Here is a somewhat random post to start off your week...
Being at stay-at-home mom is both the most difficult and most wonderful thing that I have ever done in my life. I am sure that you have heard others say the same thing. There is a constant push and pull that happens. You have to have your game face turned on at all hours of the day. Sometimes I count down until it's nap time and then when it comes, I find missing her. It's crazy.
We try to keep busy. Liza goes to gymnastics and music class. She loves both of them.We blow bubbles, have tea parties, jump on the bed, turn the music up and have dance parties (we always dance while Ellen is on!), and practice forward rolls for "nastics" class.
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| Practicing pouring & transferring water from one container to another. |
We clean the house. It takes a lot longer with my little helper, but it is much more fun!
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| I really need a bed skirt :) |
I hate cleaning the house. Living in a tiny house means that it gets easily cluttered and can turn into a gigantic mess in seconds. Nap time isn't super long so I like to get a few minutes to myself. You know, wasting time on Facebook and Pinterest, and catching up on the DVR'd shows that I know the hubs does not want to watch with me. Why he doesn't like My Fair Wedding, I will never know.
And sometimes, we get bored. I hate when it happens. Usually this is when I pull out some sort of activity or go to the library (she always seems to poop there!), or Target.
How do you combat the boredom? Do you have a cleaning routine that you follow? I'm thinking about starting a little weekly cleaning challenge on the blog. What do you think? I'm hoping that it will keep me motivated and on top of my messy house.
Happy Monday!
XOXO Sarah
I use to have a cleaning routine that I followed but I found I got out of the habit every time I came back from a vacation (even just a weekend away). I really should get back into one but for now, keeping the bathroom and kitchen clean (and vacuuming) is all I find I want to do. If I do feel like cleaning more than that I usually have my daughter help me, it takes so much longer but is much more fun! Emily's schedule keeps us fairly busy--music and story hour at the library--but there are days where I think "what can we do today?" And that's when I usually pull out a new activity or one we haven't done in a long time or go for a walk and let her lead the way.
ReplyDeleteYep, im on over 5 years of being home and I feel very strongly about being here. I love learning and try to challenge myself to stay up to date on the world outside my walls. It's very easy to get cooped up in the winter in a cold weather area. Especially now that I live somewhere without many opportunities for recreation outside ours and others homes. I have recently started planning taking some online college courses just for something to feel accomplished at. Because cleaning my bathroom is not doing it for me. The book radical homemakers is an amazing book that always helps reassure me that what I'm doing is important and matters.
ReplyDeleteArrrgh... mommies unite! It's not necessarily about being bored, but not wanting to be around the kids and put up with THEIR stuff All. Day. Long. I will say that while having multiple children can mean more disaster, oftentimes they do end up playing nicely together. For the most part, things tend to run smoothly when I'm doing my thing next to them doing their thing, though I often do things WITH them - like dancing, crafts, baking, etc. And then there's all the preschool stuff I plan...
ReplyDeleteMy mantra is often "is it their bedtime yet?" and then I agonize over whether to take advantage of said naptime to get stuff done or nap myself. :P Despite my feelings at times, I DO know being a stay-at-home-mommy is the highest calling and we are so blessed that we're able to do it. I also feel led to homeschool... though I wonder if we'll all come out of it alive. I get VERY impatient.
I don't have a specific cleaning routine. I do laundry when the bins are full and tend to vacuum throughout the day since we have hardwood floors and no carpets. I DO, however, put off cleaning the toilets and showers - UGH. On the other hand, I LOVE to organize and rearrange, and since I've embarked on simplifying our home and posessions there has been far less clutter. Yay! Sometimes just rearranging toys - or swapping them for "new" ones you've put away - gets the kids' creative juices flowing. I always have a bag to donate or consign, and another bag for things I'm returning to people (perhaps a book I borrowed or a casserole I washed). I recently downloaded this Declutter and Organize Calender (http://www.mysimplerlife.com/2012/Decluttercalendar2012.pdf) - every day poses one small step in getting clean and organized.
It is nice to have a weekly routine to break up the days; it helps to stay on top of errands and the kids know what to expect. Monday we go to the grocery store, Tuesday we go to the library (for storytime and for me to pick next week's preschool books), Wednesday Gwen goes with my mom for the kids' program at her church, Thursday they go over their Meme's, and Friday is our homemade pizza and a movie night. If Daddy happens to have the day off and doesn't have side work we may do something different, especially if it's nice - like go to the park or zoo.
It helps to do something NOT related to kids - like reading a novel, trying a new recipe or, for me, working on a knitting project. Even though I know taking care of the kids isn't "worthless," I often feel unproductive at the end of the day if "all" I've done is taken care of them. Silly, I know. I have my mom's old sewing machine and I REALLY want to learn how to use it so I can be that much more crafty.
I am not a SAHM but I try my hardest to stay on top of the cleaning. I do laundry throughout the week and try to put it away as it gets done. Most weekends I have a HUGE pile of clean clothes in our closet that I need to fold(I keep it in the closest because it makes the house look cleaner). We spot clean bathrooms every other week and deep clean the other weeks. The kitchen gets cleaned every night(not to my liking..Jon does it). Since becoming a mom I have had to chill out with the idea that our house is going to be clean. I can't do and I am okay with that. It has taken time for me to say that. If she is busy entertaining herself then I will try to get something done. However,we only have from about 4:30-7:30 each night with Allie so we try to limit work as much as we can. I do the best I can do and if my house isn't clean oh well at least my daughter is happy!
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