ok so I am sitting here at 2:00 in the afternoon.........3 kids sleeping and I am in what I call stealth mode. The phone is off the hook, and my kids are sleeping. I know this is a time that I should be up and doing all those things that I don't get done when they are awake, but that causes various individuals to be up and at them too!!! So.........stealth mode it is for the next hour. Sometimes I read my book, look at scrapbooking stuff, or just veg out and watch a little tv..........remembering the days before kids when I could be on my own schedule all of the time. I guess I will tell you this is my time of the day.
If you have ever checked out flylady.com the first rule she has in getting organized is to have yourself get up and get fully ready every morning, and put on shoes..........yeah. That worked for me the first two weeks of summer...... great idea. Then the second part of her program is to clean the kitchen sink.....from top to bottom and keep those two things done. Then you can go on to step three. I will be honest......step one and two are hard enough for me to do, I have never even looked to see what step three is. I am over it. I will also admit, when I do get a chance to take a shower, that is MY HAWAII. Three minutes of sanity in a day. As I said it is 2 pm and I haven't gotten that shower in yet.......but soon. When stealth mode is over, maybe I will get there. I guess everyone can have their list of musts..........but recognizing everyone has different musts is a need too! I have been thinking about writing a 12 step program for parenting.....I will let you know once I have those 12 steps ready. I have been thinking. Like that LaMaze class we all took before we had kids.......you know the breathing and the panting and the husbands stroking their wives to comfort them during childbirth. Yeah I guess maybe I should have known that I wasn't a part of that crowd at those classes when MY husband was sitting up against the wall when I was practicing this breathing. Little did they say that I would be practicing that deep breathing when my kids were 3 and 4. I got it now! Didn't work for pregnancy but maybe just maybe it will help with my preschoolers.
Kid moments:
Delaney and Jackson had swimming lessons this morning. I just keep telling myself they are 3 and 4 this will all happen on their on time. But there was a grandma sitting there by me today watching my kids, and in some ways trying not to evaluate other kids, yet also stating the obvious things about them. You know when they had to jump into the water with lifejackets on and float using those lifejackets. Delaney steps up to the plate first and gets in the water and freaks. Does the whole gulping water and screaming thing.......and scared to death. Then ole Jackson's eyes were the size of quarters during the whole process, but he puts on the life jacket and gets pulled in by the instructor.......yeah.....great........gulping water.........squealing a nice girl squeal. Just can't make it up. But this grandma sitting next to me just couldn't stop making comments through the whole process. I guess maybe that is what grandmas do.....but there is a time and a place to evalate kids.....she doesn't know my kids, why is she evaluating them?
But through this whole process maybe that was my chance to grow as a mom too. I refuse to be a smotherer...........a mother who smothers their kids into fear of doing anything, or the inability to give my kids wings to try new things. I have constantly said that I would never be a smotherer......I want my kids to learn from their mistakes, their fears, and their successes. It is not my job to live my life through my kids, but live my life for my kids. I have said often in this blog that the statement from the book I have read this summer that states "Parenting is not a performance!!!" ........makes more and more sense to me. Also maybe to add to that statement........."I refuse to be judged!" Easier said then done. But maybe that is where more of my problems have been, in the fact that I refuse to let anyone feel that they have the solution to fix my kids, or my problems with my kids. Great if something worked for you when you had kids, but all kids are different, all parenting styles are different, nothing is the same as it is for other parents. I have to make the decision to make the best choice for me and my kids based on what works for us.....not what works for others. Wouldn't the world be a whole lot easier if we all just gave up everyone else's expectations and just deal with the hand we are dealt? Deep thoughts of the day.............
My Hawaii is calling me....maybe even have a little tropical shower gel just to spruce up the deal today. My little HULA girl (Kennedy) is sleeping, don't know who will be able to poke their head in the shower and yell at me if they are all sleeping. I just see them all as pesky tourists when they are in there with me......imagination is a great thing...........maybe my straightjacket will have a lei attached to it.
