Rainy days and Fridays
Friday is the longest day of my week. By Friday evening I am so ready for Mike to come home and partially relieve me of my parenting responsibilities that each minute until he arrives feels like an hour.
I don't think anybody would think me weird for feeling this way, but somebody might think me weird for feeling happy and a tad relieved when Monday rolls around again. In some ways, I prefer parenting solo. My weekdays are filled with routines. I change diapers, cook meals, nurse Thomas, set out bowls of snacks, peel and cut bananas, put on a Tivo'd episode of Blue's Clue's, put on another Tivo'd episode of Blue's Clues, wash clothes on Mondays and Thursdays (including towels on Mondays and bedding on Thursdays), nurse Thomas, vacuum on Fridays, clean bathrooms on Tuesdays, make beds every day, nurse Thomas, feed Thomas a jar of sweet potatoes, clean Thomas, clean Emily, clean myself, clean the table, clean the house, nurse Thomas, put kid(s) down for nap(s), and occasionally check my email and write in my blog. Oh, and sometimes I sit on the floor and read books or tickle tummies or sing the ABC song or stack blocks. And go to the playground. Did I mention go to the playground? Yes, the weekdays fill up quick.
Weekends are up in the air and unpredictable (I think some people call this "spontaneous") and that tends to drive me nuts. Mothering is a 24/7 job with no weekends off and I find it easier to work my job when I'm working inside the comfort of my routines. Also, just because Mike is home doesn't mean that I don't have many of the same demands placed on me by the kids that I have during the week. He's noticed that when I walk into a room, the kids immediately bombard me with their eating and drinking needs. They don't ask him even though he's been in the room with them the entire time I've been gone. I once loved free-for-all weekends as much as the next gal, but now I find that they make me nervous and irritable. Sad, huh?
I'm not sure what all of this means, but I've started a few balls rolling that I think will help me gain some ME time and hopefully let me enjoy the weekends, the weekdays, heck LIFE, more:
Checked out a local drop-in daycare center. The woman was nice, her home was clean, and I'm going to start taking Emily there a couple of days a week for several hours at a time.
Got a membership at our local YMCA. Childcare is included free of charge with my membership. I can drop off Emily and Thomas at their daycare center and work out for 90 minutes. 90 minutes!! 90 uninterrupted minutes!!! Hello, have I died and gone to heaven? I'm going to start this next Monday.
Book rave: Confessions of a Slacker Wife by Muffy Mead-Ferro. This book is great! I could really relate to her observations about motherhood and wifey-hood and I'm going to try some of her slacker wife tips. At our next party I promise I'm going to serve only chips, onion soup dip mix, and store-bought pie. I'm sure nobody will notice or think it odd, and I'll be rested and fresh for the party instead of tired and frazzled from a frenzied day of cooking and cleaning. Thanks for the tip, Muffy!
I don't think anybody would think me weird for feeling this way, but somebody might think me weird for feeling happy and a tad relieved when Monday rolls around again. In some ways, I prefer parenting solo. My weekdays are filled with routines. I change diapers, cook meals, nurse Thomas, set out bowls of snacks, peel and cut bananas, put on a Tivo'd episode of Blue's Clue's, put on another Tivo'd episode of Blue's Clues, wash clothes on Mondays and Thursdays (including towels on Mondays and bedding on Thursdays), nurse Thomas, vacuum on Fridays, clean bathrooms on Tuesdays, make beds every day, nurse Thomas, feed Thomas a jar of sweet potatoes, clean Thomas, clean Emily, clean myself, clean the table, clean the house, nurse Thomas, put kid(s) down for nap(s), and occasionally check my email and write in my blog. Oh, and sometimes I sit on the floor and read books or tickle tummies or sing the ABC song or stack blocks. And go to the playground. Did I mention go to the playground? Yes, the weekdays fill up quick.
Weekends are up in the air and unpredictable (I think some people call this "spontaneous") and that tends to drive me nuts. Mothering is a 24/7 job with no weekends off and I find it easier to work my job when I'm working inside the comfort of my routines. Also, just because Mike is home doesn't mean that I don't have many of the same demands placed on me by the kids that I have during the week. He's noticed that when I walk into a room, the kids immediately bombard me with their eating and drinking needs. They don't ask him even though he's been in the room with them the entire time I've been gone. I once loved free-for-all weekends as much as the next gal, but now I find that they make me nervous and irritable. Sad, huh?
I'm not sure what all of this means, but I've started a few balls rolling that I think will help me gain some ME time and hopefully let me enjoy the weekends, the weekdays, heck LIFE, more:
Book rave: Confessions of a Slacker Wife by Muffy Mead-Ferro. This book is great! I could really relate to her observations about motherhood and wifey-hood and I'm going to try some of her slacker wife tips. At our next party I promise I'm going to serve only chips, onion soup dip mix, and store-bought pie. I'm sure nobody will notice or think it odd, and I'll be rested and fresh for the party instead of tired and frazzled from a frenzied day of cooking and cleaning. Thanks for the tip, Muffy!
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