How Do You Know Your Children Are Growing Up?

When they stop taking naps.  Excuse me a moment while I weep. 


Bed time around here was getting to be no fun. Well, less fun than normal.  It was taking years hours for the kids to get to sleep. Numerous trips to the bathroom.  Hundreds of "Mommy!  My (insert random body parts) hurts". 

Nap time, it was the same story.  Taking too long to get to sleep, by the time the littles were asleep, it was too late in the afternoon, so I'd have to wake them.  

These days, we've been skipping the naps, and having "quiet time".  Watching a movie or reading quietly so mommy can get some much needed facebook  meditation time in.  

About 4 o'clock, you can start to see  we're all tired. Jeven falls asleep watching "The Ellen Degeneres Show"educational programming. Jarrett freaks out because he can't have ice cream 45 min. before dinner. And Josie...we'll just leave it at she probably still needs a nap every day.  


And then there's me. By 4 o'clock, my brain is so "full" of mothering-stuff, I can't think straight. Even though we're having "quiet time", I'm still required by law wanting to be a mother and be "involved" with the kids. 


No nap time has changed my life. I compare it to when my kids were FINALLY out of diapers.  It changed my life. No more poopy pants. No more spending oodles of money we don't have on diapers. 
But, on the other  hand, all that's being replaced with stopping at every restroom in every public place we've ever been. Sometimes more than once per visit. Teaching them to wipe their own tushies.  


No nap time means no more rearranging my schedule around when the kids have to take naps. We can now do errands ALL. DAY. If I chose too. Which, I am not insane (yet) so I have yet to make that choice. But, it does "free" me up. 
On the other hand, there's no time for myself. Unless I lock myself in my room and blog. Which I'm doing now. But, the pounding and whining "I'm hungry! I've only eaten everything in the house and I'm still hungry" is distracting. 


So. I will end with this:  I miss nap time. It's been part of my day to day life for 11 years. But, there is something to be said about curling up with a small child that is my own, on the couch and watching "How to Train Your Dragon" for the upteenth time this week.  


I'll take it.

Real Estate

Josie:  Mom, why do rich people have so much stuff?

Me:  Cause they can afford it. If we were rich, you'd want lots of stuff too.

Jeven:  It wouldn't fit in our house!

Me:  If we were rich, we'd get a bigger house!


Jeven: Why don't we have a bigger house?

Me:  Because we're NOT rich.


Josie:  Jeven, houses cost lots and lots of money. Like, ten thousand dollars.


Jeven:  Well, me and Jarrett could give mom our pennies from our banks.


Josie:  No, houses cost dollars, not pennies. Mom?  When you buy a house, do you get the change back?

Awwww...the innocence of children. 

Randomness

 I love the randomness that is my children.  When things are tough, they can pull me right back to where I belong--where the little things don't matter and the big picture is a donkey.


Picture it.  Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010.  9:37 a.m. Our house. 
There is approx. 8 min. until we need to be leaving to make it to church on time.

Judd is just now getting into the shower.

Jayce, showered and dressed, is spraying enough AXE body spray to choke any healthy person.

Jarrett is running around with only his socks on  (black, of course).

Jeven is doing his best to dress himself.  Jeven, being Jeven, is not so successful.

Josie spills her entire bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Whoever said "don't cry over spilled milk" obviously never had to clean it up. 

I'm doing my best to live up to my Sunday School teacher persona and not cuss at everyone.

Jeven walks up to me and announces:  "I wish I could hug a donkey."

So do I ,Jeven.  So do I.

Reasons Why I Haven't Been Blogging

• I have 4 children. 2 in public school, 2 home schooled.  We use an online program, therefore the computer is occupied during the day. 
• I also have a husband.  Who is going through a tough time right now.  So, when I'm not taking care of the bullet point above, I'm taking care of him. Which means no computer time in the evenings. 
• I have been ill. Massive headache for several days, possibly sinus infection. On a positive note, having taken such awesome care of my husband for the last hundred years few days, he is now taking care of me!
• I teach a preschool Sunday School class. Which means, every week, I write up a lesson, make an age appropriate craft and pray extra hard that Zane doesn't injure someone this week. Or tell me to F*#@ off.  
• I've been babysitting more lately.  Good for the pocket book, bad for the stress. 

I do have some posts written. In my mind. Hopefully, I'll be able to make them a reality soon.
Thanks for sticking with me! (31 followers, a new record for me!)