Domestically Challenged

6 Things Nobody Told You About Being a SAHM

1. Your kids will not magically behave like angels all the time just because you are home.

  2. Your home will not always be clean. In fact, it may even be more dirty since you will be there more.

3. You will not have time to cook wonderful five course meals every day. You kids will probably still eat lots of macaroni and hot dogs.

4. Being home all the time will sometimes be boring, stressful and frustrating - often at the same time.

5. Even though you are "at home" you are rarely at home. You've got playdates, errands, soccer, swimming, grocery shopping - everything, everywhere and all at the same time.

6. Staying home all the time is much more difficult than working.

Care to add to the list? :)

Adapted from Domestically Challenged.

Something monumental happened today...

Wait for it.

I cooked dinner. And it was yummy. And I didn't have to ask my husband for directions at all. I did it - all by myself. This was HUGE for me, because I think I have cooked 3 times since the death of my mom. Since my mom passed, I haven't felt like doing anything. Literally. I would come home from teaching and sit on the couch. No tv, no book. Just sat.

Today I made a decision. I was leaving my bathroom, thinking about how much I miss her and it hit me. Up until the addiction (to prescription meds, she had been on disability for about 15 years) she was a very tough and strong woman. It just hit me - I needed to stop being a waste and start toughening up. Yes I am in pain, but that doesn't mean my life stops.

So, making a good dinner was monumental for me. 1. I made something yummy without help and 2. I took a step in the right direction, especially since I also did 3 loads of laundry that I actually put away.

Yay me. :)

Real Moms...Take Care of Themselves

I was tooling around the net today, looking for fodder for my blog today and I stumbled across a few blogs that talked about Real Moms.

Initially I had a few funny responses (real moms think toddler diets work, real moms aren't afraid of poop, real moms are all CEO's), but then I thought about it a little more and came up with a conclusion - real moms are moms who take care of themselves.

Many moms get into the routine of doing everything for their families. If they work outside the home, they can also fall into the trap of putting everything they have into their jobs. Unfortunately, too many moms don't make themselves a priority.

I fell into this trap too. I had many, many times where I experienced Mommy Burn Out because I was working too much and sleeping too little. I wouldn't take time for myself, because darn it, there was too much other stuff to do. Clothes to wash, kids to wash, calls to make floors to clean (ok, so I didn't do the floors THAT often, but still). There was never enough time.

I finally realized that I wasn't being a good mom, wife or person. I wasn't taking time to recharge my batteries. I wasn't taking time to take care of me. I took care of everyone else, but not myself. And why not? Wasn't I worth the time? Is there anything wrong with me having something to look forward to that isn't family related? Does it make me less of a mom because I don't want to think about mommy stuff 24/7. I think not. It simply makes me realistic.

Nowadays, I have no problem letting the laundry or dishes sit while I read a book on the weekends. It may not be the "right" thing to do, but you know what? It makes me happy. It helps me relax. And it helps me be a better mom and wife. It's a win-win situation.