Archive for December, 2008

A slightly inappropriate story…

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

Our daughter will be 3 in a couple months, and she’s starting to become quite aware of what’s going on around her, and is very curious about things as well. This story is about her and her father. 

We came home last night after doing a little shopping, and we all needed to use the bathroom. Mommy got to go first because the little *angel* in her uterus was making it extremely difficult to wait. Then Mommy helped little Emma have her turn, and Daddy came into the bathroom, waiting for his turn. As Emma looked over at Daddy, she asked, “What does Daddy have in his tummy?” Hoping she actually meant tummy, we grinned and said he just had a lot of hair on his tummy. But she was not satisfied. “No, I mean, what does Daddy have in his underwear?” Our response: “Nothing, honey. Let Daddy have his turn.” And as she walked past him, the little cutie tried to poke Daddy as she said, “Oh, is that a bear in there? Does Daddy have a bear in his underwear?”

I lost it at this point. Between fits of laugher I told her there was no bear and we needed to leave Daddy alone. She then proceeded to go back in the bathroom to inform him he also needed to sit down, or he would make a big mess. Isn’t it funny the things kids pick up on? And why assume a bear? It was all very innocent, and my little neat-freak is concerned about anyone being messier than they need to be, but why the sudden interest? I guess it may be time to end our “open door” policy on the bathroom. And it sure is going to be fun if she gets a baby brother in a few days!

(Also, she did eventually drop the bear idea, but not right away. I think she was just jealous that Daddy might have a bear that she didn’t know about. I’m sure there’s some sort of psychological connection in that…)

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Why I hate blogs

Friday, December 19th, 2008

It’s true. I have a sort of hatred for blogs. I remember when I first heard of them. I was in high school and I thought, Oh, like a journal on-line. That’s cool.  And then I realized that it was for public display. Oh…that’s weird. And dumb.  So I swore off blogs. I never looked at one and kept the opinion that they were ridiculous. I ignored any comments regarding blogs, and generally thought of myself as above the blogging world. I couldn’t fathom why a person would want to share their thoughts with complete strangers, and even more unbelievable was that people would want to read those thoughts. 

And then maybe about a year ago I heard of a mother I knew having a blog.  I was a little intrigued, but still not enough for me to check it out. And then more and more people I knew would make comments about her blog, and I gradually emerged from my anti-blog haze and realized that they’re not just for rambling about your teenage crush, or publishing your angst for the world to see. In fact, some people have quite useful blogs. So I ventured on to her site, and within a very short period of time, I was addicted. Seriously. I would check up on her blog at least twice a day, and spend hours more poring over old posts. In my defense, she is amazing. She has recipes, menu plans, stories about life with 4 kids, and just a lot of useful content for a wife in progress. And there are links to other moms’ blogs.

I was shamed. Not only for my anti-blog attitude, but for what I felt was a major failing as a wife and mother. I looked at so many blogs of women who seem to have it all together. They feed their families all organic, home-made meals. They sew. They homeschool. They look pretty. And they manage to get it all on a blog, along with wonderfully encouraging bits about how God has blessed them. So for a while, I hated blogs all over again. But instead of whining about how much better these women are than me, I eventually made the decision to just jump on the bandwagon and to use their wisdom and experience to help me. 

Unfortunately, my blog will not be nearly as useful, but I’ve already got some blunders under my belt that I’d love to share. And every day my daughter provides me with some sort of cute story to tell. But don’t expect a blog that is always happy and upbeat. I’m a little more cynical, and this wife/mommy stuff doesn’t seem to come that naturally to me. I mean, I don’t even like roast! But I do love my husband (most days), and I adore my daughter (also most days), and I feel that my path is to become the best wife and mommy that I can be. I just think the outcome will be a little bit different from these moms I’m stressing myself out over trying to imitate. And now there will be a blog to prove it. ;)

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The birth of a blog

Sunday, December 14th, 2008

I’m about to give birth to another human being, and over the last 9 months I have been thinking about all the ways life will change for my family with this new addition.  We already have one daughter, who will soon be 3, and while adding her to our family was an adjustment, it certainly didn’t make me feel like more of an adult.  She’s been fun to play with, and to dress up, and although she was a lot of work, we sort of just mixed her in with our grown-up lives.  With two kids, we’re going to be a real family–just like the one I grew up in.  And with two kids, I need to be a real wife and mother, not just a woman who fits her daughter into her life, but a woman whose life is shaped around the shaping of her family.

So this is the birth of my blog, my journey.  I am certainly a wife in progress.  I do not have it all together, and some days I wonder if I ever will.  I do not remember to go grocery shopping before the lunch meat has run out.  I do not clean up the kitchen after dinner.  My husband runs out of clean undershirts on a pretty regular basis.  And I still stay up late playing video games.  I’m hoping maybe, just maybe, if I bare my failings on a regular basis, I might be inspired to do better.  At the very least, I’d like to encourage other women like me: you are not alone; there are others struggling in their homes to become more than just an ex-college student with a cute family.  

I’m just hoping there are others like me . . . And I’m going to keep believing there are because, seriously, all these amazing mothers I know had to start somewhere, right?  So, enjoy my ride, and feel free to join me.  I have just overcome my first step and created the ever-popular mommy blog, so perhaps there’s hope for me yet!

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