Or Wandom Wednesday, if you prefer alliteration.
• I’ve totally fallen off the wagon. I am at my highest non-pregnant weight ever. I have absolutely NO motivation and NO will power. I’ve set so many goals and have lied to myself so many times that I think I’ve given up. But I can’t for the sole reason that I can’t afford to buy new clothes. Any suggestions?
• My kids eat between 5-8 peanut butter sandwiches a week. Is there anything wrong with that? I justify it by buying whole wheat bread, organic peanut butter, and sugar free jelly.
• My kids are bugging me so bad today. They were literally hanging off my limbs all morning until I finally put Max in his crib and Topher in his room. Nap time came early today (and yet not early enough).
Nothing I do is good enough for them. I can spend an hour sprawled out on the floor playing cars and when I get up to do a load of laundry they freak out. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong as a parent, but my kids can not entertain themselves to save their lives. They won’t even play with each other. They are at all times doing 1 of 3 things: attaching themselves to my side while I try to do everyday tasks; actively playing with me; or watching TV. Is it any wonder I let them watch too much TV? (Then I have that to feel guilty about.) And it’s not like I want them to leave me alone so I can watch TV or read a book, I just want them to leave me alone so I can change the sheets on my bed, clean the kitchen, make dinner, or do one of the other hundred chores I have. For the love of all that is holy!
• I just realized that if I stop eating the same diet as my kids (ie: 5-8 PB&J’s a week) that I might not have such a weight problem.
• Chris and I are going to a matinee of Miss Saigon today, so I have that to look forward to.
• Chex bars really are as good as Melissa claims. They're like the perfect combination of sweet and salty and chewy and crunchy. All for just 130 calories. (Which just means I'll eat more of them.)
11 comments:
Oh, I'm glad you like the Chex bars. I'm sorry your kids are driving you nuts...and yet it is comforting knowing that I'm not the only one. If I even stand up (not necessarily to leave the room) Bella has a full-out tantrum. Savannah and Sisi have only just now begun to play with each other in longer that 2-minute increments, and Savannah is 5. Don't worry, you're not doing anything wrong, it's just their ages. It will be much better a year from now. I'm so glad you wrote your blog...as I was cleaning up yet another mess, I was thinking, "Wait, did I really sign up for this? Is this really what I wanted? A life of cleaning, feeding, and putting myself last?" Not all my days are like that, but enough of them are to make me feel guilty. Just know that someone, only two cities away, is feeling your pain.
PS-Have fun at Miss Saigon, I'm jealous :)
OH Shannon!PB&J is healthy! All that protein from the PB...and jelly, that's in the fruit group, right? And I do hear that boys in general need to be entertained more...but I totally feel your pain.
Great post!
-When you find out how to get motivated on the weight thing let me know.
-Organic PB and sugar-free jelly is really going the extra mile
-It is totally normal to be tired of your kids. You are a great mom to play all the time! Maybe that is your problem. Of course, mine are a little older. But I feel like Tyler has no expectations of me playing with him (sad, huh) So when I do he is overjoyed! It will get easier, I promise.
- I hope you enjoyed "Miss Saigon"
- I wil have to try some Chex bars, sounds like my kind of snack!
I was just thinking about you today! And wondering how you do it:)
I was thinking that the mission prepares you for so much. The mission looks all shiny and delightful on the outside, but once you are in it, it is day upon day of ceaseless and largely thankless work that you have to keep reminding yourself that you signed up for.
I think motherhood must be the same.
And with your kids being so young, its like you are in your greenie area, in the middle of winter, with Monterroso and there is no end in sight.
Hang in there, keep going. You are one of the strongest people I have ever met.
You need to get those younger siblings of yours over there to babysit!
Aw, thanks, Ladies. This is why I blog. Where else could I get such encouragement and validation?
