I've been wanting to start this blog since I became an almost SAHM, aka, Stay At Home Mom about four months ago. What I mean by almost SAHM, I mean that I still teach part time, but am home the majority of the time with my three kids, ages 4 months (Beckham), 2 years (Cici), and 5 years (Eva) old.
I used to be a full time elementary special education teacher for the last 10 years and about two years ago, I started teaching in higher education at the same time. I currently teach part time one night a week at a local university. I took a two year leave from my classroom teaching job. The two classes I teach are Family Systems and Effective Inclusion Practices in the Master's of Education program. I still have my summers off and teach seven weeks on, seven weeks off. Sometimes, I teach my classes online and sometimes it is face to face. I have to say, I love both equally. In the winter, it is nice to be at home teaching in my basement with my pj's on and a fancy scarf. It is a synchronized chat, so we are live and use web cams. Out of any day of the week, those are the days I make sure to do my hair and make up! Thank God it is winter, because all I have to do the other days of the week such as when I do preschool drop off and pick, up is throw on a cute hat and coat, my trusty yoga pants, and some sort of boot. Teaching face to face is a great way to get out of the house, dress up, and participate in my second passion, teaching.
The hardest part of being home and teaching one night a week is grading. I have to strategically get all three kids to nap and/or be quiet at the same time while grading papers and also trying to use this "prep" time to get dinner prepared, clean up (i.e. laundry, clearing paths in the toy areas, cleaning the floors, taking out the trash, cleaning the pee off the little kid toilet seat, and wiping down tables and counters), return phone calls, or maybe try to get some rest myself. Since my littlest (4 month old, Beckham) is now sleeping through the night, mommy nap time is no more. To be honest, you think you will somehow find time to sleep when you bring your newborn home, but when you have two other kids, that is nearly impossible. First of all, your brain doesn't shut off because you have a million things to do, such as organizing kid clothing, especially when the season changes, menu planning, list making, bathing yourself and the little ones, cleaning, paying bills/keeping the check register up to date, etc. Even when I am not currently teaching a class, I feel like I should be prepping for the next one so I am not overloaded weekly. You also many not be able to get all three to sleep at the same time and there is the struggle of wanting to run errands alone during this time if it does happen. So, this time around, I can count on both hands the amount of naps I took while caring for three kids. I am very lucky to have a sweet husband who would let me sleep in after the morning feeding on the weekends while he took care of the older two kiddos.
Here are some things I have come to realize as we have expanded our brood to three kids while I am staying home:
1. Going from one to two kids was harder than going from two to three
2. You don't allow baby #3 to mix up their nights and days, baby #3 fits your lifestyle, not the other way around like baby #1 did.
3. You thought the bath and bedtime routine was hectic with two, once there are three in the mix, the noise and sweat level just rose about 10 notches. I swear, between my husband and I (if he has gotten home from work by then) yell about 20 times these same phrases each night: "Are you done with the water bucket (to rinse soap out of the hair)? Did you get milk (Cici always has to have a sippy cup of milk at bed time)? Did you get Eva's water cup ready? Has Lola (the dog) been out? Where are the pull-ups? Read ____ tonight. I need a washcloth." The older two even bathe together, but you can't leave them for even a second to get something because they fight, and you absolutely cannot walk away from the baby. He bathes in the master bath in his own tub. Even the book selection gets more difficult, because you have to find books that all three enjoy. Beckham like Sesame Street books, Eva like princess "chapter" books, and Cici like princess picture books, so we read all three and someone is always off task.
4. There will always be half folded baskets of laundry somewhere in the house. In fact, clothes are strewn about all over the house daily. I hate putting laundry away.
5. I used to run my dishwasher every 2-3 days, and now since I am at home with the kids all day, and cooking 3-5 meals a day, I am running it 1-2 times a day. I hate unloading dishes.
6. Laundry can't just be done on the weekends; it is done daily.
7. We are lucky to get five hours of sleep a night. Someone always needs something.
8. Parents usually get less germaphobic with the more kids they have because you just can't stop the spread of germs with 2+ kids, however, I find this to be the opposite of me. I am constantly sanitizing the kids hourly. Cici is susceptible to upper respiratory infections (two ER trips and one hospital admission in 6 weeks from that crud-the day Beckham was born was her 5 day hospital stay) and you have to be so careful with babies. The five year old is pretty healthy but is super whiny when she is sick.
9. At this stage of the game with their ages and needs, I couldn't imagine having to do my morning routine, and get them off to daycare while also getting to daycare on time pick them up and get dinner made while trying to get everyone settled at home. Not to mention, when one kids gets sick, we all do and are pretty much down and out for a week. It is January and I would have used all of my sick days by now taking care of sick kids.
10. Being home makes you want to spend lots of money; there are so many activities to do and cute kid things to buy. I am a sucker for cute hats/headbands, children's books. and kid clothing of any kind. Date night also just got more expensive as well because you never get out and when you do, you want to go ALL out!
