Other unexpected consequences of being a SAHM

When I worked, I had a steady rotation of work appropriate clothes.  Dresses, skirts, slacks and blouses.  Now that I stay at home full time, the only time that I don such attire is when I have to officiate a wedding or go to church.  So, the life of all these clothes has been extended quite a bit.

What my wardrobe consists of nowadays is jeans (but don't get me started on jeans!), t-shirts, sweaters, and tank tops.

I've noticed recently that all of my clothes are starting to fall apart.  What I noticed first was little holes in my shirts about the level of my navel. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out where these holes were coming from.  At the time, Girl C was still in her bucket seat and she got carried around a lot.  I figured that I was resting the carrier on my hip/midsection and the holes were coming from the seat/jeans button interaction of carrying her that way.  She was soon out of the carrier, and the holes stopped.  But then I noticed them again.  She wasn't in her carrier.  What gives?  We dry our laundry on a line outside in good weather, so my conclusion was that the clothes pins were making the holes.  A few weeks ago, while I was at work, one of the other ladies in the nursery at church mentioned she had these same holes.  I was curious to hear how she thinks these holes crop of, since her kids are in high school and far from being in car seats.  She said she gets them from leaning up against the sink counter doing dishes.  Well, hell, I never thought of that before, and it makes total sense!  So, mystery solved for the holes and a solution to fix it (which is not 'stop doing dishes').

Also, I have blown holes through the knees of two pairs of jeans.  Never, in all my jeans-wearing years, have I ever worn jeans so much that they started to fall apart at the knees.  Usually, I would rip a back pocket off before anything else.  But I had a pair of skinny jeans that were wonderful from Target that I noticed the right knee start to get thin and soft in the knee and I knew they'd need to be replaced soon.  Thankfully, I bought the exact same pair and about a week later, I felt breezy at the knee and lo and behold, a hole.

I guess I'm on the floor a lot more with two kids.  We're building block towers, doing puzzles, racing cars, I'm changing diapers on the floor, and chasing after both of them.

Of all the consequences of being a stay at home mom, this is one I didn't expect.  But I love it.

An insight into how my mind works. A small, small insight.

If I am going to the grocery store or to Target, I usually have a list.  That sounds normal enough, right?  But i can't just sit down and make a list.  It's an ongoing process that starts immediately after I leave the store from the last trip.  Because I've inevitably forgotten something.

If my list includes 3 items or less, I'm great.  I don't need a list.  But as soon as you add that 4th item, something gets bumped from the initial 3 item list.  And thus the cycle of forgetfulness/multiple trips begins.  Maybe this is a sign I should have 3 children or less.  I'll forget one or two.  

How I combat this is lists.  I have a program on my phone that allows me to make a list or a checklist.  The latter is a lifesaver because I can actually SEE what I've picked up (and checked off the list) and put in my cart as opposed to the simple list version.  If I don't cross it off, I forget something.

But the making of the list is a week long process sometimes.  Like I said, I usually forget something and if it can wait until next week, it becomes item number one on next week's list.  As I putter around the house, something will pop into my head that I need.  If I don't document this RIGHT NOW, guess what happens?  Yep.  It gets forgotten.  Along with my phone list, I have a dry erase board on my fridge so Papa B and I can write down items.  Usually I just take a picture of this white board list instead of transfer to my phone list.

So, there are a lot of ways I can forget things.  And I do.  But I'm getting better about consolidating my lists in their various forms be they digital or analog.

An addition to my advance directive and living will

AKA, my un-profound post of the day.

In the event I fall into a coma or persistent vegetative state, I hearby request someone pluck my eyebrows and the 3 black hairs that sprout from the mole on my cheek.

Is it bad I prayed for the note to be blown away?

Monday I schlepped the kids to the mall to meet up with some friends, let the kids run around in the play area and make a return.  It was cold, and the weather forecast predicted that the wind would kick up.

Well, it did.  It was pretty windy and blustery as we entered the mall around 11 am.


We finished with all out doings at the mall and we make the trek through the parking lot.  It was around 2:15, which is prime nap time for Boy C.  I was carrying Girl C, pushing Boy C in his stroller and rushing to get them in to the car and out of the wind as soon as possible.  I toss Girl C into the car and tell her to get in her car seat and wait to be buckled in.  I go around to the other side of the minivan and put the brakes on the stroller and take Boy C out and into his seat.  As I am setting him in, the wind kicks up something fierce, and it picks up the stroller and propels it full speed into another car.  A freaking Lexus.  Of course.  I chase after the stroller, grab it, and stow it in the car and then buckle in the C's.  I get in the car, start it, and contemplate what I should do.  I even look up at the perimeter of the parking lot to see if there were any cameras.  But, I knew God was watching me and waiting for me to make the right choice.  So, I wrote a note and left my contact info.

