Go To Sleep!
| I swear my kids are the worst ever at going to bed. Every night I give them a warm bath, get them into warm pj's, get them a small snack, read a few dozen stories, cover them up in their bed, and pinkie swear a billion times that there are no monsters in the house. And still I'll hear "MOM!" every 5 minutes for the next hour. What do I have to do to get them in bed and asleep before 10 PM? Since I work from home I try to do most of my work after they're in bed. That way they get my attention all day, except for the few minutes I steal for myself here and there. Maybe it's single mom guilt. They don't have 2 full time parents so I'm trying to be double the parent myself. If only there was a way to get their father to be with them more. Compared to other single moms I know he's already pulling his weight a few thousand times more than most dads, but it still doesn't feel like enough. If he could take them for an hour or two every afternoon or evening that would be wonderfully amazing. A girl can dream. Labels: mommy stuff, single parenting |
One of those moms...
 I had company tonight. A very nice woman that I know briefly stopped by to chat after dinner. It should have been a nice evening chatting with another adult while the kids played, instead I felt awkward and nervous. Now that she's gone I feel like such an idiot, but at the time she was here I was terrified of the kids doing something embarrassing. Which of course they did, repeatedly. Some of it involving typical boy potty humor and bodily functions. Sigh. My acquaintance is my age yet doesn't have kids, and probably never will. It's not that she's one of those people who hates all kids, she just feels it's not in her plans to have any. And that's where I get nervous. I'm a mom, despite my best intentions that role has taken over my life. I could chat for hours about diapers, bed time stories, and how to get beads out of a child's nose. But put me in a room with someone who isn't interested in comparing which park has the better swing set and I feel lost. Oh my God, I've become one of those moms! The ones who have no life outside their kids! No, say it isn't true! I think it's time to find something outside the house that I can do, something that doesn't involve kids in any way. That seems so odd to think about. I've been at home with the kids since they were born. First as a stay at home mom and then as a work at home mom. I wouldn't even know how to hand them to some one else for a few hours. I pace the floor when I drop them off at their father's house, and they never stay there for very long. I suppose I could take that time to try some adult interaction, though I usually use it to catch up on all the chores and work that needs to be finished. I would feel even more behind if I skipped that free time. Labels: me me me, mommy stuff, single parenting |
The gentle sound of kids killing each other
| *sigh* I need a double shot of brandy in my coffee tonight. My sons went to their father's house today. His sister was over and brought her son and daughters which are roughly the same age as mine. She also brought double fudge brownies. Now the boys are wired on chocolate and too much excitement. They are running laps through the house, slamming into each other and taking toys from one another. The last 10 minutes have been non-stop screaming/crying/shouting from the both of them. I've given up trying to stop it and have taken to hiding in the bathroom with my laptop until it is either over so they are worn down enough to go on to bed. This is the part of single parenting I hate. I love being able to make the decisions without needing anyone else's input, at least most of the time. But moments like this I need back up, some one who can step in and help me wrangle them. They wouldn't dare act this way when their father is around, or even when Loverman is here. They know that both of them mean business. Mom is a big old sucker though. I just cannot handle the noise and the constant action, it becomes stimulation overload for me. I'll do anything to just have a moment of peace and quiet. Labels: Bear, Bull, family, me me me, single parenting |