Weekends of Yore

At some point in time I know my weekends were for relaxing, chillaxing, spending time doing things I ENJOYED doing with people I loved to hang out with.  They were great times.  Then, suddenly that all changed.  It wasn't a BAD change necessarily.  Though some days it makes me kind of miss the days of yore, for about ten seconds before something else needs my direct attention (like a boo boo that needs a band aid and it HAS to be the lime green one that you swear we're out of but that adorable tear streaked face INSISTS is IN THAT BOX and you just aren't looking hard enough). 

Oh yes.  Where did my once cool weekends go?  They were replaced with tons of snuggling, and hugs and kisses from three of the best blessing in the world.  MY CHILDREN. 

I'll admit, my weekends were never "that" amazing.  I was never "THAT" party crazed person who went out drinking, clubbing, socializing....whatever kids did back when I was younger.  That wasn't me.  Never has been, never will be.  That's not "MY scene". 

I am more of the snuggle up with a comfy blanket, a good book, and a hot cup of cocoa kind of person.  Or perhaps put on a good movie and hand out with a couple of my closet friends. 

When I was in college, I'd go to the movies with my best friend, I *MIGHT* go to a bar once in awhile for the karaoke, I was not and still am not a drinker.  Maybe a sip here or there, but mostly it just isn't my thing.  On the weekends we might go out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, or check out some fun event in town.  Some weekends I was cramming for a history test or for finals, heck I was even working many of those weekends!

They were fun, but honestly they lacked anything real.  I mean, yes I enjoy the time I spent with my good friends during those weekends, but I honestly love my weekends now a lot better. 

Today, however was not a fun action packed family weekend.  Ugh.  It was rather action packed, but only MY actions were cleaning the house from top to bottom.  It has been nearly a MONTH since my appendix surgery, and I'm feeling dang near back to 100%, so I decided today was the PERFECT day to whip my house back in shape.  Organizing cupboards, doing dishes, laundry, scrubbing both bathrooms, vacuuming, sweeping and mopping, hanging up more Halloween decorations with the kiddos, and YES we even played outside for awhile because it was actually NICE out (and finally NOT raining). 

The kids however...were VERY action packed.  *sigh*  They do not realize that weekends are for sleeping in, no instead they dive in head first and seize the day by the sunrise.   "Mom, mom, mom, mom, are you awake?" 

Yep.  I am now buddy, what can I do for you? 

I'm hungry. 

Bleh.  Fine.  I'm coming. 

Because, once they are up, there is NO getting them to snuggle up and go back to sleep.  That only happens if they get up at 4am.  If it is after 6am, forget it. Get up.  Feed them NOW or they will chew your arm off. 

They have, no mercy. 

From then on, it is a chaotic mess of
"eat your breakfast"
"don't poke your brother in the face with your spoon"
"No you can't feed the cat cereal off your spoon"
"Keep all four legs of the chair on the floor, NOW! Or you can stand up to eat your breakfast!"
"Stop kicking each other under the table!" 
"You wanted that oatmeal you're going to eat it!"
"It doesn't MATTER who sits in that chair, we don't have assigned seating here!!"
"Don't argue over who has what bowl, they are ALL GREEN BOWLS!" 
"No, all the 'Princess' spoons are dirty, it's ok you can eat with a 'ninja' spoon, it won't kill you or make your cereal taste any different, I PROMISE!"

All before 7:30am. 

Did I mention, without coffee?  I'm either brave, dumb, or senile, perhaps all three.

Also factor in the darn cats trying to trip me because I dared to feed the CHILDREN first, and them second.  OH how dare I!  Of course the dogs are yowling and whining and singing me the song of their oppressed furry "peoples" as they are still in their kennels at that time BEGGING to be let out to potty.  *le sigh*

Don't forget the phone ringing.  I swear that phone starts ringing the second my feet hit the floor.  I hate my phone some days.  Half the phone calls aren't even FOR me they are for my *lovely* (please read the sarcasm in that) Mother in Law who has lived with us for the past year and a half.  (Do NOT ever do that people, PLEASE, unless your mother in law is like freaking AMAAAAZING...mine isn't sooo yeh...we'll leave that there...)  Any who, she has telemarketers calling for her at ALL HOURS OF THE EVER LOVIN' DAY!! I just want to unplug my phone, or change my number.

As chaotic as my little circus can get some times, I wouldn't trade it in for the days of yore where I slept until noon (ok until 10am at the latest, I've never been able to sleep past 10am to begin with).  Where I could SHOWER the moment I woke up (now if I shower it has to be after the kids are in bed or wake up waaaaaaay before they do, in other words..as soon as they go to sleep for the night because even at 7 and 5 years old I still never know WHEN they will randomly wake up, they are still crappy sleepers). 

