We have had a very busy week. We were home the majority of the day on Monday, but the rest of the week we made it home in time for either dinner or bedtime. I am used to having several days a week when we are home, allowing me to get everything around the house accomplished to some degree.
This week we have done some summer activities, I worked a total of 12 hours and went to two hours of physical therapy (for a mom related injury, of course) and my house is falling apart!
First of all, we have no clothes in our dressers because they are all folded in laundry baskets. I figure at least they are clean, but it is difficult getting all of us dressed and out the door at 9:00, like we have been doing this week, when I have to rummage through three baskets.
I baked cookies the other night at 10:00. Thursday was my last physical therapy session and since I have been going there for five weeks and they have made me feel so much better, I wanted to bring some cookies as a token of appreciation. In my busy week, however, I was of course short on time. On Wednesday morning the kids and I met up with some friends and went to a free movie at a local theater. We went from there to the grocery store to buy chocolate chips and M&Ms. After that we had lunch with my parents, I went to work, drove home, got the kids in bed, decompressed and it was already 10:00. Night baking.
My sink is overflowing. We have been eating breakfast and tossing plates in the sink all week, and buried underneath them is the cookie stuff. Since we have been getting home so late, I haven’t gotten to washing them because I am convinced the sounds of clinking dishes and running water will wake up the kids. Tonight I actually had time to wash the dishes, and only then did I realize the dishwasher was so full there was only space for two sippy cups. And the thing takes so long to run, here we are again, kids in bed, sink still full.
I grocery shopped today at 4pm and it was weird. The kids fell asleep in the car and I had to wake them up to go shop. I couldn’t find any car carts and had to walk three stores down, in 90-degree heat, in jeggings that I wore to work, to find one that had been abandoned. The mini bagels were all gone that late in the day, and by the time we got home it was already dinnertime. It was like bizzaro grocery shopping compared to our normal morning routine.
Tonight while I was eating our $4.99 rotisserie chicken (not enough time to cook), which Little Miss only ate to earn and ice pop and Mr. Man insisted on chewing and spitting out, I was thinking, how would I be able to do this and work 40 hours a week? It seems completely impossible! On one had, being away from the kids and the monotony of the house for a little while this week made me appreciate the kids a lot more. Tonight I wasn’t completely emotionally drained, I didn’t spend bath time yelling, and we had a great time “swimming” in Little Miss’s bed before lights out. On the other hand, I know I missed some of the cute things they did without me, and it makes me sad that I was only able to sit down with Mr. Man on our couch for his nap one day this week.
I guess there are pluses and minuses to being a stay-at-home mom or a working mom. It’s just different. I have fallen into a routine and figured out how to manage our lives while I am at home with the kids. If I were to suddenly start working full time tomorrow, although it would probably take a while, I am sure I would find a new routine and manage to keep the kitchen sink closer to empty.
One thing working moms have on those who stay at home? Is there anything as great as coming home and having a crazy 18 month old run at you full speed to hug your legs like he missed you every second you were away? One of the best feelings in the world.
This week we have done some summer activities, I worked a total of 12 hours and went to two hours of physical therapy (for a mom related injury, of course) and my house is falling apart!
First of all, we have no clothes in our dressers because they are all folded in laundry baskets. I figure at least they are clean, but it is difficult getting all of us dressed and out the door at 9:00, like we have been doing this week, when I have to rummage through three baskets.
I baked cookies the other night at 10:00. Thursday was my last physical therapy session and since I have been going there for five weeks and they have made me feel so much better, I wanted to bring some cookies as a token of appreciation. In my busy week, however, I was of course short on time. On Wednesday morning the kids and I met up with some friends and went to a free movie at a local theater. We went from there to the grocery store to buy chocolate chips and M&Ms. After that we had lunch with my parents, I went to work, drove home, got the kids in bed, decompressed and it was already 10:00. Night baking.
My sink is overflowing. We have been eating breakfast and tossing plates in the sink all week, and buried underneath them is the cookie stuff. Since we have been getting home so late, I haven’t gotten to washing them because I am convinced the sounds of clinking dishes and running water will wake up the kids. Tonight I actually had time to wash the dishes, and only then did I realize the dishwasher was so full there was only space for two sippy cups. And the thing takes so long to run, here we are again, kids in bed, sink still full.
I grocery shopped today at 4pm and it was weird. The kids fell asleep in the car and I had to wake them up to go shop. I couldn’t find any car carts and had to walk three stores down, in 90-degree heat, in jeggings that I wore to work, to find one that had been abandoned. The mini bagels were all gone that late in the day, and by the time we got home it was already dinnertime. It was like bizzaro grocery shopping compared to our normal morning routine.
Tonight while I was eating our $4.99 rotisserie chicken (not enough time to cook), which Little Miss only ate to earn and ice pop and Mr. Man insisted on chewing and spitting out, I was thinking, how would I be able to do this and work 40 hours a week? It seems completely impossible! On one had, being away from the kids and the monotony of the house for a little while this week made me appreciate the kids a lot more. Tonight I wasn’t completely emotionally drained, I didn’t spend bath time yelling, and we had a great time “swimming” in Little Miss’s bed before lights out. On the other hand, I know I missed some of the cute things they did without me, and it makes me sad that I was only able to sit down with Mr. Man on our couch for his nap one day this week.
I guess there are pluses and minuses to being a stay-at-home mom or a working mom. It’s just different. I have fallen into a routine and figured out how to manage our lives while I am at home with the kids. If I were to suddenly start working full time tomorrow, although it would probably take a while, I am sure I would find a new routine and manage to keep the kitchen sink closer to empty.
One thing working moms have on those who stay at home? Is there anything as great as coming home and having a crazy 18 month old run at you full speed to hug your legs like he missed you every second you were away? One of the best feelings in the world.