically and she said "Mommy, can we pull over again? That was fun!"
Yep, I am pretty sure she learned nothing and I on the other hand learned that I have no idea what makes her tick!
We planned to go to a friends house to have a play date. We have a half and hour in the car to get there and Addison kept screaming in the back seat. This was one of those nails on a chalkboard pointless screams that she (and I believe most little girls) have perfected and use when they are just bored! Of course to combat the screaming, I found myself screaming back "If you don't stop that, we won't go". I knew this was an empty threat. Every mom knows that play dates are just as much for mom's as they are for the kids (maybe more so). So after the 3rd blood curddling scream I decided a new threat was in order so I said it.. "if you do that one more time, I am going to pull this car over and spank your bottom." And so of course, she, being my daughter and always testing authority did it again. So I said "Addison, stop it, I am going to pull over and and spank you." hmmmm...didn't I just say that like 3 minutes ago? So on the 5th and final scream I stopped on the shoulder of the highway and got out of the car walked around to her side, got her out of the car and gave her one firm swat on her toosh. She let out a pathetic "uuuuhhhhhuuuuhhh" that lasted about a tenth of a second and at that moment I knew she had learned nothing from being punished. I got back in the car, and as I began driving, the car tires let out a "ffffrrrrrrrrr" noise from the grooves in the shoulder and Addison began laughing hysterically and she said "Mommy, can we pull over again? That was fun!"
Yep, I am pretty sure she learned nothing and I on the other hand learned that I have no idea what makes her tick!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Surprise!
After one miscarriage and a major broken heart, we welcomed our first baby boy, Reese in Aug. 2005, with opened arms! He was our world! After he was born I remember thinking "this is what I was born for". I never felt that overwhelming mom feeling of not knowing what to do. God just blessed me with the ability to follow my instincts and I was so happy to have him! We always knew we wanted more than one baby, but had never really talked about how many that was.
I remember once Rob jokingly said "lets have 6 kids" and I said, "uh...maybe you can have 3 with me and then 3 with someone else but this girl is not having more than 3 kids". That was really the only time we talked about a number of children.
About 7 months after we had Reese we got the news we would be moving home to Illinois! We were so excited! Rob got a job there and I could find one shortly after. Little did we know that we got a little going away gift from Wisconsin. 16 months after Reese was born Addison arrived! I remember thinking "who in the world has kids 16 months apart?". Apparently, after asking around, this is pretty common! We quickly and easily adjusted to having 2 children!
When Addison was 6 months old I decided to start a business with Thirty-One. My business really started taking off! It was crazy how fast things were happening! I suddenly realized that all of my dreams were coming true! I was able to stay home with my kids and have a job that I loved! Why not add more to the mix?
We were pretty sure we wanted one more baby and thought there was no way it would happen as quickly as it did with the first 2 so the winter after Addison was born we tried again and immediately I got pregnant again! Yep...if you're doing the math, that would have been 3 kids under 3! But God had another plan for our family. I miscarried that baby at 13 weeks. 3 months later I was pregnant again and exactly 2 years and 1 month after Addison was born, Griffin arrived!
I would love to tell you that my adjustment to a 3rd baby was easy, but it was an absolute nightmare! When Griffin was 11 days old he was admitted to the hospital for 8 days for RSV. To make it worse, the day before we left the hospital Griffin started crying and I am pretty sure he didn't stop until the day after he turned 3 months old. Both of us said "no way, never again"! No more babies! Part of me still longed for a 4th, but most of me was scared to death this colicky baby was going to happen again! We decided to wait until Griffin was one to do anything permanent. A funny thing happened though, after Griffin hit 3 months old he was an angel! The sweetest most content little guy you could ever ask for. He was...in a word...delicious! So we wavered back and forth...do we want one more or not? The thought was maybe in 3 or 4 years we will want just one more. But then I went to this great Leadership meeting for Thirty-One and got all excited about my business! I decided it was time for Rob to get a vasectomy! Woo hoo...freedom at last! But there was one last thing I had to do before I made his appointment... take a test...you know the kind... where you pee on a stick and hope it reads "pregnant". This time I hoped it read "not pregnant".
As always God showed me that he is in control of this crazy life of mine and the dreaded word "pregnant" popped up on that screen (I buy the expensive ones, the ones that cannot be mistaken).
So there it was... the decision made for us! Baby number 4 was on it's way and I have officially been pregnant for the majority of the past 4 years!
So that brings me here to this blog where I am going write what I am thinking occasionally so that between poopy diapers, mommy brain and my still thriving business, I can write down some thoughts and possibly remember how I get through a day!
I remember once Rob jokingly said "lets have 6 kids" and I said, "uh...maybe you can have 3 with me and then 3 with someone else but this girl is not having more than 3 kids". That was really the only time we talked about a number of children.
About 7 months after we had Reese we got the news we would be moving home to Illinois! We were so excited! Rob got a job there and I could find one shortly after. Little did we know that we got a little going away gift from Wisconsin. 16 months after Reese was born Addison arrived! I remember thinking "who in the world has kids 16 months apart?". Apparently, after asking around, this is pretty common! We quickly and easily adjusted to having 2 children!
When Addison was 6 months old I decided to start a business with Thirty-One. My business really started taking off! It was crazy how fast things were happening! I suddenly realized that all of my dreams were coming true! I was able to stay home with my kids and have a job that I loved! Why not add more to the mix?
We were pretty sure we wanted one more baby and thought there was no way it would happen as quickly as it did with the first 2 so the winter after Addison was born we tried again and immediately I got pregnant again! Yep...if you're doing the math, that would have been 3 kids under 3! But God had another plan for our family. I miscarried that baby at 13 weeks. 3 months later I was pregnant again and exactly 2 years and 1 month after Addison was born, Griffin arrived!
I would love to tell you that my adjustment to a 3rd baby was easy, but it was an absolute nightmare! When Griffin was 11 days old he was admitted to the hospital for 8 days for RSV. To make it worse, the day before we left the hospital Griffin started crying and I am pretty sure he didn't stop until the day after he turned 3 months old. Both of us said "no way, never again"! No more babies! Part of me still longed for a 4th, but most of me was scared to death this colicky baby was going to happen again! We decided to wait until Griffin was one to do anything permanent. A funny thing happened though, after Griffin hit 3 months old he was an angel! The sweetest most content little guy you could ever ask for. He was...in a word...delicious! So we wavered back and forth...do we want one more or not? The thought was maybe in 3 or 4 years we will want just one more. But then I went to this great Leadership meeting for Thirty-One and got all excited about my business! I decided it was time for Rob to get a vasectomy! Woo hoo...freedom at last! But there was one last thing I had to do before I made his appointment... take a test...you know the kind... where you pee on a stick and hope it reads "pregnant". This time I hoped it read "not pregnant".
As always God showed me that he is in control of this crazy life of mine and the dreaded word "pregnant" popped up on that screen (I buy the expensive ones, the ones that cannot be mistaken).
So there it was... the decision made for us! Baby number 4 was on it's way and I have officially been pregnant for the majority of the past 4 years!
So that brings me here to this blog where I am going write what I am thinking occasionally so that between poopy diapers, mommy brain and my still thriving business, I can write down some thoughts and possibly remember how I get through a day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
