What is it with kids and bathrooms?

Seriously. What is it with kids and bathrooms? I can't get my kids to voluntarily walk into the bathroom. They make up every excuse in the book as to why they don't have to pee or why they don't need to brush their teeth. Yet, if I walk into the bathroom, it's like Mommy just entered a toy store and didn't invite them.

"Can I pleeeaaaseee come in?"
"Mommy! What are you doing in there?"
"Mooooommmmyyyyy??? Where aaaarrreee yoooouuu?"

Wine O'clock.

Just because I'm on a tight budget does not mean I am going to forgo wine time. No sir. There are too many health benefits, such as keeping your sanity after a long day with the kids or numbing the pound of a headache from a screaming baby. And the other ones too, like blood pressure, antioxidants, you know, the health benefits the doctors talk about.

I may not be able to drop $20 on a bottle of wine but I can still enjoy a glass of a decent Merlot. Below is a list of my three favorite budget friendly wines. I must note though, if you're having a wine snob over for dinner, I probably wouldn't serve one of these. But if it's just you, you can learn to drink cheap wine and enjoy it. Trust me. Cheap wine is better than no wine.

1) Charles Shaw - "Trader Joes Three Buck Chuck" - $2.99



2) Rex-Goliath - $3.99 - They sell it at Wal-Mart. Don't judge. Trust me. It's decent.



3) Lucky Duck - $3.99 - This one is actually my new favorite.



Also, take a little time in the wine section of your local grocery store and see what's on sale. There is always a good deal going on where you can get a $12.99 bottle of wine for $7.99 and so forth. Take advantage of deals like this when you have to bring wine over to someone's house.

Best Job in the World

Yesterday my kids were animals. They pretended to be monkeys, dogs and turtles. Today they are secret agent men. Last week they were doctors and the week before they were pilots. I get to watch their imaginations take them all over the world in our living room. They invent tools out of straws, books, paper towel rolls and string. I get to see their frustration when something doesn't work and their proud smiles when it does.

The days bring tears, shouts, laughter and whispers. They get mad at each other, mad at me and sometimes mad at themselves. At times they get so excited they can't contain themselves and other times they remain so calm, I worry. They dance around the house, chase bugs in the yard, meet new people when we go out and are always pondering why the world works the way it does. And I get to see it all. More than that really, I get to experience it all.

I know my kids hesitate before big decisions and my oldest gets embarrassed when I catch him talking to himself. I know what my kids like to eat for lunch and when they are getting tired. I know where every scrape, scratch and boo boo came from because I'm usually nearby to help kiss it. I know when to give them a moment and when they need a hug. Yet, everyday I learn something new about them.

I have the best job in the world.

Monkey Business

Imagine two monkeys. Imagine those two monkeys climbing all over someone - pulling their hair, smearing bananas on their face. Imagine those monkeys squealing and screaming. Now replace those monkeys with two little boys. Yep. That was my day.


Source: http://www.monkey-pictures.net

Mommy Guilt

I've always had it, well since I've had kids that is. I've heard all moms have mommy guilt but I think it stems from different things and manifests for different reasons. I thought I was the only mom with mommy guilt related to "me time" but I overheard someone else talking about the exact guilt I feel. She was explaining that since she stays home with her kids and her husband works, she feels guilty leaving him with the kids when he gets home from work or on the weekends. I do the same thing. My husband doesn't mind taking "me time" for himself. I know lots of working moms that don't mind doing things on their own and leaving the kids with their husbands. So why do stay at home moms have this guilt? After a little thought, I think I may know why, or at least this might be why in my case.

First, I think as a stay at home mom, I know how hard it is. The kids can be difficult. It's hard work. It's exhausting and frustrating at times. I know my husband gets up everyday and goes to work and his job is hard and frustrating too. So when he comes home, I feel like he needs to relax. I shouldn't feel guilty taking time for myself but I do because it means that he has to take over my job when I leave. I shouldn't think of it this way, but I do.

Second, since my "job" doesn't earn an income, I feel guilty spending money on myself. When I have extra cash, I feel like I should spend it on the family - food, clothes for the kids, entertainment the whole family can enjoy. I have a hard time spending money on myself.

There is always guilt, I suppose. I just need to find a way to relax, hand over the keys, and find a way to make money being a stay at home mom.

Me Time

I did a little drawing tonight. I thought you might like a visual of what it's like in my house when I say, "I think I need some me time. Just a few minutes. Maybe I'll go for a walk."



So the figure on the left is me and the screaming blob in the middle is my son, and that clueless object on the right is my husband.

Apology

I love this! Apology to Stay at Home Moms from a new Stay at Home Dad!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-cavender/my-apology-to-stay-at-home-moms_b_5523450.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000046&ir=Women