So.. here is my question to all my friends, family, etc. who are mothers. Whenever I talk to you, see you, hang out with you, MOST ALL of you say that during the day you don't do ANYTHING (besides the normal: dress kids, feed them, play with them, be a good mom, etc). Great! YET, several of you who tell me this seem to always be WAY TOO BUSY when I talk to you later.... makes a lot of sense right? So the question is...What is it that you are doing everyday!? Why are you so busy as a STAY-AT-HOME MOM!!!! (Referring to those with only one or two kids of course). I would really like to know what is filling all of your days that you don't feel the need to get out of the house or you are too busy to do so. How many errands can you possible have... Do you grocery shop everyday? Dry-cleaning? Post office? What? Are your kids sick everyday? Gourmet dinners for the hub? How can there only be a few days in the month that are free for you. I would go INSANE if I had so much going on that only one or two days I could fit something I wanted to do in. My church calling demands a lot of concentration at times, and plenty of computer time (BUT I HAVE A CHILD, and Im not going to be doing it while he is awake or needs his mom).
My next question is for the people who cant possible get together until at least 12 noon (and thats pushing it).. Do your kids not wake up in the morning like mine! I thought Braxton was a pretty good sleeper, sleeping in until 8 or 8:30 but we are still ready to go by like 9:30 or 10. Especially if I have something planned with someone! Maybe I am just a real GO-GETTER by getting up, getting breakfast, picking up a few things, and hopping in the shower. Mornings aren't exactly my favorite either. I sleep till the last minute, take my time eating. I promise I am not like running in my house. So... what's in your morning schedule that takes you an EXTRA 3 HOURS? If we don't get out and play and have fun before nap time then we don't get out until 3 or 4 in the afternoon when naps are done..... my goodness, talk about a waste of life. I understand occasional days or times like this but lately this is the big trend I have noticed and I just DONT GET IT. Please, anyone, fill me in. AM I THE ODD BALL?
PS. For the one or two of you who this totally does not apply (you know who you are) I just want to say thank you for making my life so much more fun and exciting before nap time!
i know we have only hung out once before naptime, but i hope this post isn't refering to me....
ReplyDeleteTina, no I don't think that being a few minutes late to the park because you just got 3 CAVITIES filled counts in any way, shape, or form! ha ha I can't believe you still wanted to play after that! We had lots of fun though so I'm glad you were still up for it!
DeleteFacebook and Pinterest. The pseudo-busyness. Or, so I've heard. :)
ReplyDeleteUgh.. these do not count! End of story. ha ha.
DeleteOh my goodness I am so guilty of this! My main thing is I work out of my house doing hair so a lot of the time I am busy with that, but the days I don't have that going on I usually go to my mom's... Bryn sleeps til 9:30 and I'm not a morning person but we are both ready by 10 or 10:30 at the latest usually! I feel terrible that we haven't gotten together! As much as I love hanging out with my mom I think Bryn would love to have a buddy to play with! I think we need to make some serious plans? This time I mean it:) I kind of tend to hybernate in the winter! But now that it's spring I am so ready to go!
ReplyDeleteLinds, we would love to play anytime you are free! No pressure. And I think everyone is that way, we get out sooo much more in the summer time.
DeleteHa ha. This post made me laugh because I feel the exact same way as you. We are in OMaha now and tons of my friends can't get together until at least noon. I always wonder if they are totally lazy or what they do. ha ha. Wish we could get together with our boys.
ReplyDeleteI wish we could too! If you are ever in Utah let us know!
DeleteWOW,your all fired up! I feel like I am both ways, some days we are up and at it and ready to go and do, other days its a sweats and cleaning day filled with whatever we want to do around the house. We definitely get up and play and go to lunch, park, swimming all before naps. But most our friends come with us, so I haven't had too much of the "we can't till after naps" type friends. YOU"VE NEVER CALLED US TO HANG OUT :( I usually sleep in until Brielle wakes up then we do breakfast and I work out, then play, throw in some laundry and pick up the same things 50 times a day. It takes up a lot of time, I also am part of a card group so I scrapbook, and craft when I want to doing things for me is a MUST as I think should be for any mother. WHat do you do for "YOU" time what do you enjoy?
ReplyDeleteJani, I totally agree with you. We have days that we choose to stay home so that we can clean and accomplish things at home, but most days we try to go out before nap time. Braxton sleeps for almost 3 hours if he has gotten out of the house and used up his energy. I think it is so healthy for a child to be able to play big and get out and exercise for at least a few hours everyday. I definitely have "me time" as well. But I usually have that during nap time or when B has gone to sleep at night. It sounds like we like to do a lot of the same things.. scrapbooking, exercising (running, tapes, classes, even just stretching), organizing (this is my happy place), painting nails, crafts. Sounds like we need to play.
DeleteI don't really think it's a "waste of life" if we don't get out and do anything until after naptime. Somedays its nice to spend the morning time doing our own thing and not being rushed to get up and go. I find it just as productive some days to spend the morning just having one on one time (while doing all the other motherly chores we get to do of course)and just enjoy spending time together with no other distractions. I'm guilty of not getting out of the house till it's evening time on many days(especially in the winter time), but it's not because I am trying to be a "champion wife" and do all these fabulous things, it's because I like being home and taking my time doing things with my daughter and getting the other daily tasks done around the house done. I feel like my day is just as productive, if not more if it's spent getting to just be at home and be a mom. It is fun getting out and doing things and getting together with other people, but in my opinion being "too busy" with being at home and being a mom is just fine, even if being "too busy" means you are just trying to do the daily tasks of life and spend time with your kids :)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me like you aren't classified as one of these moms that are "too busy" but instead, that you CHOOSE to stay at home, which is totally great then! I definitely agree that time with your child that is distraction free is a plus.
