: Hi everyone...I'm still alive, just busy. I haven't read the thread since I last popped in so I am very behind on everything. So why don't I just distribute a round of hi-fives and hugs to those who want/need or have earned them OK? Has anyone read that great sig line that someone has that goes something like this "MDC: the real reason your house is a mess"? Well, it turns out that it's true: if I spend 2-3 hours every night after the kids go to bed the laundry gets done, the kitchen gets cleaned up, the floor gets picked up, and the washrooms don't get horrifying. Boring, huh?
You still can't really tell if you drop by midday. I feel like I'm constantly struggling to bring balance to my life. Exercise: not happening. My paid work: not happening. Meditation: not happening. Spending time in adult conversation: not happening much at all. Honestly, I still feel burned out from when dh left town for 2 weeks. It feels like I will never catch up and be able to have guilt-free leisure time. The good news is that I've made babysteps on decluttering and organization. Other good news is that ds is generally doing really well (though seems to be fighting something off and very grumpy yesterday and today). Goodbye four, hello five
:. I'm seeing more affection and more desire to cooperate and be helpful. There is a sweetness to his disposition that we haven't seen for a long time. He seems to be enjoying his DL program at New West -- I have been surprised that he willingly participates in the primary program by himself for 2 hours each week
. The program is too schoolish for my taste, but his 2 teachers are really nice and great at "collecting" the kids. Another big thing in our lives is that dh and I are starting marriage counselling. I know that most people would not post about this, but I have chosen to do so because I wish that people didn't feel that getting professional help is some kind of dirty secret. I feel that the individual counselling that I did in my 20s was so healing and vastly increased my capacity for happiness. Marriage counselling feels like a different cup of tea, mostly because of stress about child care. We had a neighbour take the kids for our first session though, and it went great
. It was dd's first time being babysat and she's 2.5! It's complicated, though, because dh just wants childcare from people who dd knows, but all of those people are super busy so it's hard for me to ask for their help. I wish we could just hire someone from Nannies on Call because coordinating everyone's schedules is a nightmare
:. Dd is still a joy, but we are dealing with a lot more challenging behaviours like screaming and calling people "stupid". Our counsellor told us that the two greatest marriage stressors are 1. having children when then youngest is 2 and 2. having teenagers. #1 is counterintuitive because you'd think that having the youngest be a baby would be the most stressful, but I guess it makes sense because we still have major sleep issues with dd and we are also dealing with a lot of sibling stuff
:. Note to self: time to re-read
Siblings Without Rivalry. Uncharacteristically, I dressed up for Halloween this year. As WonderWoman
. I felt kinda foolish in the get-up as a 40 year old matron
but I think I was subconsciously groping for that sexy 70s-style power that I was in awe of watching Lynda Carter on TV in my childhood. Anyway, everyone had a good giggle
. The real wonder women that I am awe of today are the beautiful energetic homeschooling moms out there who are full of energy and living rich lives that nourish themselves, their marriages, and their children. I want their superpowers
.
for starting the thread Len. Love the quotation -- I always need the reminder that the November rains don't last forever...