Just a little suggestion that's worked for me: My boys (7 & 3 plus a 1 yr old sister) are great at helping with laundry, dishes, bathroom cleaning. They like to throw things in the washer and dryer and push buttons. They get things out of the dishwasher and hand them to me or just "wash" dishes for me in the sink until I need them. They LOVE to scrub the toilet (just without the harsh cleaners inside) and wipe the mirrors. SURE it takes a little longer and doesn't get done perfectly BUT it teaches them to work, work as a team, and if they get bored, they go off and entertain themselves.
(the only thing they really suck at is folding laundry and not messing up the folded piles before we put it away, but we'll work on that)
Hope that helps.
Long runs and weekly multi0-hour trips out by oneself are also miraculously useful.
And bubbles. Lots of bubbles.
Ah, the mommy breakdown. I know it well. These are the times when you just have to say to Chris, "I'm sorry, I need to get out of here. You have the kids for the rest of the evening." and just GET OUT BY YOURSELF! If Chris is unavailable, I would be willing to watch the kids. I have spent two hours at the library doing nothing but reading women's magazines, or have just gone for a long drive or gone window shopping at the mall. Go for a long walk without a stroller--I couldn't believe how weird that felt at first. You walk totally differently, and I kept feeling like people were looking at me and wondering why I was just walking around somewhere by myself. Weird, I know. It was like going somewhere without a backpack after graduating from college.
Anyway--PB&J--come on, who doesn't do that? As long as you throw in some mac n cheese or chicken nuggets for variety and give them some carrots or apples in addition, I say it's a balanced diet!
Exercise--I think as a mother that you have to decide when you are ready to face the exercise issue. There are stages of your life when you have so many other things going on that your weight just has to be put on the back burner. I was like that all last year, and only recently was I actually emotionally ready to start spending time on myself. Don't feel guilty about it. In the meantime, I understand the clothing issue. Try to make little changes, like figuring out when your snacking times are and substituting fruit for ice cream, or at least eat low-fat ice cream or yogurt! I've gone from needing three or four sweet fixes a day to just one or two. It ain't much, but it's progress.
And last--boy, three and four year-olds are hard. They require so much stimulation! Lily was like that before she started preschool, plus she had like twenty tantrums a day. That was almost a year ago, and she is so much better now. I suggest getting Topher something like a LeapPad--they keep the kids entertained for a long time, and you can make the excuse that they are learning something. Seriously, I'll loan you mine. Lily's a little old for it. Anyway, keep your chin up, things will get better!
i'm melissa's friend and i wanted to email you about working together on a baby shower for her, but then i'm like, i don't know who this chick even is! so i decided to spy on you through your blog and just reading your last post i feel i know you all too well b/c i am apparently living the same life as you right now. lol. 2 momma's boys who hang on me with another one on the way and more chores than i have enough energy or sanity to deal with. so yeah, we should totally get together and do a shower for melissa! i will email you ;)
Well, Shannon I will say just a couple of things....this is your own entire fault. If you were not such a great mommy your boys would leave you alone and if you would be more selfish you would be this little petite thing running off to the gym every other hour. (Joy)
I LOVE PB and J's. Which is why I don't eat them.
Fat: 18 grams
Sodium: 500 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 59 grams
Protein: 12 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Calories: 432
High in Protein, yes but one typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich would supply approximately:
27% of a day's fat
23% of a day's sodium
24% of a day's carbohydrates
16% of a day's protein
13% of a days fiber
22% of day's calories
Fine for the kids but if one is trying to lose weight (ie. ME!) it's not the way to go. And don't worry about the kids, they'll grow out of wanting to cling on you. Some kids just like attention....you and I should know plenty about that. lol ;)
Hey at least you are letting your kids watch TV so you can get house work done.. lately in the bad-mommy funk I have gotten into, I let my kids watch a show (or two) so I can read a book, play my latest addiction on my iPod or spend unnecessary time on the internet.
I bet your kids will get better at playing by themselves as they get a little older... mine did.
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