mommys struggles and snuggles: Concerning pregnancy, birth, and crankiness.

mommys struggles and snuggles: Concerning pregnancy, birth, and crankiness.: "I find myself with twenty-four days to go until my due date......yes Christmas Day. I have had an easy pregnancy so far, much like my other ..."

Concerning pregnancy, birth, and crankiness.

I find myself with twenty-four days to go until my due date......yes Christmas Day. I have had an easy pregnancy so far, much like my other two, despite keeping up with two kids, five and two. I have managed to keep up with homeschooling and my house work and most of my daily activities. However, I find myself struggling as of late. I have not slowed down and now my body is starting to protest. It comes in the form of being cranky, and mostly being cranky with my kids. I actually feel relieved when my husband is here because he is pretty good about jumping right in and helping with the kids. Sometimes that means helping me get them rounded up for the night or sometimes just having a second person keeping an eye on them so I can get some things done.

Things that would normally irritate me seem so much bigger and I know it is because I am not slowing down. Why is that so hard for me to do? Part of is because I know I have limited time left and I still feel like I have so much to do. By the time school is finished and basic house cleaning is done it still looks like a tornado has hit. My five year old is pretty good about cleaning up his own messes when you tell him to, but is not the fastest in the world. Of course with a two year old you do a lot of the cleaning and they help. Have I pointed out that bending over makes me even crankier? Then you still have dinner and baths and bedtime. I have not even gotten to anything extra......like the babies room. Today I went in the room one time to look at what else I needed to do in there. I never got the chance to even walk back there again. I started to try my hand at a rosemary wreath, and the kids got in a big fight. I had to quit. Why am I trying to arrange rosemary on a wreath while the kids are getting hungry and tired? It was a stupid plan and one that ended up with screaming all the way around.

One thing I am pleased about is that, along with help from a friend, I was able to get Brylee moved into her new room. It is not finished, I still have decorating to do, but she is in there and making the transition quite well. I was amazed that the day we got all her things moved in she wanted to take a nap in her new room, and has never looked back. Her naps have been fuss free and night time as well. I am truly blessed there, and am more convinced than ever that getting your kids into a sleep schedule early on is a major bonus later. I have two very active kids, and yet both have transitioned from crib to bed and new rooms without losing sleep or routine. I can't believe that is luck, I have to believe that is due to being one thing that I have been very dilligent and consistent about from the beginning.

I am going to try to force myself to just relax a bit, take time to play with my kids, take time to sip my hot tea or sit outside for a few minutes. I think I am getting cranky because I am not allowing myself any down time. It's not even that I don't have time to myself. Time to myself is nice, but I am not even allowing myself to relax. I go from one task to another to another. Some days I really want to get outside, but the house is a mess and I want it to get be clean and inviting when Glenn gets home. So instead of relaxing outside for thirty minutes, I spend that time folding clothes, picking things up off the floor, and on and on. What's more frustrating is that tomorrow the messes and clothes will be there again and so it feels like you do all this work and there is nothing to show for it. No wonder I am cranky! So, starting tomorrow, I am going to try to slow down, do a few more things besides work, actually play with the kids, and see if I am in a better mood.

There is so much stuff going on right now I don't even know where to begin. I'll just go down the list and see where it goes.

Homeschooling: This has been an interesting journey. It has gone smoother than I expected, but there are still days that are challenging. Bodie really likes all his subjects. In reading we had gotten a book called Teach Your Child to Read in One Hundred Easy Lessons. We actually got that before he started preschool because he was so interested in letters and sounds. When I put him in preschool I quit working in it because I did not want to overwhelm him. We were a little more than halfway through it when school started so he only has eight more lessons in that. It has been a really good book. He is reading full pages and even starting to put expression into some of the sentences when he grasps the humor. Yesterday, he wanted to do two lessons. The story was about an old man who couldn't hear and he kept misunderstanding what everyone was saying. The first lesson was part one of the story and he thought it was so funny that he wanted to do the next one also. It is funny to me to watch him pick up on the humor. Math is something he is good at, but has sometimes wanted to skip. I think he gets bored because the worksheets are somewhat repetitive. I may have to incorporate some of those concepts in a more fun way. Science is still his favorite, and he has actually gotten to where he likes handwriting too, although I think it's just because he likes the coloring sheet on the back! The language we do is both writing and verbal. I really like the verbal part because it has him retelling a story, or making one up about a certain thing, or putting things into sequence. I don't think it is his favorite, but mommy likes it. This past week I also found a group around here that does an enrichment club. There are probably twenty kids and the ones that want to get up and do some kind of presentation. A lot of the kids do lapbooks on a subject they are interested in, but some recite poems, or do show n tell. It is mostly about exposing them to speaking in front of people. Next month, if we are able to go, Bodie plans to do a presentation on combines. I am looking forward to that!

