Becoming a Master Wife

One week down:

My husband just started his masters and now Shane works and studies long hours so responsibility to watch the kids falls primarily on my shoulders.  Orientation week was tough as I considered Shane's long hours he would be away and the pending responsibility of adding a newborn to the list not to mention the actual labor and delivery if he is far away on campus with the car and I have two toddlers with me to ride in an ambulance. Praying if that actually happens that we dont get there and they say it is just false labor... However this week has emotionally been better for me.

Today I was babbling on the telephone to Shane because adult interaction is rare and he is one of those people that if you take a breath or think about what you are going to say he will inevitably find a way to slip in a closing "got to go". Anyways I was quickly listing what the kids and I had done on this rainy day, and he said "wow sounds like you have had a terrible day!" And I defended my day with well no it is just average like the kids are getting along pretty well and... He stopped me and said, "It is pretty sad that your average  day is in the terrible range."
That kind of made me happy at first that he was noticing how hard I work, but then I thought of all the things that did happen that day and week and yes they were mostly negative (including once again getting locked out of the house without diapers, food, money, and car but with several hours to kill before Shane would get home)- so what was making this week better than the last? Why was I happy?

Well have you ever been given the advice to prepare dinner while the kids nap or make sure and clean the house during naps so you aren't trying to clean while the kids are following you tearing up things behind you. Great advice if it works for you, but on Monday I decided it was a lie and threw it out the window. I decided every other paid employee gets breaks and lunches- nap time would be my break. Nobody eased my load but I did it myself. It is a choice that costs nothing so try it out.

Here is what you do:
During nap time do whatever makes you happy. Be SELFISH  (not a common luxury for a mom) with what you spend your time doing it is yours with no strings attached or expectations. Accomplish something that priority wise may be at the bottom of the list but sounds exciting and fun, or take a nap or watch an episode. You are the boss of this break.

Now when the kids wake up I am not exausted. I am not frustrated that the kids only took half a nap and I still have a million things I did not get done.
I am not feeling guilty that I did not use my time wisely. I do not feel that my life is one endless to do list because it now has distinct sections. Amazingly sometimes I find what I want to do is the dishes or freezer meals but my attitude has changed because I chose to do those things. I view the dishes as a personal benefit not as another service or trial. This mind set allows me to still feel in charge of my life even when the load does not change.
I know you may wonder well don't you feel guilty when the house is a mess at the end of the day or you have no dinner? Honestly I don't because I know during "working hours" (not nap time) I did all that I could.

Everyone deserves a break if you are not given one because of your personal situation take responsibility to provide yourself one.

Everyone needs some alone time...

 Our little boy is getting to be quite the hider and just enjoys the serenity of being the boss of his own kingdom even if it is a trashcan. Love our little Oscar the Grouch.

Bring on the Fall

 Yeah we are just that hard core we like to spin while we eat with lots of pressure on our stomachs. I love having a fruit tree so the kids can go out and eat when they want and there is no clean up!

Toddler Besties

This is for everyone that calls to talk with Daphney and only hears how Parker is doing. 

You can finally meet Parker!

Three Year Old Interview

I moved her so she would stop rocking not thinking oh now she would lay down,

 but I guess that is part of a three year old personality.

Good thing Grammy corrected her mistake of not including candy in the present and sent a card. :D 

M&M Party

Happy Birthday to our THREE YEAR OLD!

 Daph was a huge help in all the preparations for her party. From making invites, cupcakes, and pinata to blowing up balloons. She told me happily, "Mom we are a team, because we are doing teamwork!"

Before Daphney's party I tried to prep Daphney a little bit in how to be polite when getting a present you are not in love with. I knew I didn't have anything to worry about when we were opening the family gifts and Daphney was opening up a large cardboard box and squeals in a high pitch voice, "I think it is diaper wipes!" She loved all of her presents, and especially this Olafe that turns out was not diaper wipes...

She had found these clothes in my not so sneaky hiding place and when I told her not to look at them and that they were her birthday she was instantly disappointed, and said,  "Hey I don't want clothes.... I want CANDY and flowers!" - apparently she knows how dad shows his love towards mom.

Luckily someone gave her candy at the party and check out that satisfied face!

Birthday Girl Ready to Party: Here she is as excited as can be to be all dressed up and fully stickered from Grandmarry's birthday card. 

So apparently Daphney has very few girl friends, so princess birthdays are out, but she had a great crew show up. And they are remarkable cupcake decorators considering how far away the parental guidance appears. 

So that is the best candle blowing out picture I got... [oops] Seriously at first the paper towels were in the way and then two stacks of cups as I continued around. Just use your imagination.

Pinata Fun: 

(Yes, Shane did have to help them out a little at the end... but they did manage a hole.)

In this picture poor Liam (in the far left) was far back but still got whacked with the bat. What a trooper he was. However, I find it humorous that Gabriel somehow knew something bad was going to happen and took cover. Watch out boys, girls are crazy with bats!

This picture is where Sean is teaching his son to scavenge for missed candy. Just kidding.... I think he is performing an autopsy to steal some of my pinata skills. #Soon to be Doctor

Game: QUICK! Pop Balloons [M&M's] as fast as you can!

Daph helped draw some of the M's on the balloons and they were cute continuous M's over and over; she hasn't quite figured out when to stop writing. 

It was difficult to remember everything needed when packing for the park, but I realized defiantly the smartest idea while cleaning up after my two kids had post party left over cupcakes.

Bedtime

"Look Mom, we can ALL sleep in your room. We fit right here in the crack between the bed and the wall!"

Demitri is now sleeping in a big boy bed and is pretty good about putting himself to sleep as long as he has that blanket and his favorite book The Little Blue Truck. When we lay him down he chants Blue, Blue Blue... It is fun to see him more interested in books and we can often find him reading to himself. 

Hulk Smash!

This is when you know you are in love... when you enjoy getting hulk smashed!

Who knew the crazy things you would experience [happily] after deciding to love a toddler?! 

This video is supposed to be more about Demitri,

 but you can tell Daph might be a little too used to the camera attention.

Love these bean bags! They have become a must at family night and movie parties!

Zoo Time Again

My little babies hatching; I swear I have three kids already with this gorilla stuffed animal who has to do everything with us! 

Family Train Ride: We decided to spend a little extra and do some of the fun extras at the zoo since dad was able to come with us. We got the worst look when we told them that both of our children would be free because they were only one and two. Love our little weeds- just like "Clifford the Big Red Dog" things grow big when there is a lot of love!

We might have splurged on the rides, but our kids are really good at finding the fallen food pellets for the goats and koi fish. You know those 25 cent things are what really get your pocket book. One girl finally came up to Demitri and said "Ah, they don't eat rocks!"

I love the admiration that the kids have for their father. They know he is the coolest thing!

Prepping For Sister

Nobody is more excited or in love with baby sister than Daphney! Her excitement is contagious! 

This video is from when we went through some of Daphney's baby clothes to see what we still needed to buy. Daphney started out pretty hesitant and possessive but by the end was emptying out her drawers of her current clothes for her sister, and Demitri was scrambling all the sizes of clothes into one pile. :D 

And, yes Daphney still believes there is a baby inside her tummy too. We just might need to get a doll for her once the baby is born. 

Blanket on my Head Please!

Demitri kept stuffing his blanket into his hat and trying to balance it on his head which never worked and he was getting so frustrated. In an effort to appease him Shane taught him to wear it like this. It was quite a way to walk all over costco. He loved it, but we got quite a few questionable looks.