A Slacker Mom......

I was waiting for my child to get out of school today and I went into the book fair that was going on at the school. I was talking to this one friend of mine who, let's be honest, used to intimidate me. She just has her crap together, you know? She has 4 kids, a spotless house, skinny (yes, after 4 kids no less!), a nice person, AND helps out a few times a week at school and is heavily involved in the PTA. Now damn, wouldn't YOU be intimidated by that? When I'm next to her, hell yea, I feel like a slacker mom! I should be baking something right now instead of sitting her on the computer typing on this blog!

She was showing me this book, "Confessions of a Slacker Mom", joking with me, yea, this is you, huh! Well............ I would say that I used to be that, and hell yea, I sometimes still am! I do feel like I've come a long way from vegging out a lot.

I would love to NOT be able to clean my house! I would love to be able to NOT cook dinner. I love my children with ALL my heart, but yea, sometimes I'd sure like a nanny when I'm in a mood....

I'm sure everyone out there has someone they know that is just intimidating to them. When I first met her, she definitely was intimidating to me, with ALL the stuff she does, and makes it look so easy!

I've definitely organized myself a lot more than I did last year. My little one is a year older and more apt to help and listen (is that possible?), I'm off my butt more (no, seriously I am, I don't ALWAYS spend my time on the computer), dinner's just about ready when hubby comes home, I'm trying to work on my crafts more, the house is picked up more. The only thing I slack on, and I'll freely admit it, is cleaning. That is just one thing I loathe doing, but once I do it, I love doing it! It's a love/hate relationship I've got going with the cleaning thing. I used to know this friend who cleaned her floors EVERY day, repaint her baseboards once a month, and her house was spotless! I'd love to be able to do that! Of course she yelled at her kids quite often too. I'd rather not have a spotless house and not yell at my kids. I do have to say my hosue is a lot cleaner than it used to be. I'm not saying my house was a pigsty or anything like that, but when my oldest was younger, and my youngest wasn't born yet, I definitely had more time, and the house was pretty spotless most of the time. It's slowly working it's way back to that. Plus, I've got help now! I can enlist the help of my oldest to help clean too!

A Slacker Mom......naw, I don't think so.......in the cleaning department? Probably... In the raising kids department, definitely not. The house will always be there, the kids won't always be so small and wanting to listen to mom.....

I really should get that book and read it though.................

UberMom anyone?

I don't know if you've heard the term "UberMom" before or not. It's one of those moms who does EVERYTHING. Cook, clean, take care of the kids, even work, help out at school, take them all to soccer/softball/whatever practice, have a fabulous body, shop, etc, etc.... you get the gist. And all without taking their kids ADHD medication. Now seriously, who can do all that and remain completely sane? There are some moms at my child's school who would sometimes be considered an "Uber Mom". But then you get to know them, and hey, they don't always do it all themselves, sometimes they get help. Some have maids so they don't have to clean. Some don't have other hobbies. Some only have one child to take care of. Some have husbands who do the cooking or other stuff. It definitely empowers me when I realize that, "Hey, they aren't perfect. They do have flaws". Hmmmm....makes me feel like I am actually accomplishing something.

I do think I certainly do a lot more than I used to. I used to weigh 20 more pounds than I do now, not exercise, barely clean, and be cranky a lot. I'm telling you, finding time to exercise in my busy schedule was rough. So I did what my SIL did, I woke up earlier than everybody else and did it then. Now I certainly don't get up as early as she does, or run, like she does, but I do get up and get my exercise in. It definitely has made a difference in how I feel about myself, and I actually get a lot more accomplished now too, now that I have more energy. Will I become an "Uber Mom", hmmmmm, by the true definition, probably not, but I like to do what I can. I am helping out more at my child's school, I work part-time, the house is looking cleaner, it's starting to get back to what it was before I had child number two, and the errands are getting done. Of course I did miss an orthodontist appointment for my child............ Whoops!

Doing The Single Mom Thing For A While......

Hubby just got sent over to Pensacola, Florida with his squadron to help with the relief effort from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, so I'm doing the single mom thing now for a while. He is definitely needed back east, so it's a small sacrifice I have to make, for him to help others. And plus, it's not like I haven't done it before when he's out to sea. At least it's only for a few weeks and the oldest is in school anyway. So at least there's some routine going on for me.

Hey, my mom did it my whole life, and a lot of other single parents do it all the time, so I will try not to bitch about it.

It's times like this when I think back about my life growing up and how my mom did it all on her own. We didn't have much growing up, but I did have VERY good friends, and my mom and grandparents did what they could for me, and I hope that at some point, I did appreciate it back then. I know I certainly do now! I knew mom couldn't afford things, and I don't think I even asked that much. Sure I wanted to do gymnastics and a lot of other stuff, but I knew we couldn't do it. I remember when I was on the vollyball team and I needed shoes, and we had to wait until payday so I could get them. My coach kept getting on me about it, and I just kept thinking, geez, coach, I'll get them in a few days.

Sometimes part of me wishes that my girls didn't have so much, so they might appreciate the things they do have more. And I do think they do. Because I know that they certainly don't have as much as some of their friends, but I know they have a lot more than I did growing up.

I know I am VERY lucky to be able to only have to work part-time, and have a wonderful husband who works hard and provides for us. Granted we don't have as much as a lot of people, but we do okay on our own. Sure we'd love to have more stuff, but hey, who doesn't? In this day and age, it all seems to be about "instant gratification", and I know I'm guilty of that at times too. But with all the loss that part of our nation has experienced, I have to remind myself, along with my children how much they DO have and to appreciate it.

Okay, enough ramblings.......I've got to get a move on and get some crap done around the house. The inlaws are coming next weekend and I've got to get the house in tip top shape. Got to be the best "Wannabe UberMom" I can.