DeleteWow, lets trade lives! Sounds like you have so much time to do nothing, I dont even have 2 seconds to go to the bathroom! I can only get on the comp when both kids are asleep, which is rare that they sleep at the same time...Let me ask you, when do you have time to fit in meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking before naps and without ornery kids!? What about 10 (yes 10, not exaggerating with my washer) loads of laundry a week? Then of course the cleaning, plus feeding the babe every 3 hours, plus play outside, plus teach the toddler how to write and play sports, and all the errands for crafts, and all the different play groups and church calling errands and babysitting the neighbors kids and make sure your kids have clothes that fit, and keep up on the dishes, and keep up on having clean bottles, and find time to pump so the babe has something to eat...and oh yeah, where do i fit a shower in there without having the toddler try to pick up the baby or feed her real food? OH and I do all this alone because Matt has night school every night. CAN I GET A PROZAC NO!!?? I LOVE the days we get to play at home so K can play with her toys!! I LOVE listening to her play make believe with her princesses!! Being a stay at home mom is SOOOO busy, it would be so much easier to work! And sometimes its not worth the fight to get k dressed, then fight to get her hair done, then fight to get out the door, then chase her down the road to get in her carseat, then when we finally get to the destination she is so upset that I just go back home after it took 3 hours to get out with lots of time outs! How bout you tell everyone how to do all that and have so much time to spare!!!! :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteTo your question about meal planning.. first of all, I am not a fabulous cook (which I know you are) and I do not have a passion for cooking, whatsoever. So meal planning for me is easy peasy. I keep it really simple! I keep a list of things I need on my fridge and as I run out of things or think of things I need or want for meals I add them to the list. I go shopping for groceries maybe once a week. Also, cooking before nap time takes hardly any time at all for us since it is just for breakfast and lunch. Dinner plans, besides taking out some chicken or meat usually don't start till after nap time. Im not one to do a big roast or something during the week, or hardly ever ha ha! As far as cleaning goes, I do this first thing in the morning while Braxton has breakfast and at night. Laundry I can do during naps (through it in, go do something I want, switch it, etc) I definitely can see that you are one busy girl. Im glad you added so many of the things that you do cause this gives me tons of insight. I have no idea what it is like to have a toddler running around while trying to feed an infant, and the whole toddler feeding baby while in shower-scary! However, I definitely don't consider play groups, errands for crafts, playing outside, or teaching the toddler to play sports as "too busy". Those things are just fun! Way to go for making time to do the things that you want to do! As far as having Matt gone.. oi, I am sorry. Now that summer is coming upon us (Jeffs busy work season) I have a feeling that I will feel a lot more like a single parent as well.
DeleteAMEN rachael!! I only have one kid and I feel like you!! That is why I question if a second child is even in our future. I can NEVEr keep up on house work,
ReplyDeleteTat.. Brielle eats breakfast for maybe 15 min tops!!! You get everything picked up and cleaned during that time? What is your secret?!
Jani, cleanup for me happens in the morning and at night. It feels so good to "put the house to bed" after Braxton is asleep and no more messes will be made. Braxton definitely takes a little longer for breakfast than Brielle though. He usually has a sippy of milk and then comes to get cereal, toast, eggs, etc. And even if it is something messy like oatmeal, he still eats it all by himself... he is getting to be such a big boy! :( But that also means that my hands are free to get things cleaned up. Of course there is no way to get all cleaning done in that time.. at least not deep cleaning. But if it is a day to vacuum or dust Braxton is in heaven. He loves to follow me around with his little mini vacuum! He is definitely my helper, and I'm so thankful for that. As far as things like cleaning the toilet goes, I usually try to do that kind of stuff on a Saturday morning when I have an extra hand. I am sure we are all used to Saturday chores growing up. HOWEVER, even with what I feel is a pretty simply schedule to help me stay caught up, sometimes things just get messy (which is why we choose to have our cleanup days every once and a while when we just stay home). But usually, if for some reason it is just one of those days that things are everywhere in the morning and we don't have enough time to get them picked up before someone calls to play or we are going out to the park or doing something that would be fun for Braxton or benefit him, We Just Leave It. No stress. No big deal. The house can be cleaned up any time. I feel like that window before nap time is just a few short hours and I want to try and make the most of it.
DeleteI love this post! I am always wondering what other people do and how they manage and prioritize their lives. Life definitely gets busier when you have a kid in school, that's a lot of shuffling and driving and trying to have quality one on one time with another child in the limited time that you have. My busiest times tend to be at night when the kids are in bed. In the day I try to be as available as I can to them-- teaching them, playing with them and teaching them to WORK and be imvolved in the cleaning cooking and upkeep that a home requires! Even when they are tiny they can "work" with you. Good luck finding a balance...just as you get used to this schedule, things will change- nap time schedule, more kids or something!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! I agree 100% I LOVE that during the day you try to be as available to your kids as you can. That is soo important. I feel like it is so worth it to be a busy bee doing extra cleaning, a craft, your calling, etc. during nap time or when they first go to sleep so that they get the most out of the day. It sounds like there will definitely be an adjustment when our next little one arrives but your post totally gave me some hope!
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