So, last night, I get a call from a sweet lady named Joan.  She was so absolutely amazed that there are still people out there that have the integrity and kindness to take responsibility for their actions, even if it means they may have to bear a burden financially.  She said she has two high school aged children that are new drivers and she showed them my note and told them, "This is what you do.  This is what it means to have integrity."  She said there was no damage, and even if there were, things happen and that's part of life.  She even said that I am a good mother and setting a wonderful example of how to be a good person to my children.  By the end of our two-minute conversation, I was in tears from her kind words.

I was so afraid of who was going to call me and how angry they'd be and how much I would have to pay to get (what I thought was) a small blemish buffed from the door.  I went so far as to make a preemptive call to my insurance company  to see what I'd need to do in case it needed to go through insurance.  As an aside, if your baby stroller hits a car, it falls under your homeowners policy.  The more you know.  :)

My favorite time of day

I have to admit, come bedtime, I am ready to clock out for the day and do the things I want to do.  I'm tired of wiping chins, noses, and butts.  I'm tired of crumbs, milk dribbles, and half-drank sippy cups littering my house.  I'm tired of being tired, and I can't ever really go to bed early since Boy C goes to bed around 6 and Girl C goes to bed around 7:30.  On the days when Girl C takes a nap, she morphs into this screaming, running, hyperactive little banshee who won't go to bed until at least 8:30.  So, by then, I'm anticipating Boy C to wake up for his 9:30 (on the nose) feeding.

But that feeding is my favorite.  I've had a little time to unwind from both kids, have a glass of wine if the day dictated I needed one, and clean the house without fear of it looking like I'm a hoarder 37 seconds later.

It's my favorite because I've missed my kids.  I've missed holding my baby boy in my arms.  I've missed the weight of him, the specific areas his little body puts pressure and the way my muscles have to move and flex as they cradle his head, body, and arms.  I've missed his smell, his noise, and the way his downy hair tickles my lips and chin as I drink in his baby smell.  I'm awake enough to enjoy this moment of him and I in the quiet and dark room - just us. And then I put him back in his crib and pull up his blanket to him and smile as he puts two fingers in his mouth (just like his big sister), grabs the blanket and rolls over, snuggling himself back to sleep.

Then, I tip toe over to Girl C's room and smile at what position she's chosen to sleep in, kiss her little forehead, and turn off her light.

That's my favorite.

This meeting will now "come" to order

Imagine if Robert's rules of order were applied to sex.

-This meeting of husband and wife will now come to order. Are all members of the marriage present?

-Aye

-Husband, please read the minutes of the last meeting.

-Meeting convened at 10:32 PM, roll call taken, minutes of previous meeting read and approved, No old business was discussed, regular business was performed, no new business was discussed, and meeting adjourned at 10:59 PM.  

-Can I get a motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting?

-I move we just get to the regular business.

-Motion approved!

The end.  

Weather and Diapers

There's a strange correlation when you're out where we are between the weather and laundry.  Besides the obvious - you don't want to hang up your laundry when it's going to rain or freeze.  On a good, hot, breezy summer day, I can wash and dry two loads of laundry on the clothesline and if I play my cards right, I can get a third on dry on the racks up on the deck.  Those are the sweet spots of days when I feel like super country mom.

But when there's the threat of snow, ice, or severe storms another problem arises - diapers.  We cloth diaper for a few reasons.  Some of which being better for the environment, and more cost effective for multiple children, blah,blah blah.  We will never run out of diapers and have to make a midnight run to town to buy any.  So, when weather moves in that has the chance to knock our power out, I have to take a quick clean diaper inventory and weigh if I have enough to last me should there be a power outage.  I'm sure my husband would fire up the generator so I could do a load if I needed to, but so far we've been pretty fortunate in that respect.

It's just begun to show here and it's expected to give us anywhere from 7-10 inches of it.  So, last night at 8 pm, I started a load of diapers.  And at 10 pm, they were done and my husband and I had a diaper-hanging race on the drying racks before bedtime.  Exciting times, indeed.