So many women have done it before me, women everywhere are doing it right now, and there will be many more women that will do it in the future. I truly believe that it is the most difficult and challenging job out there. It comes with more responsibility than you can possibly imagine, the hours far exceed 40 a week, and there is NO paycheck! There is little to no recognition for the hard work that you do, yet you are always expected to do more. For anyone who has ever been, is now, or plans to be a stay at home mom, I have more respect for you than I can put into words. Mom, I don't know how you did it, but I am sorry if I have never expressed how grateful I am for it! Currently this is my summer job, but it looks like I may be taking it on full time. I think I may need a training manual.
This week has been a true test of my ability to be a stay at home mom. With the unbearable heat and scattered rain, we have been forced to stay indoors, and my ability to entertain is not looking so good. Did you know it takes about 30 minutes to create a scavenger hunt, and about 5 minutes to follow the clues and find the treasure? Homemade pizza was a hit, but the cheese burnt in the oven so no one would eat it! Finger painting was fun, but not something that I want to clean up more than once a week. As you can see here, Kendall does more of a "hand" painting and she painted much more than the paper...but she had fun!
Speaking of Kendall, I have put a lot of work into "Project Kendall" this week. I would say she is winning by a landslide of 99-1. The big girl bed is working about as well as I expected. The freedom to get in and out of bed is such a thrill to her that she refuses to fall asleep. She has always been such a good sleeper, but I think that the boundaries of the crib played a large part in that. If I was keeping data (for all of my special education teachers out there) I would say that I have spent about 70% of my waking hours trying to get the little stinker to stay in her bed for nap and bed time. I have given up a few times and put her back in the crib until she falls asleep, but I only do that when it takes over two hours to get her to sleep. I am trying so hard to win this one, but I guess I am going to need a new strategy!
I am trying not to get too discouraged with potty training. I know that she will do it when she is ready, but it sure would be nice to only have to buy diapers for one! She loves her panties and wants them on almost all the time, but she will also stand in the middle of the room and yell to me "I'm peeing!" Yesterday she woke up dry so I offered so many great rewards for sitting on the potty, but she refuse. Five minutes later she looked right at me, squatted a bit and said, "I just pee pee in my diaper now." I sure hope that her stubborn attitude will benefit her one day!
The only project that I am winning right now is the pasi. We have limited use to nap, bed time, and long car rides. This was a bit of a fight the first few days, but I held my ground on this one. The first day she spent most of the day lying in her bed just so she could have it:) Now most days she will leave it in her bed before she gets up. I take great pride in this one little success!
I have considered all of the things that we are putting our poor little girl through. This is her third home in the short 28 months that she has been with us. When I say we are going home she has started to respond, "which one?" This breaks my heart! We have taken her out of her crib, limited the pasi, trying to potty train, and will soon be bring home a new baby. I guess I can understand the occasional meltdown...I have them too:) So I have decided that we will have a Kendall and Mommy day. She wants to go get her nails painted blue and green. I know, not girly colors, but a very girly activity, so I'm in!
Not much to report on Bradley right now. He has done such a great job entertaining himself while I try to get Kendall to sleep. Probably watching a little too much TV, but school will start soon. For all of you Toy Story fans, he reminds me a lot of Andy. I love watching him set up his toys and have them all talk to each other. He has a great imagination and I can't wait to see where it takes him!
So we did our finger painting and made our homemade pizza. Good thing it's Thursday because I am fresh out of ideas for this week. I'll keep waiting on the call from the Harlan Co. School District, but until then I will work on doing better with my current job!
Our next adventure...finding a vehicle that will fit our family of 5!
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