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SEPTEMBER 2003 - EXERCISE IN FUTILITY I think having two children is catching up with me. After almost a year and half I've come to the realization that I really DON'T have time to wash the dishes, feed the children and sweep the floor in the same day. It sounds ridiculous, but if you also take into account that I run a business from home and maintain 3 websites and sort through hundreds of spam email with our 6 email addresses...I'm lucky if I get my hair done. I've been thinking a lot about how futile my efforts have been recently and I've made a list of the things I try time and again to get done but they just keep coming back...worse! I'm sure you will relate to many of them. * Keeping clothes clean. Since both of my sons had reflux, I've been used to changing my shirts at least once or twice a day. Now that they are past that, I'm amazed that those dirty paws KEEP getting me dirty. Maybe someday I'll be able to go through a day with my shirt clean all day. * Laundry put away. We have this huge nook in our bedroom that holds all of mine and my husband's clean laundry, waiting to be put away. It is the first place we look for clothes instead of the drawers or the closets. You'd think we could hang up these clothes, but when I do, my husband keeps washing things and makes more clean clothes! * Kids clothes hung up and put away. Again, I blame Nick for washing things! I swear he washes the kids clothes like every other day. Personally, I wait until the basket is actually full before I toss it in the washer. Not only do I try to dump all the boys laundry out on the floor, but then I have to separate them and deliver the little one's to his room and then put everything away. Maybe we have too many clothes... * Toys not scattered all over the floor, every floor in every room. Carter's favorite thing to do now is take every book of his out of the bookcase and spread them out all over the kitchen and living room floors. I used to tidy up the messes multiple times a day but now have settled for once in the evening when the kids go to sleep. Occasionally, if the kids are in a different room I'll take the toys and toss them into the toy chest in the corner just to get them out of my way...until the kids come back into the room and get them out again. * Kitchen table clear. What I really want to do is eat meals with my children. All of us at the table without having to move piles of paper around to find a place for my plate or move another stack of papers to see Simon's little face. Our kitchen table seems to be the gathering place of all the crap that comes into the house. Especially the stuff I have no idea what to do with! I did add a small desk in the corner of the kitchen so I'd have a place to organize the paperwork, which seems to be working a little. * Clean kitchen floor. Every time I sweep the floor I am in shock at how much food has gathered there. Under the table alone, I think I could feed a small family in Africa. The 1 year old used to throw his food a lot but now he mostly shoves it into his lap, which still ends up on the floor. Let alone the food that drops from his clothes as he walks around after a meal. Simon is 4 and you'd think he would have less of a mess under his area, but not true. Sometimes he makes even more of a mess than his brother. I have no idea how this happens and every time I look under the table I'm in shock. * Do the dishes. In my dream-world, the dishes are done after every meal and the counters are always clean. Reality is so far away though. I'm lucky if I can clear out one side of the sink so I can wash the baby's highchair tray before each meal. In my fantasy world and just for fun, I think of all the things I used to have time for...mostly before children that I laugh at the thought of now. * Polishing my nails AND taking the old polish off. * Color coordinating my husband's tee shirts in his closet. I do this for my kids but not for hubby anymore. * Sorting and organizing my CDs and on the computer. * I could watch/listen to the news without fear of hearing "a cop was shot" or the words "stabbed, killed, raped". (fyi, my husband is a cop) * I could leave my tampons in plain site in the bathroom without fear of the older one asking "what are these for" and the younger one hiding them with his toys or throughout the house. * I actually wanted to have sex when I went to bed versus sleep! * Perhaps my favorite, get a full night's sleep. This hasn't happened since before I was first pregnant over 5 years ago. I love my life though folks. All of these semi-complaints above are meaningless when compared to the joy I get when I play with my kids instead of doing the dishes, when I read my baby a book instead of doing the dishes. Now if I could only convince my husband I have NO extra time. One of our old sick dogs died and my husband wants a puppy!!! I think I'll have him read my article.

Join the MYSTICOOL MOMS newsletter list Enter your name and email address: Name: Email:   Subscribe      Unsubscribe Visit Heidi's Handmade Jewelry Site Teach your children essential tools for life. Heidi's husband Nick is the author of this educational workbook for children. Simon was playing with his brother and trying to get him to crawl under his bed. It clearly wasn't working and Simon said "Oh, forget it!" ~*~ One of our dogs died and my husband Nick asked Simon what they should do with the body and Simon said "Let's good one of those birds that eat meat." Nick said "A vulture?", Simon said "Yeah, a vulture."

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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!

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