 |
baby,
toddler, preschooler, elementary, tweener and teen, positive discipline,
siblings rivalry, breastfeeding, sleep problems, homeschooling, temper
tantrums, twins, eating, work & stay at home moms, relationships with
spouses, personal struggles, weight loss & much more!
|
||||||
|
Contact
us at |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Mysticool
Moms ~ parenting stories by real moms you can relate to. Parenting support,
encouragement and humor for the most important job you have!
|
|||||
 OCTOBER 2003 - A MOM'S LIFE I am a mother. A stay at home mother at that. My days seem to fill up before I even walk out the front door in the morning. What do I do all day? What is it that takes up so much of my time? At the end of each day I wonder - what have I accomplished? I spend my typical weekdays like this: Sabrina wakes me up about 5:30 a.m. every morning to nurse. After she’s done nursing, I put her in her playpen, throw in a few toys, turn on Sesame Street and take a shower. After my shower Sabrina is desperately wanting me to pick her up, so we watch TV for a few minutes - you know, dance and sing to the tunes, talk about the characters we see. Then we go to Sabrina’s room to change her diaper and clothes. We end up playing on the floor for a few minutes after that. We go back to my room (and Sesame Street) so that I can finish my hair and make-up (only a 15 minutes process). By now Isaac is up and getting dressed. We meet downstairs where I’m frantically getting out bowls, cups, and spoons -oops a plate is needed today because Isaac wants waffles instead of cereal. And then we need a fork. And then the syrup, but he wants it warm. And Sabrina really wants to eat, so she gets put in her high chair. I’m running back and forth between the table to feed Sabrina (reload her tray is more like it) and finishing Isaac’s waffles. Then what do I want to eat? I suppose a bowl of cereal is quickest, and maybe some yogurt, but by now Sabrina is almost done eating and wants to get down. So I scarf down a few bites before getting back up to get a washcloth for Sabrina. I wipe her up, and then her tray, set her down, clean out the seat (something that needs to be done immediately or else doesn’t get done until the next meal - yuck), and then try to finish my breakfast. But Sabrina wants to sit in my lap. She whines while holding on to my chair and then starts bouncing her body up and down which means she’s really unhappy that I’m choosing to ignore her while I eat. Breakfast is done - on to the other morning tasks. Brush Isaac’s teeth, then my teeth, finish packing his school lunch, put on everyone’s shoes (help with Isaac’s), get coats, backpack and head out the door to bring Isaac to school. That ends the morning routine. Here is where my title switches from Mom to Family Chauffeur. I drive Isaac to school. We meet Anna (a five year old whom I care for a few days a week) and her mom in the school parking lot, then walk Isaac into class. His school starts at 8:15 a.m. Anna’s Pre-K class (different school) doesn’t start until 9:30 a.m., so we drive back home. I spend the next 45 minutes trying to accomplish some chores - dishes, finish cleaning up breakfast, sweeping, laundry - whatever needs to be done while Anna and Sabrina play. Then we’re back in the car to take Anna to school. We walk her into class, then in the car again to head home. Sometimes this is the only time of day where I can run an errand or two. Post office, grocery store, Wal-Mart. I enjoy being able to go home at this time of day because when we get home I nurse Sabrina, lay her down for a nap - then I lay myself down for one too! 11:30 a.m., time to drive back to school to pick up Anna. 12:30 p.m. back at home and time to make lunch. Thank heaven Anna loves to help out with Sabrina. If I put out a little food, Anna will sit at the table with Sabrina and refill her tray as it empties while I prepare the “big girls” lunches. All three of us enjoy taking our time eating lunch and don’t typically finish until 1:15 - 1:30 a.m. Play Time! We get one hour to play before we have to leave again to go pick up Isaac from school. 2:30 p.m. - Family Chauffeur again. Pick up Isaac at 3:00, drive 15 minutes to pick up husband, Trevor from work (we only have one car), drive 20 minutes to high school where Trevor coaches football, meet Anna’s mom at high school to drop off Anna, then drive back home. 4:30 p.m. Back at home and it’s time to make dinner! This is a super challenge for me. I hate preparing meals. Isaac is picky about what he eats, Sabrina still eats a little different food than what we prepare as a family meal, Trevor likes meat and potatoes, and I like something filling but well-rounded in food categories. Every night somebody loses out. And actually making dinner, the cooking at the stove, cutting, chopping, preparation part of it all takes soooo long. It takes so long because whenever I’m in the kitchen actually trying to accomplish something my little toddler, Sabrina, toddles over and starts pulling on my legs whining and crying mama, mama. So I pick her up and carry her while finishing preparations for dinner which is why it takes me so long. About the time I sit down with the kids to eat is when Trevor calls saying practice is done and we can come and pick him up now. So we drive 20 minutes there, 20 minutes back, then sit down again for dinner. By now Sabrina is quite crabby and seriously ready for more sleep. I hold off as long as possible so I can finish dinner, then take her upstairs and start her bedtime routine. I change her diaper, put on pajamas, turn on her lullaby music and night light, go downstairs to say goodnight to Trevor and Isaac, go back upstairs, nurse and rock, then lay her down. Time to clean the kitchen again. Isaac is playing catch with Trevor in the living room. 7:15 p.m. time to finish getting Isaac ready for bed. He does most of it himself by now, but still needs help with brushing his teeth. Story time. This is a very enjoyable time for me to spend with Isaac. It’s uninterrupted one on one time where we can read, laugh, talk and enjoy each other’s company. 8:00 p.m. lights out. Ugh. I’m done being mommy for today. I get 1 ½ to 2 hours to do something for myself and spend time with my husband before I go to bed. What do I do? By this time of day my energy level is about nil and I typically sit in front of the TV and watch whatever reality show catches my fancy so my brain can just veg out. Or, you know, spend a little time with the hubby. Sometimes I work on a sewing project, read, or do a little computer work. By the time Friday comes around I am so excited to have home time - which sounds strange coming from a stay-at-home mom. I love spending Saturday mornings with the kids while my husband cooks up a big breakfast. I love watching Sabrina napping on Trevor’s chest. I love watching Isaac play his football video games and get all excited about a new play he figured out. I love being so relaxed and not having to run here and there. I love being able to stay home all day or go out only if I choose to not because I have to. Weekdays are crazy. So is the life of this so called stay-at-home mom. I’ve adjusted. I know my life will change with each new growth of each family member. I’m ready. If I can do all of this right now, I can handle anything. So what do I accomplish each day? A little bit of housework, quite a bit of driving, and a whole lot of love. It takes a lot of love to stay on schedule, to drive all over town, to care about the food my family eats, and to rock and read and play and sing with my children. My life is unique, but my situation is not. Every day mothers are handling their own crazy lives, it’s just nice to know we’re not alone in our struggle. Enjoy your day, it’s the only one you have today. |
 Teach your children essential tools for life. Heidi's husband Nick is the author of this educational workbook for children. |
Heidi
| Ginny |
Marcia | Andrea
| Stella
Resources
| Charity |
Archive |
Pictures |
Weighting Game
Link with Mysticool Moms
Contact us at
|
Heidi's
husband Nick wrote this workbook about Character Development.
If you want to help instill values, virtues and character in your child then check out this out! |
 |
|
-
- |
|
Visit
Heidi's Handmade Jewelry Website
|
 |
Heidi Hoke
- H2 Designs © 2002 © 2003 © 2004
Mysticool.com / H2 Designs P.O. Box 1852 Kingston, WA 98346