My internet connection was down yesterday so I had to pack up kids and all and go to my mother’s house to work while she watched the kids.  We were there until about 9pm.  My mother has strict rules at her house such as not watching TV, not eating desert (fruit is desert to her), and you can’t eat anywhere but in the kitchen and dining room.  I know, those are terrible rules!  My kids have gotten into a nightime routine that includes having ice cream for desert.  Needless to say, they didn’t get ice cream at Granmother’s house.  When we got home last night, I was exhausted and could have easily gone to bed at 9:30 but Madelyn didn’t wake from her nap until 5pm so there was no way I was getting her to sleep before 10 or so. 
Almost as soon as we walked in the door, Madelyn starts repeating ispop over and over again.  Ispop is her word for popsicle or ice cream.  Sort of like jui is her word for anything that goes in a cup.  I go to get her a little bowl of ice cream and of course I have to get Sebastian some ice cream too but he wants his in a cone which I found out AFTER I put Madelyn’s ice cream in a bowl.

Continue reading The things my 2 year old talked me into last night →

Being a mother of two who works from home, I hardly know the meaning of simplicity anymore.  Nothing is simple.  That’s not to say that everything I do for my kids and for work, even though it’s not simple, isn’t rewarding.. it is!  That is why I’ve been doing this for going on 8 years. 
Now, I am on a mission to simplify my life.  I’m talking about the kids bedrooms, the playroom, my closet, my nightstand drawers (UGH!), the kitchen.. you don’t want to see our ‘junk drawer’ and finally, my work life. 

I am on TheMommyInsider.com so much that I failed to realize how cluttered is has become.  Too many links, sections, etc.  I am on a mission to simplify the site and I hope you will bear with me as I make these changes.  Wish me luck and as always, feel free to email your suggestions to me anytime.

I realized tonight after the kids were asleep in bed, that I didn’t look the kids in the eye’s more than a handful of times today.  I was so busy with housework, work work, fixing meals, and doing laundry that I didn’t slow down to take a moment and give the kids much one on one attention.  I played ‘roll around until you get dizzy’ on the floor with Madelyn for about 10 minutes while we were visiting my mother’s house, but that was about it.  I kept Sebastian busy by giving him craft ideas all day.  I debated with myself whether or not to write this post for fear of sounding like an awful mom but the point of this post is what is important and is for myself to accept and share the fact that I am not a perfect mom and probably never will be.  I think moms are too hard on themselves and shouldn’t strive to be perfect or assume that the moms on the street are perfect.  I love my kids to death and I thank God for them all of the time, but sometimes I have so much on my mind that I am on auto-pilot and forget that I am the mother of two beautiful children that need my attention more than the dirty dishes or laundry do.  The latter will get along just fine without me!

I have two wonderful kids who need me and just want me to be their mom.  No matter how much work, cleaning, or laundry I have to do I can’t let those things take priority over being a mom to my kids.  When the kids are older, they will appreciate the attention I give them more than the attention I give the dishes or the laundry.. I guarantee it!

Today was a little out of the ordinary for us as we are doing some major spring cleaning at the house and I was very focused on getting things done which resulted in me not spending much time with the kids.  I feel like I don’t spend enough time playing with the kids, but I have read a lot of articles lately that say that parents play with their kids too much which is unfortunately what got Sebastian thinking of us more as playmates than parents in the first place.  Because of the 6 years Sebastian had us to himself and we played with him all of the time, I feel guilty if I don’t play with him every day.   I am going to get to bed now and will hopefully wake up refreshed and ready to play, work, and clean.  And be a mom.