Wednesday this week was a particularly bad day.  I can't even say why exactly.  Do you ever have days that just feel... off? ...

Bad Day, Good Day

Friday, September 20, 2013 , , , ,

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Wednesday this week was a particularly bad day. 
I can't even say why exactly. 
Do you ever have days that just feel...off?

So for Thursday, I resolved to make the most of the day.
We kept it simple. But it was a better day than day before,
to be sure. 

Just another day for us.
Just another good day.

The girls and I walked to the park
right after Justin left for work.
{Pax too, of course.}
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We all parked our strollers side-by-side. 

I only had to scold Violet once, for putting her foot on a little boy to prevent him from coming up the ladder on the jungle gym. I ran over to intervene and  apologized to the boy's mother, and she was totally cool about it. Then, when his mom turned her back, the little boy pushed Violet down the slide and made her cry, so I stopped feeling bad about her bad behavior. Eh, what comes around goes around...such is life. 
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They were so filthy when we got home! 

Paxton was still sleeping in his carseat, 
so I threw the dirt-crusted girls into the bath. 
{You should have seen the scum when I went to clean it that night!}
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And haircuts followed. 
Oh stars, did they ever need their hair cut! 
They sure did.
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So many days go by, and I feel guilty about not spending enough time playing with my girls. I'll be honest here, I'm not the type of mom who likes playing with her kids. I always have a long list in my head of things that need to get done, and child's play is not on that list. 

I've been reading some new parenting & discipline material lately, and it's encouraged me to be stricter, more consistent, but to also enjoy my children more. I'll be {sadly} honest here, I have not been really enjoying my children. Some days I've resented their presence, as they've prevented me from doing the things I "needed to get done". Yes, I've taken my greatest blessings for granted at times, it's true. I've realized their needs, however, are supposed to be my priority. Not the dishes, not the blogs, not the things I do. 
They are my number one priority. 
They are the reason I'm not working.
They need me right now. 
They will not always need my attention.

When I think about it that way, it makes it easier to stop whatever I'm doing and pay attention to them, and their needs, rather than resenting being interrupted. 

Keeping them close to me at all times and enjoying them is a new concept. 
It takes effort. I'm human. I'm not perfect. I have to work at this.

So we sat down yesterday, for a tea party picnic in the living room, and I ate an imaginary {fat-free} strawberry cupcake and drank chocolate tea. 
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This is important.
Spending time with my kids. 
While they are so little, and don't hate me 
like they might when they're teenagers. 
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I put them down for naps after lunch.
Violet sleeps a couple hours. 
Eisley sleeps 1/4 of the time, 
but she plays quietly on days she doesn't sleep.

I like to make a cup of coffee during this time
and enjoy being mom to just Paxton, 
if even for just a little while.

He likes to hang out in the swing Grandma & Grandpa Sander 
got for him. 
Though I'm not sure who likes it more, him or me?
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He likes to look out the window and I like to people watch, so we watched the kids at recess across the street. This photo below that I took was of us watching and the kids playing--at the same time.
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After nap time the girls like to play in Eisley's room, 
and that is what they did on Thursday. 

I watched them on the video monitor, jumping on Eisley's bed. 
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These girls. 
Best friends. 
Worst enemies. 
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More Paxton time. 
He is the biggest sweetheart.
I'm sort of in love with this guy.
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Justin surprised us with dinner from Sushi Den when he came home from work.

We rarely eat take out and go out to eat these days {ever since that Dave Ramsey put the hold on our eating out budget}, but just the day before I had read about Sushi Den--apparently it is a very popular joint in Denver?--and whined to Justin that I never get to go out, I don't know what the hip restaurants in Denver are anymore. I was having a brief pity party, I admit it, made worse when Justin said, "Oh I've been there, it's good." I got jealous. Of course he'd been there. Because product reps often take him and his co-workers out to eat at the nicest restaurants in Denver. I sang that Lady Antebellum song to him, "I don't know why you don't take me downtown..."

Sometimes, as a stay at home mom, you feel isolated. 
And jealous of your husband.
Who gets to socialize with adults all day
and go to Sushi Den for lunch.
On somebody else's dime, no less.
Meanwhile you create peanut butter sandwiches for the kids 
and eat a Starkist tuna salad kit for lunch.
{It comes with a mint.}
You eat your lunch with the kids {enjoying them!}
You chat about kitty cats and play dough.
I know, I know...first world problem.
I wasn't really upset, just craving sushi and a night out.

Justin said, "I'll take you to Sushi Den to celebrate after we buy a house."
"Are you saying you will take me on a date some time in the next year, maybe?"
Well shoot!
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But we had Sushi Den on Thursday, albeit not in the restaurant, but still an unexpected treat.
{Here, I had planned to make omelets for dinner. Omelets!}
Yes, I agree with all the reviews online--best sushi in Denver!
Best I've ever had.
{Sushi Den is even rated #5 sushi place in the U.S.??? Or so I read online.}
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The Rock 'n' Roll was the best {smoked salmon & cream cheese}.

Post sushi, we played Just Dance.
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Well, the girls & Justin played. 
I fed the baby.
Either way, we all burned calories.
Then I joined in for a few songs before bed time. 
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Bedtime. 
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This guy likes to do it in his mommy's arms.

So that was our plain & simple & good Thursday.

Hope y'all have a great weekend.
As for us, I think we're coming down with colds. 
Eisley started it.

Cheers,
Heather

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2 comments

  1. When my kids were younger, I was also the type of mom who didn't like playing with them. I always had something else that needed to be done. I'm the type of person that can't focus on anything else if there are dishes to be done, laundry to be put away, etc. (hello? OCD?). That's not to say that my kids were neglected. I just probably wasn't the fun mom that they deserved. I'm not exactly sure why considering my mom ALWAYS did fun crafty stuff and took us on exploring adventures. Now that they are older, I have a little bit of a nagging feeling that I missed out on some of the important time with them because I was "too busy". They will say that I am crazy for feeling like that. My son recently told me that I am his best friend and that means a lot coming from a 17 year old. Okay, I'm rambling here. I'm really happy that you have realized that it's important to slow down and spend playing time with your little ones. I wonder if it's too late for Maddie & Alex to sit down and have a living room floor picnic with me? HA!

    ~Erica

    ReplyDelete
  2. Paxton is so cute I can't stand it.

    You are doing a wonderful job.

    ReplyDelete

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