Received the following comment:
I LOVE YOUR BlOG! When do you have time to do this. I totally feel like a failure as a mom reading all of the cool things you are doing with your kiddos. HELP!
Ladies, don't read this blog and think, "Boy am I a failure as a mom for not doing everything she does." Read this and think, "If that selfish, lazy, sinful woman can do it, I can too!"
Honestly. I did not start off doing all this fun stuff with my children. In fact, I would be ashamed to tell you how much TV my firstborn watched a few years back. It is sad, really. But I have been learning from more experienced wives and mothers, some of whom I've linked to under Blogs I Enjoy. (Warning: These ladies do things that are very much outside the norm. Read with an open mind, take what you can use and leave the rest.)
A few thoughts on where I find the time:
1. Routines - Our days revolve around simple routines that include mealtimes, chores, playtimes, etc. I started by following Flylady. I am still working on zone cleaning, but though my house is never spotless, it's never more than 15 minutes away from being clean enough.
2. Discipline - I don't have to spend much time dealing with tantrums and defiance, so my kids are easy to do things with and we actually Enjoy our time together. They didn't come out of the womb perfectly behaved (and they are NOT perfectly behaved). J and I are old school "do what I say because I said so" parents and I have learned alot about parenting from Raising Godly Tomatoes.
3. Limit Outside Activities - It was easy to run around to playgroups, playdates, music and gym classes when I only had 1 child, but running around with 3 wears me out. And I have come to see that many of these outside activities are not beneficial. (See this post on friends.)
We go to church on Sundays (the children sit with us). We go to my aunt's house in the country once a week. Kids alternate doing 1 activity at a time (Drew just finished up t-ball so Jazzy will start gymnastics next week). We occasionally have park dates with friends. We will probably do children's choir again in the fall. Sometimes I think we should be doing swim lessons and story time at the library and home school co-op, etc., but I have btdt and it just isn't worth it.
I will try to post specifics on routines, etc. in the coming weeks. Not because I have it all together (I don't), but because reading about how others do things has been very helpful to me. If you read about something we do and think, "I would never deny my 6 month old her Suzuki piano lessons", then limiting activities is not for you and that's fine. This is just how we do things.
E-mail me or post a comment if you have any questions. Feel free to forward the blog address to those you think may enjoy it.
Press on, Ladies!
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1 comment:
Dear Queen,
You make routines seem so easy. Routines are difficult for me because of lifes unexpected or unprepared for demands. We have limited TV time to 1hr per day, but whem things come up I find myself allowing my son to watch a video. I get side tracked easily and the schedule goes out the window. Then there are the times that I feel bad because he has no one to play with and we go to a friends house. I just need help. At any rate, I am encouraged by your blog and thanks for the sharing. Oh yes, will you post something about potty training? I am a WannaBe Titus 2 wife, mother, servant, friend. This is Miriam in Tulsa.
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