In a recent tweet (I still can’t believe I’m Twittering. I’m the lady who frequently forgets to carry her cell phone with her and has never sent a text message in my life), I shared that we were having Blob Day. This is a tradition I’m passing along to my kids from my own childhood. Once a week we strip the beds and I allow the kids to play in the “blob” of sheets before tossing them into the washer. I fondly remember goofing off in sheet blobs with my brothers as a kid.
One of my least favorite domestic duties is changing sheets. (I don’t do well with fitted sheets. I think there needs to be some sort of marker on each corner – like TR for top right – to tell the domestically challenged which corner goes where because I always get it wrong the first time.) Yet, calling bed changing time “Blob Day” somehow makes it more fun for the kids and me.
So, I’m curious: How do you make routine household chores more fun?
Death be not proud. Not in the eyes of my preschooler, anyway.
The other day Madeline said out of the blue, “You know what, Mommy? It’s exciting when we die.”
Huh? I tried to think where this conversation was headed, what macabre thoughts I’d inadvertently put into my 4-year-old’s head.
“What do you mean?” I asked carefully.
Her response blew me away.
“When we die, we’ll get to meet Mary and God for the first time. We’ll get to see them.”
Oh ye of little faith (as in me), that is exciting.
A wise friend of mine recently told me something that I’d honestly never really thought much about. She said, “God sometimes speaks through our husbands.”
Looking back on the times when I’ve sought Dave’s counsel, I see this to be very true. In fact, he recently encouraged me to take a step back from a writing project and to really decide if this was the right time to be pursuing it. I had not been praying enough about this particular decision, and his words of wisdom encouraged me to do so. I’ve felt much better about it since (though I’m still undecided as to how to move forward).
I’ve also started to ask what he thinks before committing to any new endeavor – whether it involves writing, volunteering, etc. I tend to be a “yes” woman who pridefully thinks she can do it all. And sometimes I can but not very well.
Now when someone asks me to do something, I politely say, “Let me get back to you. I need to discuss this with my husband and see how it might affect our family life.” Or something like that.
I’ve found this not only “buys me time” and keeps me from impulsively saying yes and thus, transforming into an unhappy, overwhelmed martyr mom, but it also allows me to open a dialogue with my husband who is often much more able than I am to assess the situation and how it might impact our family and/or me. He has no problem graciously saying no, and he’s helping me to learn to do the same.
My youngest is just over 20 months, but the Catholic guilt is creeping into her life. She has said, “‘Sowry,'” on three separate occasions this week.
1st guilt trip
Me: Ouch! Who threw that book at me? That really hurt.
Not only am I in the driver’s seat where flying objects could cause an accident, but my elbow is tingling like crazy after the guilty party chucked a board book at me.
Rachel Marie: Sowry.
2nd guilt trip
Me, as I’m tending to a nuclear diaper: Ugh. This poop really stinks. Ugh.
Rachel Marie: Sowry.
3rd guilt trip
Me, asking rhetorically in a nonthreatening manner: Now who got this purple smoothie all over the wall?
Rachel Marie: Sowry.
Soon she’ll be saying “sowry” for saying “sowry.” Not that I’ve ever done that.
Okay, I’ve had one friend tell me she had a similar sensation during pregnancy, but is there anyone else out there who has experienced quick but sharp cervical twinges during late pregnancy over and over throughout the day? The best way I can describe what I’ve been experiencing for about two weeks now (I’m almost at the 33-week mark) is that it feels like I’m getting Pap smears all day long. I feel a sharp pinch, then nothing, then another sharp pinch. Just thought I’d throw this out there because this is something I didn’t have with my previous pregnancies.
I fear Madeline’s horse craziness is worsening.
Madeline is a critic in the making. I tried out a new prenatal workout video (Leisa Hart’s Fit Mama Workout) this week, and she quickly determined it was “too salsa-y and cha-cha-y.”
“We keep doing the same thing over and over,” she added.
I agreed with her assessment. The salsa dancing choreography was getting old, but I did enjoy the yoga section.
However, we might have to work on her knowledge of fitness terminology before she goes public with her reviews.
Madeline: What are you doing?
Me: Stretching my calves.
Madeline: What are calves?
Me, as I point to her calf muscle: This muscle right here.
Madeline: Oh, I thought you meant baby cows.
Swing by Jen’s Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes, and have a wonderful weekend!
Re. #4 – it’s not just Catholics – British people apologize for everything too! I grew up in the states, but my parents are British, and people always thought it was really weird that I apologized for everything.
Re #5: I had those sharp pains with my third! It was like the baby was bouncing up and down on my cervix. Awful!
#5? I totally have those, too. Very uncomfortable.
#3 – yes! Absolutely agree here. I find there is such gentle protection in listening to my husband’s leadership.
I am so sorry I have not gotten back to our conversation about nursing at Mass. I’ve been under the weather all week and I am behind on EVERYTHING. It’s still on my mind, though.
Have a great weekend!
#5- yes. Sometimes they were longer, like I had used a muscle in a workout and it seized up. But many times I just thought I had scratched something or pricked a vein. Of course, it’s easiest to think of doom and disaster, but my midwife assured me that it’s normal.
#1 We do sheet bubbles!-although I have to cap it at 5 or something or I’d be there all day. Also, if the task is adaptable to it, we march to the song of “The Ants Go Marching.”
Last night I also learned the value of carefully managed laps–for every towel folded or trip upstairs to put something away or this or that: one sprint as fast as everyone can around [whatever least dangerous, track-like route to be found]. Use sparingly, with caution, but very motivating for bored, high-energy kids.
Hi, Kate,
Actually, I think it’s nice that your little one has learned to apologize – at least for things like hurting someone, even by accident. I have to remind my kids to do this.
Yeah, those cervical pains…I sometimes get worried, thinking, it’s not possible for her to come out without labor first, right? It really feels like that baby is pushing down sometimes!
Cleaning…I’ve learned that music is great during cleaning time. Did you see the video I put lately of my kids cleaning on my blog? It was fun to watch them, and there was no whining!!! My oldest even asked if she could sweep the floor for me!
I love “Blob Day.” My kids look forward to changing the sheets becuase I pull the mattress off of the toddler bed and let them jump on it while I change the other beds (which are all within sight of each other).