Angel Baby Blog

All winter long we sat cooped up in the house, watching the snow fall, freezing cold everytime we ventured outside for a few minutes to build a snowman or just tramp through the snow.  We waited through a wet spring when we couldn’t walk on the grass for fear of sinking in mud and making it the world’s bumpiest lawn.  And now, finally, summer has arrived!  We are in heaven!

We are looking forward to all of the fun summer activities- the kids love camping, exploring nature, catching bugs and butterflies, collecting rocks, playing in lakes and streams, and all the fun that we can possibly have when we take a weekend getaway into the mountains.

But, the week days are still full of regular housework, chores, errands to run, schedules to keep up.  You know how it goes.  I want my kids to have wonderful memories of summer fun, but I’m struggling with how to accomplish that and keep on top of everything else at the same time.  Am I alone in this? Or do other moms struggle with the same thing?

Please let me know in a comment!

Children love playing and letting their imaginations run wild. To help boost your child’s creativity you probably buy toys, games, arts and crafts supplies, and numerous other items to help keep your child occupied and learning in a fun way. Here’s a great idea that is sure to become a favorite: Build or fill up a dress up trunk for your children.

Children are great imitators. They love to dress up like their favorite cartoon character, hero, storybook character or wherever their imagination carries them. One important part of any child’s toy collection is a dress up trunk!

This can be simple, such as old Halloween costumes placed in a box. A more organized and thought out dress up play corner can be made by purchasing a trunk or other container and filling it with hats, gloves, beads, boas, masks, wigs, lab coats, tutus, fancy dresses, bow ties, regular ties, shoes, firemen and policemen costumes, etc.

This trunk can be the starting point of many childhood adventures and family play times. Mom and Dad can get involved by helping the children to dress up and act out a story, poem or nursery rhyme.
Children learn so much through their play. Dress up play can add significantly to a child’s imagination and sense of self.

Angelheadbands.com is a great place to purchase some of the fancy finery that makes a dress up trunk so much fun! Check out their collection of fairy princess halo headbands, tutus, and fancy dresses—and get ready for endless hours of fun!

TOP TEN THINGS ONLY WOMEN UNDERSTAND

10. Cats’ facial expressions.

9. The need for the same style of shoes in different colors.

8. Why bean sprouts aren’t just weeds.

7. Fat clothes.

6 Taking a car trip without trying to beat your best time.

5. The difference between beige, ecru, cream, off-white, and eggshell.

4. Cutting your hair to make it grow.

3. Eyelash curlers.

2. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made.

AND, the Number One thing only women understand :

1. OTHER WOMEN

10 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE ‘ESTROGEN ISSUES’

1. Everyone around you has an attitude problem.
2. You’re adding chocolate chips to your cheese omelet.
3. The dryer has shrunk every last pair of your jeans.
4. Your husband is suddenly agreeing to everything you say.
5. You’re using your cellular phone to dial up every bumper sticker that
   says: ‘How’s my driving-call 1- 800-’.
6. Everyone’s head looks like an invitation to batting practice.
7. Everyone seems to have just landed here from ‘outer space’.
8. You can’t believe they don’t make a tampon bigger than Super Plus.
9. You’re sure that everyone is scheming to drive you crazy.
10. The ibuprofen bottle is empty and you bought it yesterday.

A friend of mine came to me and asked me how I get everything done in a day, and how with toddler children running around and a baby to take care of, how I get anything done besides the mundane every day tasks. She asked me this on the occasion of a huge Christmas service project that I was in charge of, making 200 stockings for a local homeless shelter. She said “You and I both have three kids, about the same ages. There is no way that I could have done all this work for this project and taken care of my kids. How do you do it?” My answer: “Don’t you dare come to look at my house!!!”

I have decided that some things are much more important to me than having my house sparkly and shiny clean all the time. I do love having a clean and organized house, don’t get me wrong, but rather than spend day in and day out cleaning and cleaning and folding seemingly endless loads of laundry only to start some more and getting entirely burned out and exhausted, sometimes I like to take a break and do something different.

Sometimes it comes from desperation and boredom from completing mundane chores for weeks on end, sometimes it comes from necessity in needing to complete a project, and sometimes it comes from just wanting to do something more fulfilling and fun for a change. So, when those times arise I just let the laundry pile up for a day or two, let the vacuum sit idle for five minutes, and leave the Clorox wipes tucked away in the closet.

Then I can do things like really play with my kids or take them on an outing, complete a project for church, work or home, or do a craft, scrapbook, read a book for pleasure, bust out the sewing machine, or pursue some of my other interests. After a few days the housework gets the better of me and I spend a day catching up, but I always feel more fulfilled and the kids are happier when we’ve taken some time to just enjoy life, play, and let the little daily stresses slide for a day or two.

My friend said that she gets so wound up and stressed about keeping her house clean and organized- she finds herself cleaning up after messes constantly and always working to keep it clean, so she starts losing patience and just wants to give up because it’s not even fun and she can’t enjoy her children.

I heard someone say once that “the dust and the cobwebs can wait, but children aren’t children forever.” I’ve taken that as my philosophy- I try to play and interact with my kids without constantly worrying about the state of the house, I try to be a good and fun wife to my husband so he’s not always bogged down with work and worry, and I try to keep my own interests and passions fulfilled so I feel like a whole and happy person.

Of course I always love having a clean and organized house, who doesn’t? But if a real feeling of happiness requires the breakfast dishes to wait in the sink until after the kids are in bed for the night, that’s okay with me.