11. When you are a SAHM, you meet a whole different crew of people to hang out than the co-workers you used to hang with. Some are great, some a weird (I think I am on the weird list), and some you learn from (they all have something to offer). I am still navigating this world. At this stage of the game, I enjoy my alone time with the kids and having the freedom outside of preschool days (two days a week) to go anywhere and do anything that I want, even if it means staying home and building forts or food creations all day, having a read-a-thon or movie thon, or just staying in pj's all day while doing nothing. I have not been committing to many play dates yet, because I am just getting into a routine of being home with my kids. I chose to stay home to spend the most time that I can with them vs. hanging out with other moms and kids. Don't get me wrong, I have had fun on the play dates I have been on, and I am sure there will be plenty of times in the year where I will get bored, need help, or welcome the company, but for right now, I am enjoying our uninterrupted together time.
12. Your job doesn't end, ever, which is good and bad. The bewitching hour is still from 4-6pm while we wait for dad to come home. Why do kids wake up so crabby from naps? It seems impossible to entertain them and make dinner at the same time some days. Bathroom breaks are constant at that hour.
13. I miss my short drive to and from work, drinking my coffee and listening to the Dave Ryan Morning Show, especially War of the Roses. I could even sometimes run errands kid free before or after work. Now we all go everywhere together all of the time.
14. I get to see my kids every day and know what they are thinking and feeling, and not wonder those things.
15. I see them learn new things the moment it happens vs. being told about it, except some of the time for my 5 year old at preschool.
16. I don't have to worry so much about something happening to the baby. My daycare was so wonderful, and very hard to leave (no joke, I cried so much over this), but you can't control the other kids at daycare or accidents happening. I had one kid that was a biter and one that got bit, so I've been on both sides of the fence, and neither are fun.
17. I love talking to my husband, Kacey, about all the fun things we did that day; there always seems to be so much to talk about when he gets home
18. I make a lot more food and our grocery bill seemed to double!
19. I love using all of my teacher ideas with my own kids. My pinterest boards have also doubled, and i actually have time to do all of the activities and cook all of the food I pin; it's amazing!
20. With all that being said, I would have a fourth right now in a heartbeat, but don't ask me that when I am caring for sick kiddos.
Having kids is so worth it. I am glad we found a way to plan, save, and execute the environment we've created. I am thankful to be able to spend so much time with my kids at their critical ages. I know everyone says this, but you don't get a redo on spending time with your kids when they are young and actually need you and want to spend time with you. I wish I could have done this sooner, but I will take what I can get.
ABC mom life
I used to be a full time elementary special education teacher for the last 10 years and about two years ago, I started teaching in higher education at the same time. I currently teach part time one night a week at a local university. I took a two year leave from my classroom teaching job. The two classes I teach are Family Systems and Effective Inclusion Practices in the Master's of Education program. I still have my summers off and teach seven weeks on, seven weeks off. Sometimes, I teach my classes online and sometimes it is face to face. I have to say, I love both equally. In the winter, it is nice to be at home teaching in my basement with my pj's on and a fancy scarf. It is a synchronized chat, so we are live and use web cams. Out of any day of the week, those are the days I make sure to do my hair and make up! Thank God it is winter, because all I have to do the other days of the week such as when I do preschool drop off and pick, up is throw on a cute hat and coat, my trusty yoga pants, and some sort of boot. Teaching face to face is a great way to get out of the house, dress up, and participate in my second passion, teaching.
The hardest part of being home and teaching one night a week is grading. I have to strategically get all three kids to nap and/or be quiet at the same time while grading papers and also trying to use this "prep" time to get dinner prepared, clean up (i.e. laundry, clearing paths in the toy areas, cleaning the floors, taking out the trash, cleaning the pee off the little kid toilet seat, and wiping down tables and counters), return phone calls, or maybe try to get some rest myself. Since my littlest (4 month old, Beckham) is now sleeping through the night, mommy nap time is no more. To be honest, you think you will somehow find time to sleep when you bring your newborn home, but when you have two other kids, that is nearly impossible. First of all, your brain doesn't shut off because you have a million things to do, such as organizing kid clothing, especially when the season changes, menu planning, list making, bathing yourself and the little ones, cleaning, paying bills/keeping the check register up to date, etc. Even when I am not currently teaching a class, I feel like I should be prepping for the next one so I am not overloaded weekly. You also many not be able to get all three to sleep at the same time and there is the struggle of wanting to run errands alone during this time if it does happen. So, this time around, I can count on both hands the amount of naps I took while caring for three kids. I am very lucky to have a sweet husband who would let me sleep in after the morning feeding on the weekends while he took care of the older two kiddos.
Here are some things I have come to realize as we have expanded our brood to three kids while I am staying home:
1. Going from one to two kids was harder than going from two to three
2. You don't allow baby #3 to mix up their nights and days, baby #3 fits your lifestyle, not the other way around like baby #1 did.
