Five Thoughts about Mommy and Winter Days

On February 16, 2014February 16, 2014 By JillIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

1 We are saving money by not buying clothes.

My youngest daughter wants to wear jammies all day, every day. My oldest daughter likes to wear the same dress every day and since no ones sees us, it’s a win win! At least that’s what I tell myself when we stop at Dunkin Donuts, Panera, Target, and other places on the days we can leave the house! On that note, when I am able to get out of this prison, it does feel like a free for all- it’s like if you’ve been on a strict diet for months, avoiding carbs, sweets, and fried goodies, and then you have your first taste of french fries or a gooey, fudgy brownie with a decadent chocolate frosting – and all hell breaks lose…you started with just one bite and then suddenly the speed at which your forking food into your mouth starts rapidly increasing and you are shoving cookies and chips into your mouth at this point and basically in heaven, all the deprivation that you instilled on yourself melting away…

Oh, got a little carried away there with that description…it’s just I’ve been there done that with the diet/cutting out thing; granted, my quitting of foods whether it be sweets, bagels, snacks, or wine never lasts more than a week, or shamefully, less than a week, but still-when you feel trapped in any way, be it your house, your food restrictions, your ability to use your car (I HOPE THIS PROBLEM IS RESOLVED BY NEXT WEEK !) You can go hog wild when you’re free, but maybe that’s just me.

2 My kids now have no toys

It’s a bad habit I have, purging, cleaning, and throwing away toys, clothes, arts and crafts, you name it- I throw it out when feeling trapped and a slight loss of control.

My friend was here visiting the other day and said to me, “Where are all of the toys? It looks like you just moved in!”

Pitfalls to this habit…

“Mom, why is my pumkin project in the garbage can?”

“Mom- Mom, look what I found in the garbage- another princess toy! This is so cool-

someone is starting to leave us presents in the garbage can!

– “Playdate at Jill’s house …But Mommy- their house is no fun- they don’t have any

toys!”

– You have to be really creative when home all day with your kids…Hmmm, let’s see, what do we have to play with?- Dried macaroni and bowls- perfect!- “Come on girls- were pretending we’re cooks!”

3 Way, way too much eating/drinking

The very first flake graces the ground and I have the flour, the mixing bowl out, the oven on and I’m checking my wine supplies! (Which are becoming alarmingly low)

4 I have adopted a work uniform.

Much like people in jail wear their orange jumpsuit, nurses wear their scrubs, and police officers working for the good of the city, wear their big badges and buttons, I too, wear my black yoga pants, a tank, and a purple, velour, zip up hoody, sometimes I even wear the same thing to bed.

(I know what your thinking, that woman’s poor husband!) Actually, I have been called out by Gia- “Mom, your still in your pajamas!”)

I feel like being trapped in the house lends itself to a uniform- I am like the jailbird (enclosed in these walls), I am a nurse, tending to these girls all day, and definitely a cop, breaking up toddler fights, ensuring the little ones safety, and putting them in jail (time out) when need be.

5 I feel like I’m on a reality TV show

The premise: Stay at home mom never leaves the house, watch her turn tricks and see her roller coaster of emotions throughout the day… She goes from happy, loving mommy to crazed, frustrated, and on the verge of exploding, to looking like a zombie, or kind of blank feeling (i.e. staring out the window for long periods of time) to a compulsive cleaning freak to a laid back and loving the mess, to a snuggler and a cuddler to a GET AWAY FROM ME NOW to a “Let’s have sandwiches cut up in cute ways!” to a frustrated momma flinging food on the table to a Super Mom to Soggy Mom. ok, well, I don’t think I have ever been in the “super” category but soggy for sure, especially after I give the girls their third bath for the day- Hey, it’s an activity and I haven’t thrown out the bath tub – just the bath toys – but those get so gross, has anyone ever squeezed those plastic little duckies that should squirt water out only to find out that flakes of black mildew come shooting out? GROSS!

So that’s that the show folks and this TV show is for mature viewing audiences only.

Goldilocks comes for a visit

Goldilocks Comes For a Visit

It is Wednesday and an idea did happen to “pop” into my head so I might as well just keep Wonderific Wednesdays. I mean if I quit all of my commitments what kind of lesson am I teaching my children. Granted they know nothing of this blog at this point, but one day they will.

That is unless someone, perhaps one of those super moms, you know the type- organic, homeschooling, making every craft possible on pinterest, takes me down in the Stop n Shop. I can just see it now, me, strolling down the aisle, donuts in the girls’ mouths, spotted by Susy Brown, author of Happy and Organic. She sees me and charges at me with venomous anger – How dare you let your kids eat chicken nuggets and watch Yo Gabba Gabba?

I have to interject here for a minute and tell you that I have come across one or two moms who said they won’t let their kids watch this show. What? Seriously! The show is certainly not teaching them reading and math but it isn’t immoral or inappropriate. It’s a little weird with strange looking monsters dancing around and I guess if you want to go there, it does seem as if the writers were on acid, but hey, what toddler is going to surmise this? Didn’t they say the same thing about Scooby Doo?

Ok so I made up the part about Susy and the book- I never even heard of a book with that title but I’m sure something like it exists. You get my point.

So, if I am still around when my children can read and understand this blog, I need to encourage them to keep most of their commitments- I tend to quit things pretty easily when the going gets tough. I could probably write a book about the plans I had so enthusiastically began and then quit…giving up sugar, wheat, complaining, more than one cup of coffee- promising to exercise, lift weights, do yoga, meditation, to stop worrying, to stop saying yes to everybody, stop over committing myself, to make everything from scratch, make all my own cleaners, and even, gasp, the thought of this makes me laugh, quit drinking wine!

Moving on – todays’s lesson is to try to keep your commitments but scale down if things are compromising your well-being. Like if I am thinking about watching Downton Abbey from the moment I wake up ( not even the most thrilling series I have binged on till two in the morning) till I put the kids in bed, I am clearly not happy, or functioning as a well adjusted parent.

Well adjusted, um, not exactly sure if that description is right for me. I actually don’t think I will ever be well adjusted…I’m kind of a mess at times but that’s just me- how about I go with content.

Therefore, I am holding my head up high, going the extra mile, keeping Wonderific Wednesdays and the rest is a crapshoot!

It does sound a little farfetched to say that these blog ideas are compromising my well-being but we as Moms need to know when to reprioritize our days and weeks or it might be a lot of yelling/losing temper at those precious angels of ours and forming frowny faces at our poor, innocent husbands…well, maybe not that innocent. I did have to spend like thirty extra minutes cleaning remnants of his cooking off the stove and counter tops, pick up dirty socks and other items off the carpet, and struggle with cleaning my sheets three times TODAY because someone left gum in their jean pockets! But hey, who’s complaining…

So for today’s wonderific idea, I decided to reenact a few scenes from Goldilocks.

Last night we read Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

This morning I thought it would be fun to make it look like Goldilocks was here in our house…

The girls came downstairs to three bowls of porridge (aka Mom’s special oatmeal) and there was something unusual about their breakfast… Notice the blond hair…you see the lengths I go for these girls! Now I have chunks of hair missing from my crown of glory.