Okay really I am for real asking this question. How do you do it all??? I am at a loss... I know I have high expectations for myself but don’t we all? I want to know how do you take care of 2 kids, (4 yr and 2yr) do house work, cook be a good and loving wife and still function. Heck throw diabetes in the mix and I got washed out. I don’t get enough sleep and I know it but I am so behind on everything!! I work from home which is great for the flexibility but stinky for the accountability. I am always grumpy, I yell way to much! I can’t even find time to do my blog which I love! Forget couponing, friends and the gym I need time to shower!
For those of you in the Christmas card switch please know I am hoping to have them to you by New Years
Yes I do have moments here or there but to be honest I’m so exhausted all I can do is sit and stare...
So DOC help me!! Do you have a schedule you try to stick to get it all done?? Do you do chores on certain days. What is your secret???
My house is a mess, I can't remember the last time I bathed, my dog misses meals, the presents to my parents will arrive sometime after New Years, don't even mention the words "Christmas cards" to me, and we ate leftovers for the third night in a row. Sigh. I wish I knew how to get everything done, but there just aren't enough hours in the day (or gas left in the tank).
ReplyDeleteMy rule is to get the important stuff done (kids fed, laundry done, bills paid, certain areas of the house clean, etc.) and not sweat the small stuff. Easier said than done.
I'd love to hear what others have to say...
Funny you are posting this. I just had this VERY conversation with my sister today. AND...my children are older... AND I only work VERY part-time. I feel like I am busy. I cannot even imagine having young children AND working Shannon.
ReplyDeleteI definitely simplify food. I keep salad on hand, hard boiled eggs cooked, smoked salmon and raw veggies and hummus for quick and healthy meals.
I only clean like every two weeks...not sure if that is helpful or not. Please know you are not alone. You are doing fantastic.
BTW...thanks for the heads up on the blog roll...you are on now!
You set your expectations really, really low. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteI have to constantly remind myself that taking care of 4 kids, one with Diabetes, is a full-time job. So what if clean laundry sits in baskets for a few days, or if I only manage to sweep under the table once a day (instead of the 3 it needs), or if the toilets don't get scrubbed as often as FlyLady says they should. And so what if we have pb&j for dinner more often than I'd like to admit. My kids are happy, healthy and thriving. And at the end of the day, that's all that matters.
Sure, there are days I get bogged down by the growing list of things that never get done. I go in cycles. Some days I get really frustrated and down and I find myself fantasizing about the day everyone in this house can wipe their own bottom. But I try to remember what's really important. And it's not how often my oven gets cleaned, it's how often my kids hear "I love you."
We do what we can and thats ALL we can do. My house is a mess... I forget to cook... My hubby gets NO attention... laundry ~ HA!
ReplyDeleteI worry about the important stuff. It has taken me some time to get here, but I am trying.
Oh Lordy - well, my kids are fed, they are clean and they are healthy. Cannot say that about my house - which looks like a tornado hit it - or the list of 'to-do' which grows each and every day. Things get done when they get done. The important stuff - and I prioritize everything otherwise I will go insane quickly - gets done. The other stuff falls by the wayside and frankly, on my tombstone, I don't really care if it says that I kept a clean house. I would prefer that 'She was an awesome mom, she knew how to have fun' be written there.
ReplyDeleteJust take it one day at a time. There is no doubt that it is insane.
ReplyDeleteHow do we do it? We don't. :( ESPECIALLY when the kids are so little. But I'm going to tell you something that is going to blow your mind! When they get older...they actually help! I tell my boys to clean their room, fold their laundry and clean their bathroom, and they actually DO it! It is such a miracle I can't even tell you. I know this doesn't help you now...but maybe it will give you hope that one day things will get done.
ReplyDeleteFind out what is most important...do that...and if there is time left do something extra. ((HUGS))
I don't do it all either. I leave my house to work 5 days a week, and Joey goes to his daycare lady. When I get home, it's all-Joey-all-the-time. I can't bring myself to do anything but be with him as I have taken enough time out of my day to be at work already. When he goes to bed, I do the mad-dash around the house to pick up his toys, make dinner for Tom and I, and then try to hold it together for at least an hour so I'm not terribly behind for the next day.
ReplyDeleteThings that make it easier: crockpot cooking, big Sunday meals that make leftovers for the week, a cleaning lady every other Monday, and going VERY easy on myself.
Joey is only going to be 1 once and I refuse to miss any extra moment I could spend with him seeing life through his eyes and helping him to learn and grow because I felt it was more important to windex my counter or send a birthday card on time!
Hang in there, you're doing great. And plenty of moms are trying to find a balance in life right there with you!
Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!! Um, I don't. ;)
ReplyDeleteA long time ago I told myself if I can go to bed and my children are alive and have been proberly fed and watered, then it was a successful day. Anything beyond that is dessert.
I pinky swear promise it will get better as the kids get older. Not easier, but better.
If you find out, let me know. I seriously don't know.... I try! But I just can't! I work full time, have only one child but she has D so that's kinda like 2 kids, try to be a wife, Mom, friend... try to take care of a house.... and....
ReplyDeleteThe house is dirty. Vacuuming, dusting, bathroom cleaning... RARELY happens. We split other chores. J does laundry. But Sweet's clothes are in a pile in her closet because I haven't had time to put them away. The Christmas cards are not done. I rarely shower. Seriously. J and I don't spend much time "together" and when we do, we're too tired to talk or do anything else. I'm late for work EVERY DAY. I get fast food for lunch EVERY DAY because I never have time to get or make anything. When I do actually get to the grocery, I forget to put things out to thaw or whatever and we end up eating out. I suck at cooking. It just does not happen much.
HOWEVER... D is handled. Sweetpea is loved. SHE always looks perfect! I may be a mess but not her. J and I know we love one another and neither of us is going anywhere. We ignore the dirt.
And we just hold on and do the best we can.
That's all I got. It may not be pretty but it's honest!
I LOVE this post!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the comments!
You are not alone....I am taking notes.....
I have this posted on my bulletin board at work - I read it often. It is about parenting, written by Anna Quindlen, a Newsweek Columnist. I hope you enjoy reading it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.babygooroo.com/index.php/2007/03/17/anna-quindlen-on-parenting/
I can't remember what my floors look like anymore.
ReplyDeleteLaundry is on any given day at least 2 baskets behind.
The kids lunches at school are often the same thing they had at dinner the night before.
I won't get close enough to a bed or couch to let my toes go under since there's is probably a creature living underneath at least one of them.
BG checks, insulin doses, meals, showers, homework, doctors appointments, gainful employment, and family time happen. The rest gets done when it gets done.
My kitchen has dishes piled in the sink and there is not a bare spot of counter to be found at the moment. Instead here I am, catching up on blogs! =)
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog from a comment you left on Joanne's blog. I have a 7 year old who was dx on March 8, 2010. As I looked at your photos of your family on the side bar, Joshua took my breath away. My youngest was born on Feb 13, 2009. The day we were celebrating his first birthday was the day your precious one only 2 weeks younger than mine was being dx with T1D. I watch my little guy and wonder "what if it was him" all of the time. It's a little easier to reason with a 7 year old than a 1yr old. A 1 yr old can't articulate low BGs like a 7 year old can. My hat is off to you! As much as I hate this disease and hate what it does to my little girl, I honestly can't imagine if it was my youngest.
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to figure out how to be everything to everyone too esp with D in the mix. I loved reading the comments and knowing that we are not alone. I look forward to getting to know you better.