Instead, I get to have some EARLY morning snuggles.  We get to make up fun and silly games to play while I try and bribe them into staying snuggled up with Mommy in bed to try and squeeze a few more minutes out of my morning because I don't want to 'wake up' yet.  We play a game called "worms" where we all pretend we are a family of worms, and the blanket is our "dirt".  One of the kids will pretend to be a bird, or a fisherman, and will come to "get" us worms who are relaxing.  When we hear the bird or fisherman coming us worms have to DIVE under the covers and hide from the bird or fisherman.  It's a silly game, but the kids absolutely LOVE it. 

I've even gotten soooo desperate to stay in bed for a few minutes longer that I tell them to go get their LEGO's and they can build me a car while I 'rest my eyes'. Not such a good idea in hindsight.  I'm still picking Lego's out of my bed, sleeping on a Lego, and then waking up with a Lego shaped bruise on your thigh, is not so fun.

Telling the kids to turn on the TV and watch cartoons while mommy 'rests', is NEVER gunna happen.  WHY?  They cannot be  trusted.  They raid the snack tub and devour the fruit snacks, cereal bars, and whatever else might be tossed into that darn snack tub.  Sure kids, just help yourself....not.  You'd think they'd at least be nice and learn how to make me some coffee when I forget to set the timer on my coffee pot the night before. 

So when they get restless and get up, Mommy drags herself out of bed too, and our fun begins!

Breakfast, cartoons, crafts, snacks, coloring, books, snuggles, house hold chores, playing outside, playing inside, lunch, playing outside some more, errands, snack, more crafts, supper, more snuggles, clean up, baths, more snuggles, books, and tuck ins. 

Of course, it is SOOO much more than that though!

It's a full day.  I just don't mean with 'busy body stuff' I mean, literally it is a "FULL" day.  My life is full, full of amazing awesome kids.  Full of love.  Even when it is stressful, it is still full of love.  I get frustrated, I want to throw my hands up and give up some days.  I want to cry, some days I do cry.  I want to say screw it, I'm never cleaning house AGAIN, they just mess it up as I do it and it doesn't look like I'm doing anything productive so what does it matter!

So while my day may be chaotic sometimes, we also have our fun weekends.  The weekends where we go out and do something fun together.  We love checking out local events in the area.  Like last weekend when we went to the Kite Flying event.  They got to experience flying a kite for the first time and the husband and I didn't kill each other while trying to put our DIY Kite Kits together (because I handed him all three kites and said "have fun, I'm out, I'll uh, go keep the kids from killing each other until your done, you'll do great, bye love ya!"  Haha.

I guess your weekends are what YOU make them.  If you want them to stay fun and exciting, they will (well most of the time, I think we're all prone to a bad weekend here or there). 

You learn to adjust and change a bit when kids come along. 

It took my three little munchkins a bit to go to bed tonight (the boys snuck in a nap RIGHT before supper, of course, the boys who NEVER nap took a nap today).  So they were up a bit past bedtime and were all wiggly and giggly and saying "no way" to sleep.  Which actually was pretty nice because they asked me to come in and sing for them, all of their favorite nursery rhymes and lullabies.  Which is something I absolutely LOVE doing, but they have been out growing lately.  I've always sang to my children, and the older they get and ask me not to, the sadder it feels to wean that out of our bed time routine.

Now my house is insanely quiet, and I'm like...wow.  This sucks.  It's too quiet.  I don't like it.  When all day I was thinking "Shhhh can we quiet down and be quiet for just a little bit??"  Now it's quiet, and I hate it.  There is just no pleasing me I guess!

I actually asked myself today "Why am I doing all of this blasted cleaning TODAY?  Shouldn't I have done all this during the week while the kids were AT SCHOOL, you know where I had the house to myself, and no kids to keep an eye on and pull apart from each other or feed or whatever?" 

The answer to...myself.  Was....Well DUH I should have done it, but obviously I did the bare essentials.  Then I tried to reason with myself "You DID just have surgery a few weeks ago..."  Yeh that excuse isn't gonna work for ever you know.  The REAL answer?  It was too quiet.  I was easily distracted.  With the kids gone my purpose kind of floated out the window and I just wanted some me time.  It can be too exhausting trying to be super mom all the time, and I am certainly no "super" mom.  I'm just a normal mom like anyone else. I drink my coffee one pot at a time too.

However this also means I can have a fun day with my kids tomorrow because I have all my house chores done.  Score, plus there is no school on Monday so hey, we have that day too.

Mom Circus