3. You thought the bath and bedtime routine was hectic with two, once there are three in the mix, the noise and sweat level just rose about 10 notches. I swear, between my husband and I (if he has gotten home from work by then) yell about 20 times these same phrases each night: "Are you done with the water bucket (to rinse soap out of the hair)? Did you get milk (Cici always has to have a sippy cup of milk at bed time)? Did you get Eva's water cup ready? Has Lola (the dog) been out? Where are the pull-ups? Read ____ tonight. I need a washcloth." The older two even bathe together, but you can't leave them for even a second to get something because they fight, and you absolutely cannot walk away from the baby. He bathes in the master bath in his own tub. Even the book selection gets more difficult, because you have to find books that all three enjoy. Beckham like Sesame Street books, Eva like princess "chapter" books, and Cici like princess picture books, so we read all three and someone is always off task.
4. There will always be half folded baskets of laundry somewhere in the house. In fact, clothes are strewn about all over the house daily. I hate putting laundry away.
5. I used to run my dishwasher every 2-3 days, and now since I am at home with the kids all day, and cooking 3-5 meals a day, I am running it 1-2 times a day. I hate unloading dishes.
6. Laundry can't just be done on the weekends; it is done daily.
7. We are lucky to get five hours of sleep a night. Someone always needs something.
8. Parents usually get less germaphobic with the more kids they have because you just can't stop the spread of germs with 2+ kids, however, I find this to be the opposite of me. I am constantly sanitizing the kids hourly. Cici is susceptible to upper respiratory infections (two ER trips and one hospital admission in 6 weeks from that crud-the day Beckham was born was her 5 day hospital stay) and you have to be so careful with babies. The five year old is pretty healthy but is super whiny when she is sick.
9. At this stage of the game with their ages and needs, I couldn't imagine having to do my morning routine, and get them off to daycare while also getting to daycare on time pick them up and get dinner made while trying to get everyone settled at home. Not to mention, when one kids gets sick, we all do and are pretty much down and out for a week. It is January and I would have used all of my sick days by now taking care of sick kids.
10. Being home makes you want to spend lots of money; there are so many activities to do and cute kid things to buy. I am a sucker for cute hats/headbands, children's books. and kid clothing of any kind. Date night also just got more expensive as well because you never get out and when you do, you want to go ALL out!
11. When you are a SAHM, you meet a whole different crew of people to hang out than the co-workers you used to hang with. Some are great, some a weird (I think I am on the weird list), and some you learn from (they all have something to offer). I am still navigating this world. At this stage of the game, I enjoy my alone time with the kids and having the freedom outside of preschool days (two days a week) to go anywhere and do anything that I want, even if it means staying home and building forts or food creations all day, having a read-a-thon or movie thon, or just staying in pj's all day while doing nothing. I have not been committing to many play dates yet, because I am just getting into a routine of being home with my kids. I chose to stay home to spend the most time that I can with them vs. hanging out with other moms and kids. Don't get me wrong, I have had fun on the play dates I have been on, and I am sure there will be plenty of times in the year where I will get bored, need help, or welcome the company, but for right now, I am enjoying our uninterrupted together time.
12. Your job doesn't end, ever, which is good and bad. The bewitching hour is still from 4-6pm while we wait for dad to come home. Why do kids wake up so crabby from naps? It seems impossible to entertain them and make dinner at the same time some days. Bathroom breaks are constant at that hour.
13. I miss my short drive to and from work, drinking my coffee and listening to the Dave Ryan Morning Show, especially War of the Roses. I could even sometimes run errands kid free before or after work. Now we all go everywhere together all of the time.
14. I get to see my kids every day and know what they are thinking and feeling, and not wonder those things.
15. I see them learn new things the moment it happens vs. being told about it, except some of the time for my 5 year old at preschool.
16. I don't have to worry so much about something happening to the baby. My daycare was so wonderful, and very hard to leave (no joke, I cried so much over this), but you can't control the other kids at daycare or accidents happening. I had one kid that was a biter and one that got bit, so I've been on both sides of the fence, and neither are fun.
17. I love talking to my husband, Kacey, about all the fun things we did that day; there always seems to be so much to talk about when he gets home
18. I make a lot more food and our grocery bill seemed to double!
19. I love using all of my teacher ideas with my own kids. My pinterest boards have also doubled, and i actually have time to do all of the activities and cook all of the food I pin; it's amazing!
20. With all that being said, I would have a fourth right now in a heartbeat, but don't ask me that when I am caring for sick kiddos.
Having kids is so worth it. I am glad we found a way to plan, save, and execute the environment we've created. I am thankful to be able to spend so much time with my kids at their critical ages. I know everyone says this, but you don't get a redo on spending time with your kids when they are young and actually need you and want to spend time with you. I wish I could have done this sooner, but I will take what I can get.
ABC mom life