My friend Rachel asked me:
I'd like to know how you do all your creative projects with 2 little kids around. I can't get any of my sewing projects and I only have one right now. Although I do work 2-1/2 days and I'm pregnant so I'm pooped by the end of the day. But you seem to have so much energy.
Oh girl. If you only knew. I hope I haven't insinuated that I am a super Mom with boundless energy and productiveness who completes every task with a smile plastered on her face. No no no. I get all my creative projects done by shirking my housekeeping, playing during naptime and giving up other things. I don't watch much TV anymore, but I've conveniently replaced the my TV screen time for computer screen time.
I am blessed to be a SAHM. I am NOT blessed with excellent time management skills. Besides, being a SAHM automatically means you have issues with completing tasks and actually feeling productive. At least in our house that's what it means. Tasks (and fun crafty projects) are often thwarted by poopy diapers (or poop ON THE FLOOR), children injuring each other, errands to run, sick children to nurse back to health, laundry and...hmmm, what else?.... oh yeah, everybody needs to be fed once in a while.
This bouncing back and forth between projects and housework and childcare is often frustrating for me. I often have to remind myself that being a Mama to Bubbalu and Lil Chick is THE most important task that I have. Sure, I know it in my head, but sometimes my head needs to be reminded.
Yes, more important than completing that super uber cute shirt pattern that I've had mulling around in my brain. Sometimes that means putting my latest project down and not returning to it for a few days (*ahem* WEEKS).
Bottom line: I'm NOT super Mama. I get VERY tired (and cranky!) and exhausted. I often choose to be crafty instead of doing housework. I blog, craft, sew and create things for therapy. IT WORKS FOR ME. It is my passion and I choose to pursue it unless my family is suffering because of it.
Still don't believe my claim? Ok Rachel, here's a photo I snapped just minutes after reading your question:
There, feel better now?
And mind you, superimpose five bins of random Christmas decor scattered about the room and you can see what it looks like right this very moment.
However, my Christmas tree looks quite spectacular, if I do say so myself...
A
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I am renaming Bubbalu as Destructo Boy. I will applique his new initials "DB" onto his superhero cape as well as spray paint his initials and logo onto his trike.
A small sampling of Destructo Boy's recent accomplishments:
- got into my toiletries and sprayed an entire small bottle of perfume all over my walk in closet, our clothes and Lil Chick. Husband will be thrilled to find he now smells like a woman. Discovery of crime due to Lil chick screaming in protest. Apparently she thought she was sufficiently fragrant.
- broke 8 candy canes into thousands of tiny pieces. Not such a huge tragedy as I can now make white chocolate peppermint bark.
- unwinding an almost full bobbin of elastic thread and stringing all about the living room. Discovery of crime due to Lil Chick screaming in protest. Apparently she didn't like having elastic thread woven around her NECK and cutting into her skin.
- dumped the newly reorganized, size appropriate, freshly washed and laundered (like ONE hour ago) top drawer of clothes of Lil Chick's dresser. ONTO Lil Chick. Once again, discovery of crime due to Lil Chick screaming in protest. Apparently she didn't like having a drawer on her foot.
- discovered an unattended container of itty bitty black beads and proceeded to unscrew lid and dump them all over the carpet. "They have holes in dem Mommy, little holes in dem!" Turns out that was too boring so he sat at my sewing desk and proceeded to unwind and tangle as many different bobbins he could in a limited amount of time. And let me tell you, that boy is efficient.
- picked out itty bitty black beads off of the carpet one by one and put them back into their container (punishment).
- but that was boring so he dumped the entire refilled container of itty bitty black beads into an empty, open bottomed sewing machine case sitting on the carpet.
- picked out itty bitty black beads off of the carpet one by one and put them back into their container (punishment WITH supervision).
- reset the thermostat. One again, that boy is efficient when time constrained. I'm hoping he'll give me a tutorial of the thing.
- discovered unattended new container of Soft Scrub on kitchen counter. Discovered how to climb ONTO kitchen counter. Discovery of crime due to appearance of soft scrub container sitting in a puddle of squeezed out product.
- attempted to pry metal labels off my Father's legal office file cabinets. Fortunately was unsuccessful.
- also attempted to push every button, turn every knob and try every handle in the interior of aforementioned legal office. ( I fled the office after 5 minutes fearing Destructo Boy's Rate of Destruction was going to multiply exponentially.)
- decided that his nap chart in his room was a stupid place to have stickers. During nap time (where's that sarcastic font???) stickers were relocated to finished wood closet doors. Why not?
All this along with eleven hundred ninety seven near misses and Mama interventions.
And I wonder why I'm exhausted at 7:42 PM?
A
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I was in court today.
For an INCREDIBLE reason.
No no, I wasn't contesting a traffic ticket (never even been pulled over - holla!)
It was for a much more beautiful reason.
Remember my awesome sister Rebecca? Yaknow, the one who had a precious baby girl only three weeks before her newly adopted 6 month old son was brought home from Ethiopia by her husband Dusty?
( psst! You want to see some grown folk cry the Boo Mama coined "ugly cry"? Force them to witness a newly adopted child be brought home and placed into his exuberant and loving new Mamas' arms. Yep, ugly cry. But a GOOD ugly cry.)
Today, I witnessed my Father in court (haven't seen that since I was probably ten), who represented my Sister and Brother in law, as they finalized/re-adopted their sweet baby boy...my nephew!
It was an awesome day.
Except when Bubbalu bonked the JUDGE on the nose with the balloon airplane toy he was given right before entering the courtroom.
This Mother? Mortified.
The Judge was cool about it. After all, he's worked with my Dad for many years and has a heart for children. He was wiping away tears with the rest of us.
(Besides, I don't think you can hold a 2 year old in contempt of court.)
Welcome to the family Isaiah! We love you and are honored to be your family.
(psst! And your Auntie Amanda ALWAYS has cookies for you. ALWAYS!)
A
