Sometimes there are those moms...

Sometimes there are those moms who just put you under the pile.  You know the kind.  My best friend is one of those.  She had 3 kids in 39 months and you'd never know it.  She could raise 3 kids with her hands tied behind her back and blind folded.  She's just one of those super moms.  It wasn't until she had babies #4 and #5 (twins!!!) that she started to act like the rest of the maternal people I know.  She's just that good.  Maybe God gave her the twins so she could finally struggle like the rest of us.

I think I've commented here before about the twinge of bitterness (um strong word...read slight envy) when I see a mom with one baby in hand.  I never had that since I had twins first.  I have no idea what it's like to coddle and love one child...to be able to meet their every need.  To feed them when they're hungry and change them when they're wet.  I remember pumping on one side, feeding a baby on the other and rocking the other twin with my foot in a bouncy seat on the floor, never being able to give to each as they needed.  (read tons of maternal guilt here).

In honor of Mother's Day, there are posts galore on Facebook thanking mom or thanking God for the mom they have become.  One mom wrote this: 

Being a Mom is the coolest job I have ever had!  Although B is not a job, he is a joy.

Call me sensitive but when I see a post like this it hits me in the gut. I don't know if it's that infamous maternal guilt or if it's having too many children too close together but joy is not how I would describe motherhood.  Could it be that her son is only 8 months old and so he's still a joy?

Don't get me wrong.  I love love love my kids and have chosen to be home with them but they are my job.  They are my responsibility to raise and groom to adulthood.  There are (many) moments of joy, of course but motherhood for me is not "joy".  It's responsibility, one that I take very seriously.  

Maybe I'm approaching this all wrong.  Maybe I should be joyful like this new mom of an 8 month old.  Really though, is cleaning out a poopy spidy undy really joyful?  Or breaking up the 85th fight of the day joyful?  Or stepping on a freakin' Star Wars character in the middle of the night (on the way to the bathroom) joyful?  Or, as occurred today, standing in a crazy tornado like wind in 50 degree weather to watch 3 soccer games (at the same time, on different fields) joyful? Note:  I could go on and on here.

It's work people.  Work.  I wouldn't trade it for the world but it's work...and it's work that is pleasing to God in a way that no other work I do could be.  On this Mother's Day Eve, I'm triplely (is that a word? not according to spell check) blessed to have such a stewardship entrusted to me and for that, I'm truly joyful.

Mess After Mess

I've found my job description.  It's what I would put on a resume if I ever had anyone who cared enough to think I might be employable after 6 plus years with children. My brain is truly mush at this point.

But back to the resume...my job description for the past 6 years would be:

I do things so that other people can UN-DO them.  And then I do them again.

It sums up my entire existence.  It's that easy...a mission statement if you will for the life of a stay-at-home mom (another title I deplore)...Domestic Diva, Domestic Engineer.  Well, I haven't found a quality title for my current employ (or lack there of) but my title encompasses my purpose.  Maybe my title could be,
"Do-er of the done, needs doing, and already done but ruined and then done again".

You get my drift.

The World According to LIttle Dude

Little Dude is all about the world lately.  Everything he says has to do with blah blah blah ...in the whole waulld. (world).  Yesterday after seeing the neighbor's new driveway, "Dat id da most booothifulist dwiveway in da whau waulld". 

Translation:  That is the most beautiful driveway in the whole world.

Referring to the weather, he said, "Doday id da most bootifulist day in da whole wauld"

Translation:  Today is the most beautiful day in the whole world.

And the one I'm considering an early mother's day gift, "Mommy u da bootifulist Mommy in da whau waulld".

Translation:  Mommy, you are the most beautiful Mommy in the whole world.

Little Dude may be a pain in my gluteous maximus but he's worth it.

BlogWall

There once was a time when I had witty things to say, or at least I thought I did.  Maybe I was in that deep, deep fog of early motherhood when I thought everything was funny...lack of sleep will do that to you.

I'm digging for dirt these days and I've got nothing.  Even for real authors go through drought, right?  And it's not like I'm making the big bucks over here or anything.

Anyway, just stoppin' in to apologize that Little Dude hasn't pooped in his shoe lately nor have the Wondertwins picked any fights in the kids' club.  I should be thankful for peace here right?  It doesn't mean that they are staying out of trouble, it just means their antics aren't quite as funny anymore.  When a six year old poops it just isn't humorous...but it IS nasty. 

On another note, my high school boyfriend got married this weekend. Finally. He's almost 40.  Good for him.  Wish I could have seen it.  Now there's hope for my 30 something sister, right?  Anyone want to fix her up?  She'd kill me if she read this.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

This is a heartfelt thank you to all of my teacher friends out there.  I survived in the education field for 3 short years and it boggles my mind that anyone can teach for 30 plus years.

I'm so thankful for the preschool teachers, sunday school teachers and of course our current Kindergarten teacher.  I'm not sure how these men and women do it, especially with the state of public education these days but kudos to them.  God has bless my kids with some phenomenal teachers thus far. 

Thank you teachers!

Calling India, Come Home India

I just can't get used to it.  Really.  India.  I pick up my phone, make a call to Amazon and get a man that says, "Shank ooh foah caulling Amazon.  Con I hep oooh?"

Really, I just called Amazon?  The World is Flat is an amazing book (admitting here and now that I didn't finish the whole thing...I have 3 kids under 6 is my excuse and is still working, right?) but it covers a chapter on the outsourcing of America.  Companies profit boatloads by outsourcing their call centers....even if we don't get the most fluent people on the planet.  Weird though, right?

Twitts, Tweats and Trends

Somebody bring me into the 21st century please.  I really thought I was pretty with it.  I blog, I text, I Facebook and update.  If someone had said any of these words to me 5 years ago I wouldn't have understood a thing. I try it stay within the times.  I don't want to be my MIL who is just now getting online...although kudos to her.  If only she'd get an email account.  That sure would make life easier.  But really, I want to be an old lady who knows what's going on in the world.  I give credit to my mom in that way.  She's not the hippest thing (another day I'll blog about all of her teenage tendencies despite the fact she's in her 7th decade) but she stays with the times.

Here's where I'm lacking.  I really don't get this silly Twitter thing. I've tried and tried.  I've had an account for 2 yearsish and I just don't get it.  At first I thought it was like the whole Facebook status update thing and why would you need two of those?  It seemed redundant.  Now I'm seeing that in a very scary way, Twitter is where many under 30's are getting their news.  Their freaking NEWS is coming from Twitter. 

Although Twitter is social, it's not purely social and seems to even trend more toward news (events in the world) than social interaction...although everything is social these days.  Basically Twitter seems to be a way to hide behind a handle and say whatever the heck you want...and the more vague and surreal, the better. 

Here's a link to Twitter's Trends of the Week.  Tell me if you understand any of this...and who knew Korea had rock bands.