Before I post the blog about the fun we had during our Catching Up On Life Week, I must tell you honestly about the challenges from the week:
Kudos to you other moms. I don't know how you do it. It's the end of the week and I am exhausted. My children and I have grown tired and grouchy with each other. They pleaded Thursday morning, as they were close to tears, that they were ready for "things to go back to normal, please!" The other moms I am speaking of are those who stay home with their children, otherwise known as a Stay At Home Mom. Let me back up a few steps.
I have just completed our annual Catch Up On Life Week, as I do every July. This week is my week to take the kids to swimming lessons and any other summer activities they've roped me into, get school physicals and other check ups completed, get projects done around the house (joke's on me here because I only half completed one project out of a dozen), and spend some one on one time with my kids. I forget how exhausting this week actually is.
You see, during our regular life week we have daycare kids. Kids that have become my children's friends. Kids that keep my children entertained. People think I'm crazy when I tell them the more kids I have around, the easier it is. The more kids I have the less I actually have to do. When there are numerous kids around, I am the enforcer. I enforce the rules and let the kids play. When it's just my kids and me, not only am I the enforcer, but the entertainer as well. They get bored easier, there are more sibling fights than normal, and I spend my time running around trying to keep my young children busy and out of trouble.
We've been up and out the door bright and early every morning. We've visited family, parks, pools, malls, restaurants, farms, and more in our spare time. It's been fun. We've gone to places and events that we wouldn't usually be able to go too because we'd be stuck at home. When we are home, they're horrible. Fighting, getting into trouble, making huge messes, and needing my FULL attention every minute. I must admit, I'm not use to this. The kids seek attention from other kids on a daily basis and come to me when they've colored a cool picture, need a hug, got hurt, or there's a problem. This week my kids have needed me for anything and everything! I couldn't even get my To Do list around the house done because the minute I started a fight would break out, somebody needed a drink of water, one of them hit, there were tears, screaming, and tantrums.
I have spent every last ounce of my energy running them around this week and dealing with their extra neediness. Which brings me to my point: I am simply amazed at stay at home mom's. I've run into many, many moms this week who spend their days running their kids to activities and doing all of the cool things Des Moines offers in the summer's. They spend their days keeping their kids extra busy and happy, taking on the entertainer role as I did. I only did it for a week and both my kids and I have had enough.
Maybe we've gotten use to our daycare life (as I call it), spoiled even, with other kids around all day every day. Maybe we had too much going on this week. Whatever it is, it's like this whenever daycare kids aren't around. When I informed my three this afternoon that we still had the weekend to spend together, I was met with a door slammed in my face and a "I just want the kids to come back!"
I am beyond blessed that my kids are so happy and content with the life we're providing them. I remember now why I get irritated, ticked off even, when people tell my kids "oh it must be so hard to share your mommy every day." No it's not hard for them to share me and for this I am extremely grateful. I am confident my kids don't feel slighted because I can't give them my full attention all day every day. I am blessed because they have become confident, independent children because of the life I provide for them.
No matter how blessed I feel about our life, it sure didn't make this week easy on us at all! I am beyond amazed at those mommies who do this every day.....I'm quite certain I would lose it with my kids if this continued more than a week. We had our fun, got the appointments and lessons out of the way, and we're all extremely ready to get back to life next week. It's always week's like this that opens my eyes to the things I am truly grateful for.
