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Wednesday, May 24, 2017

This Summer, Just Remember That Your Kids Are Having Fun

Summer months can be a trying time in motherhood. For working mothers of school age children, it can be the scramble, and expense - of finding adequate child care while school is out. For stay at home mothers of littles, it can mean having to entertain your children during all waking hours, and kissing "me time" goodbye for up to 4 months.

And don't forget the struggles that unite us all - providing healthy food, chemical free magic sunscreen, hot-as-hades appropriate clothing and of course, "educational" activities with minimal "screen time" that will keep their young minds developing and not turning into youtube mush.

But here's the little secret - for all of our efforts, our successes - and our failures (please pass the No-AD spray this way), our children find this a magical time. Warm weather, sunshine, anything water related - you might as well be taking them to Disney World. Their faces light up when you take them to the McWane Center for the 100,000 time, because they get to pretend to be a fireman or play in a dinosaur excavation.

A hot day, a hose, and a bathing suit are enough to spend hours of fun, running and laughing until you beg them to towel off so you can go inside. (bonus if you have a baby pool you can stick your feet in while you sit and enjoy your entertainment win.)

They don't care that they had bologna again for lunch. They don't care that the sunscreen you bought was only medium on the list of "safe" this summer. They don't care that you've sneakily worked a weekly schedule into their summer routines (Monday - gym, tuesday - library, wednesday - McWane, ect...) And they certainly don't care that you even found a way to get rid of them for a while. HELLLOOOO VBS!

Every day is an adventure. A chance to be with friends or meet new ones. A chance to learn something new or get better. A chance to go out into their city and explore or stay at home and watch an entire movie (or three) with mom and sister.

Yes, they will get bored. Yes, they will complain. But that happens year round, right? So cut yourself some slack, because do you remember ever NOT being excited about summer? The season alone is enough. Everything you are doing is enough. So sit back, poor that sweet tea, and let the kids be kids.

Have a wonderful summer everyone!

Love,
Dominique


Monday, May 1, 2017

Please Don't Ask Me If I'm "Done."

Good afternoon!

Long time, no talk, huh? Turns out having two kids is pretty time consuming. Who knew?

Anyway, today I'm writing about a question that I, and I'm sure many of you - get asked all of the time. Family asks it. Friends ask it. Even strangers making polite conversation ask it. 

"So, do you think ya'll are done?"

Done having kids that is. Depending on the day, my answer varies. Some days I want to take the existing two that I already have and stick them back up from whence they came so I can eat a waffle by myself. Some days I think how lucky I am to have two healthy, beautiful girls and my life is pretty complete. And on rare days, I think, sure I guess I could do this again.

Let me put it straight for you. Yeah, I'm probably done. The best I can give you is a probably simply because I am a married, fertile young woman still within my childbearing years. 

The reasons I, personally, am "probably done" are the following:

-I have two beautiful kids that didn't get here easily and haven't been a cakewalk since
- No, I don't want a boy. I would love a boy if I had a boy. But I don't, and my family is still complete
- Yes, I loved having a big family to grow up in. I don't really want to raise one.
- The newborn stage is not my fave. I know it's short lived, but why repeat it if I didn't love it? Besides, I know lots of people having babies that I can snuggle on.

Here are the reasons I'm not going to give anyone a definite answer until menopause:

- I got pregnant both times pretty easily. Generally a tiny pill is the only thing between me and a baby
 - that being said, I always want to think of a "surprise" baby as a joy, and not something that was "not part of the plan."
- Plans and minds change. Situations change. I never had a number in my head of what my family would look like, and I still don't. 

So that is my incredibly complicated answer. Imagine the faces I see when I say all that to the lady at the library who was just making conversation. What can I say? My onion layers come off all at once. 

Thanks for listening, as always. I'll hopefully start writing more, and definitely more about the lighter side of child rearing. Have a wonderful Monday!

Love,
Dominique