Sewing for Cherubs

At Home

Today, with the double-whammy of a teacher workday and a "wintry mix", we were stuck in the house all day. Now, admittedly, the kids drove each other a little crazy and I had to use a lot of creativity to keep everyone happy. But I was secretly thrilled to be trapped at home.

You see, with the hectic schedule that comes with raising three children, I often feel more like a "Stay-in-the-Car Mom" than a "Stay-at-Home Mom". Sometimes it's just nice to have nowhere to go, and to be able to focus on simple pursuits like a good book, a hobby, and maybe an art project. Being "at home" together allows you to reconnect and forces you to communicate (for better or worse!). And it reinforces that this place we call home truly is the most important place in the world.

Maybe we should all make an effort to have more "at home" days and less "in the car" days. It would certainly benefit our environment, and I'm thinking it wouldn't be such a bad thing for the family either.

Swing Lessons

One of the most important parenting skills is knowing when and how to give your kids a push and let them go out into the world...

 

All the while, being there to help them when needed.

Messy

If we're going to be friends, there is something you need to know about me.

I don't like messes.

I was never one of those kids out making mudpies and catching bugs. I mean, I love to play outside as much as anyone else, just... neatly.

And so that is why it's so very tempting for me to help my toddler eat "messy" things, like yogurt. But if I do that, he will never learn to feed himself. So I have learned that I must stifle the urge to commandeer the spoon, choosing instead to stand by with the wet paper towels and an encouraging smile.

I May Have Done Something Wrong.

Way back when I was a parenting expert (ie. before I had actual children), I knew that my future children would be mostly TV-and-movie-free, and would play only with nonviolent toys and games.

This morning I realized that I may have done something wrong, as I listended to Radar and Superman engaged in a lively debate over whether Wall-E has a gun.

Getting a Little Help

You will never hear me bragging that I'm the best parent around, but I do think I'm pretty good at getting my children to help with housework. They know how to do several simple tasks and have a few chores that they do regularly. In the interest of getting YOU a little help, here are my suggestions for encouraging small children to help out around the house. (I have no advice for those of you who have teenagers, though!)

1. Start early. The younger your child is, the more likely they are to think it's fun to help you with housework.

2. Don't expect too much, too soon. Be sure to choose tasks that are very simple, and appropriate for your child's developmental level, to avoid frustration.

3. Don't expect your child's help to actually be "helpful". At first, it will seem as though you could get the job done much more quickly if you just did it yourself, and that's probably true. But an investment in time now will pay off with real help later.

4. Be complimentary. Praise your child's work, and resist the temptation to re-do it yourself to "fix" it.

5. Assign each child a simple job that can be their own responsibility each day. In our house, Radar feeds the cat and The Princess feeds the fish.

6. Try to convince the kids that helping out is a privilege. For example: "Yes, I think now that you are 5 and you are tall enough, you can help me put the dishes in the cabinets."

7. Use rewards. For example: "If everyone helps get the laundry put away, maybe we could go to the park for a little while."

8. Use logical consequences when the kids are reluctant. For example: "If Mommy is the only one cleaning up the toys, it will take a lot longer than it would if we all worked together. And then we won't have time to play that game you want to play."

9. Say yes! If your children ask to help you with something you are working on, figure out a simple way for them to participate. This can be hard to do when you are in a hurry, but it's important to take advantage of their interest.

10. Have fun! Listen to fun music while you work, or use that time to talk about your child's day at school.

A Long Winter's Nap

Well, um. Here's what happened to my grand plans to grocery shop today:

 

That will teach me to do the "fun stuff" before the "important stuff"... The kids asked for a library outing, and so we headed there first thing this morning, followed by lunch at our favorite little sandwich shop, and then a quick visit with Daddy at his office, followed by Superman's PT appointment. I was planning to do the grocery shopping after Superman's nap, but just before he woke up, Radar crashed on the couch. I think I must have worn him out!

So I spent the afternoon inflating the kids' ball pit instead, just me and my lungs. Some of y'all might agree that I have adequate hot air for that task.

 

And then the colors struck me as pretty, so I had to take a picture.

Oh well, there's always tomorrow. And I found some ravioli in the freezer, so I guess we won't have to resort to takeout after all.

To Market, To Market

Today I'm going to have no choice but to do something I usually avoid at all costs.

I'm going to have to take all three of my children with me to the grocery store.

Some of you are probably snickering at my lack of fortitude right now. I will venture a guess that you are the ones who do not have three young children.

You see, I am of the opinion that grocery shopping with small children ought to count as a competitive sport. First of all, there's all that precision driving. Finding a parking spot that is close enough to the cart return, and then parking the car carefully enough to avoid getting (yet another) ding in the door, followed by the skillful unloading of the kids with one hand because the other hand is busy holding onto the other children so no one escapes into the parking lot.

Then there's the weightlifting portion of the competition. If you don't believe me, you try lifting two gallons of orange juice and three gallons of milk off of the shelf, into the cart, out of the cart, and into the car. Repeat twice weekly. Feel the burn.

And we must not forget the mental gymnastics required to keep everyone reasonably well-behaved in the store and deflect multiple requests for brightly packaged, high-fructose-corn-syrup-laden treats. And since we are in a public place, all of this is to be accomplished while using your "happy voice".The most peaceful yogis in the world have nothing on Mom when it comes to this task.

Ah yes, so I'll be getting in my workout today. My kids are all off from school, and we're out of too many things, and I want to be able to feed my family something resembling dinner tonight.

Or we could just order takeout.

Stay-in-the-Car Mom

The term "Stay-at-Home Mom" is a misnomer.

Oh sure, when you've got babies, you're at home a lot. But one day those babies become school-age kids, and then... well, then there is driving to be done.

Yesterday, a typical Thursday, went kind of like this. Drop off Radar at pre-K, take Superman with me to The Princess's violin lesson at school, then take Superman to Romp 'n Roll, run an errand, then back home to eat lunch with Superman, then back to pre-K to pick up Radar, then a little while later, back to Princess's school to take her to ballet. Another quick errand, and home. So, no, I don't really "stay at home." No, THIS is where I seem to be spending a lot of time these days:

Oh well, at least the view is nice.