You all might wonder what I do since I don’t have a ‘job’. Well, besides my full time job of keeping the baby from touching the server so the blog doesn’t go down, from touching her diaper mess, light sockets, or pulling down glass jars from the pantry, I try and do things for other people. I read their blogs and check up on facebook messages to make sure everyone is okay. Plenty of people post when a loved one dies (I sent a message to an old classmate’s husband the other day after her grandma died, got her physical address and mailed a sympathy card) or if they are sick. I try and post back if someone is sick or have surgery and share sympathy with them! If someone asks a question, I try and remember what I have done or what happened to me in that situation (usually it’s about their kids).
I email back and forth with my mom and a few of my friends. Very occasionally I chat on the phone. I deal with all the bills, subscriptions, and appointments and when we need laundry done and toilet paper and milk. I try and get a book or two in a week just to keep my brain going (those cheap romance novels I can borrow from the library can sometimes be read in a day during naptime!) I walk to the library, drive to the store, and do whatever else is needed for sanity to prevail.
I try and keep treats in the house to send in my husband’s lunch, although he says it is not necessary. He eats them anyway. I wash diapers 3 or 4 times a week (every other day). I keep track of a few diaper sites that host giveaways or deals. I have won a couple of times. I clip disposable diaper coupons for a person at Matt’s work (I did this before a few times for friends with little babies) and make sure he takes them. I have also gotten random diaper samples and shared them with others. Currently an old high school buddy’s husband is in the Navy out at sea and won’t be back until after the baby is born. I answer her questions, give her ideas and general support, I lent her a book I found helpful while I was pregnant. She only has a few days to go.
I think of ways to celebrate Keeley’s birthday and the upcoming holidays on a budget. We’re thinking of trying to make some sort of lizard/dinosaur costume out of a green sweatsuit that she could wear again for Halloween. Any other ideas from the peanut gallery would be appreciated. Since we don’t know where we are going to live shortly after Keeley has her birthday, I spend a lot of time worrying about how to have a party if we have boxes stacked to the ceiling. Since there’s a possibility of us getting kicked out of our place less than 6 weeks before a house may be ready (still no confirmation on that) I worry about what to do in that short amount of time specifically because it will be starting to get cold and I’m also spending a lot of time worrying about my gut. My doctor’s appointment is on the 4th.
I try and think of things that we could do to help people out. My niece is on the volunteer youth football league cheering section. My SIL ordered uniforms and recruited. They don’t have many cheers, so I’m enlisting some of my old HS cheer-mates, who DID cheer in junior high, for some cheers and making a list for them. We (Matt and I) are also ordering a personalized hair ribbon for all of the girls. We were going to do it for basketball, but since most of the girls were on the team already, it will just be early. Yes, it will be a bit expensive, but we hope they appreciate it.
A few weeks ago we bought out the rest of the list of ‘needs’ for the church bible school and drug it an hour and a half down there. Must have cost us about $40, but it was a few days before and there was still a lot on the list. We also volunteered to buy some new flowers to go on the altar at church. A friend is splitting the cost with us, but so far we haven’t gotten a bill. I did research on getting a grant from the NFL for the youth football league and sent the group a message. Also researched another team’s water cooler and found out that it was $1000, and figured I’d pass the news along and see if maybe next year they could ask the local banks to sponsor so the kids didn’t have to bring their own jugs. This is not sponsored by the school, that’s why they can’t use the facilities or ‘technically’ have a cheer team either.
I realize a lot of this is mental (in SO many ways). But of course I also keep up as well as I can on recycling, dishes, toys picked up, and so on. I try to not worry, but I still do. I do the best I can with what limited time, money and experiences I have. I also love my husband and my baby, and yes, contrary apparently to popular belief, I DO hug and kiss my baby and talk to her a lot. My mom asked me if I did and I didn’t understand why at first, but when we go visit, I hand her off. I get her for nursing and diaper changes (letting Matt helping when he doesn’t sneak off for a beer or other manly things) and then pass her around. She isn’t scared so far of family and unless I am too far away, she doesn’t freak out. By the time she is done with visits, she has whisker burn on her cheeks (both brothers and my dad have beards or beard like things on their faces) and she’s pretty much ready to go home. Do I kiss her and hold her while I’m alone? Of course I do. I tickle her and teach her what color she is wearing, what food she is eating, and what her body parts are. We read books and play ‘chase’ crawling through the house and all kinds of things. But once a month when we visit family? I give her up totally, so that other people can enjoy her. Is that wrong?
What’s wrong with being mental? Huh??
A stay at home mom is always working on something. That’s why it always pissed me off to have someone say, “So do you work or are you just a mom?”
Yeah.