Chores, chores and more chores

On the mornings we stick to our schedule--which is fewer days than I would like (showers, breakfast, scriptures, piano, then school) I have this itch to report on the day before here on my blog once I get home from taking Grant to school. It just seems like the natural time for me.  Josh is fed and usually tired. Spencer is fine for a little bit and I'm pretty sure no one is going to need  me for at least a few minutes anyway. Once I sit down Josh usually decides that he wants to be awake and not asleep (if I take him out of his car seat that is--if I leave him in he'd sleep all day), Spencer is bouncing off the walls to do Ticket to Read and to get my attention and so what do I do I just blog anyway, or at least that is what I did today. I have the worst memory ever and if I don't record these things as they are happening or shortly thereafter I won't get them back.

Yesterday Josh had oatmeal for the first time. I took about a tablespoon of cooked rolled GF oats (only because I eat GF) and mashed them through a mesh sieve with some BM.  He seemed to like it and was able to keep it all down.  It never seemed like it would be this easy before to make my own baby food with my other kids.  In fact I did it a few times and felt totally overwhelmed.  The problem was I looked it up online and followed whatever directions seemed to make the most sense to me then. The recipes I found told me to cook up a big batch of whatever and freeze it.  Trying to do that in addition to taking care of a wiggly baby and a toddler while attempting laundry and everything else was just too much for me to handle at that time.  What I needed was someone to say change your diet so that you can feed your baby what you are already buying and consuming at every meal.  Hello!  Is that so hard. Where were you advisor that I so needed?

Someone needs to write a survival book for new mom's from every perspective. The perspective of food is a priority, cleaning is a priority, entertainment and peace, etc. etc.  It seems advice abounds but we all seem to have a different anchor point. Not that it's right but I think we all hold certain principles above others for whatever reason. Maybe they are the ones that bug us the most unlived. Anyway, I could have used a manual from the perspective of a Mormon doing the best she can, with an emphasis on eating more real food (unprocessed) and keeping a clean house. Now that I am severely limited in my diet. I find that my food is totally compatible with a baby diet and it's really much easier than I ever thought it would be. This makes me happy.

Back to my morning.  After breakfast we started our non-stop adventures till bedtime. The day was nothing but a blur of dishes, feeding, eating, rides to school, picking up other kids along the way and an orthodontist apt and I loved it all.  I really did and do love my day to day life with my kids. I love being a mother and taking care of them. It's just the end of the day I struggle with.  Once I got home we were all too tired for homework.  I thought about all that I needed to do and the huge amt of stress I felt.  As I tried to dissect my thoughts and what was going on I realized I needed to make some changes...no more trying to do homework with a visible mess in sight (or at least on the days I can't handle it--I think that will turn into everyday).  I just cant handle it emotionally.  It felt so good to take charge of my life.  I'm not sure who told me I couldn't make this choice. But for whatever reason it has been pounded in my head that I must do homework immediately after school. Honestly, I think my kids could use a change of pace, for a little bit then, come back with a rested refreshed mind.  Not everyone works this way, but, I think and hope this will work better for me. It did yesterday. So instead of homework I worked on putting away the dishes and washing the rest while Spencer put them away and Grant swept the floor while listening to Grant's new CD that he got for Easter, Trusting the Savior in a world that doesn't . It was really good. 

 

I also decided to take a break from apologizing to my boys about the endless work to be done and promising (or bribing is the better word) whatever it is I thought would entice them. Instead I listened to their complaints and their frustrations and agreed that yeah, there is a lot of work to do and it's hard and inconvenient too, but it's not going anywhere and no one is going to do it for us.  As I listened more and apologized less they just accepted the work that had to be done and we had a nice time doing it together. Were we tired? You bet. Have we learned to be overjoyed by the endless chores? Nope. Have I learned that kids can and will help me without hating me? Not really..they kind of do hate me sometimes but we are usually happy when we are done and I have to say that my boys are pretty obedient and willing to help me if I am kind and don't ruin it with my bad attituded.  Fingers crossed, we are on the cusp of the teenage years.

 

Most importantly I get to be with them and I love that best of all. When I do all the work we are all scattered to our own corners of the house and it's pretty lonely.  So I think I will keep it up.  Oh and another thing. Listening to Pandora while we work...just wasn't working out for me. I decided to listen to something more uplifting to me.  Something that gave me energy and a purpose behind what I was/am doing every day and hopefully something that reminded my children what it is we are doing and trying to accomplish each day as a family.

 

 I thought it was a nice break from using our brains and a definite spiritual uplift. Tyler came home and we worked for another hour. I made dinner while he and the boys worked on the yard. This whole owning a home thing is proving to be a never ending chore-list. 

 

Tyler blew out the leaves in the front of the house and picked up the rest of the branches that he trimmed off the other day. Blowing out leaves and picking out twigs from pea gravel isn't an easy task. I am so glad he was able to spend an hour on it though...it was driving me nuts.  I am sad to report that a giant garbage bag of yard debris and a whole hour of effort doesn't really produce results that you notice.  It seems that we need to do this every day at least with perhaps a mega day every once in a while to even put a dent in the yard. Once dinner was nearly ready Josh got a little bored so Grant came in and read to him to keep him occupied. Josh loved every minute of it.

So tomorrow will start early so we can try and fit homework and piano in before school starts.  What do you all do for your morning routines? Especially if you have older elementary aged kids. How do you fit in enough sleep, eating, homework, extra-curricilar stuff, chores, scriptures etc?  I would love to hear.