Pregnancy: Third time around is a charm....at least that is what I hear. It is hard for me to believe that if I go to fourty weeks (I haven't with the other two) I have only six more weeks left. Throwing a newborn on top of all this may prove to be exciting. I just have got to remind myself to rest. I am probably going to take a week or two off school at that time......if Bodie will let me. We will prob curl up in bed and read and write some, but not so formal for a couple of weeks. I have really been feeling it lately. My body is crankier it seems this time around, age getting to me I guess. She is really active too, moving and kicking all the time, so much for hoping for a laid back kid. LOL

Brylee's room: Another project we have going is trying to get Brylee's room finished. It has really been work becasue we are moving into what was our office/store room. There has been a lot to muddle through and we are still not finished yet. Have not even started on the babies room yet because Bry is still in there. All I know is that I am doing pink and brown in there. I have not been able to get any more creative because I can't picture anything with bry still in there. So these next few weeks those are two big goals I have.

mommys struggles and snuggles: Girl's Day Out

mommys struggles and snuggles: Girl's Day Out: "Last week Bodie started a P.E program. It is once a week from one to four. They do all kinds of sports, there are lots of kids, and I really..."

Girl's Day Out

Last week Bodie started a P.E program. It is once a week from one to four. They do all kinds of sports, there are lots of kids, and I really like the coaches. I am thrilled that he has to work as a team with other kids and that he has to take direction from someone other than me for a while. However, one of my favorite parts about this is that it is a drop off program.

Not only do I think that he needs that time to learn under someone else, but it has turned into a chance for Brylee and I to have girl time.

When Bodie was going to preschool we didn't really have that time between driving and naps  This place is located a good fourty minutes away from the house so I am not going to go home, which means I have to find things to do. Luckily, it is in an area where there are quite a few fun places to go and I can also get errands run at the same time.

Today was our first real mommy daughter time because the first time I took Bodie to his P.E class, I stuck around for about half the time to just see how things are run. This time we dropped him off and ran. She hardly has me to herself ever so I think it is just as much fun for her. Today we went to Hobby Lobby and picked out stickers for her potty chart, she found herself a really cute lunch box with Abby from Sesame street on it, and then we went shoe shopping for her Halloween outfit. It was nice to just go and get her some litle things and make her feel spoiled. So much of the time it is all about Bodie just because of school. She also spends a lot of time doing things he does just because she looks up to him and wants to play with him. It was so much fun seeing what ideas she had when there no other influences.

My favorite part of today was just being able to look at what she wanted to look at, and being able to enjoy her sweet personality all by itself.

I am really glad I have this opportunity to have some one on one with her before the baby gets here. I can tell she really enjoyed it too. She was so cute showing Glenn all her stickers and shoes when he got home. She even offered him a princess sticker when he went potty! He declined of course, but it was funny.

mommys struggles and snuggles: Today was one of those days I wasn't too sure whet...

mommys struggles and snuggles: Today was one of those days I wasn't too sure whet...: "Today was one of those days I wasn't too sure whether to look forward to or hide from. Amazing how a few hours in the morning can set the to..."

Today was one of those days I wasn't too sure whether to look forward to or hide from. Amazing how a few hours in the morning can set the tone for the day.

I got up this morning knowing that I had to go to town ( that sounds like such a journey, it is about 25 minutes one way so not that bad) and that I would be better off going early. Go in early, get finished, and get home right? If I go in later it is a lot harder because Brylee gets up from her nap around two and by the time I get back it is a rush to get stalls cleaned, horses fed, dinner on, and all that fun evening stuff. So I decided the morning run would be best.

That is when the drama started. As soon as Bodie realized that school would not start as usual at 9:00, his whole world came crashing in on him. Like I said a few hours can set the whole tone.

He cried, not just a little whining, but full out laying across the bed sobbing.

Now I am not a very emotional person, so sometimes it is very hard for me to know how to respond to his emotions. I'll be honest, the first thought that runs through my head is how much I want to laugh at the theatrics of it all. And I do smile....LOUDLY inside my head. ( I do that a lot) My second thought is ok this is pretty normal for this age, and then another thought,........isn't it? Third thought.......how long do I let this go on before I tell him that's enough? 

I honestly don't know the answers to those last questions, although a friend assured me she has dealt with many such days, which at least made me feel like it must be fairly normal. But, I still wonder what is the best way to react to such an outburst? 

I tried to explain to him that we were still going to do school, it was just a delay. Explaining really was a waste of energy. There was no way that was going to comfort him. 

In the end I let him cry his eyes out, the tears subsided......eventually and we were able to load up in the car. Before we pulled out of the driveway, I said a prayer out loud about disappointment and how sometimes when our plans get changed for the day, it can end up being a better day than we thought it would. ( see, Lee, I was listening Sunday) Mostly, I think I was praying for myself that I would not pull my hair out from all the drama, although I did not specifically say that, just a small mention of attitudes getting better.

Later, though, I was reflecting on the days events and realized it really isn't that different for me. The only difference is that I am not five with my emotions on my sleeves. Yet, I honestly can't say I handle my disappointments that much better. No, I don't throw myself on the bed and cry my eyes out. I don't stomp my feet and scream.  Maybe I would feel better if I did. I get sullen and quiet, or I get short with my kids. Sometimes when my day gets messed up, I feel rushed and gripe at the kids because they aren't moving as fast as I think they should. My plans get rearranged and I don't find myself praying to God asking to find the good in the day. I find myself being irritated, frustrated, impatient. It really isn't all that different except in the end after all his crying, he probably felt better. Indeed, he had a pretty good day. Where as I think for myself I would have felt worse because I probably would have said or done things that did not make anyone feel better. In the end I have to conclude that kids have a way of showing our weaknesses to us even when they aren't trying to.