Sunday, July 30, 2006

it's hot, plus formula

It's damn hot out. Has been pretty hot for a while, looking like it might start to cool down a little come the middle of the week, but who knows. The heat index is well over 100 degrees, and everyone is going crazy. We in Housewifeland have central air, which is a good thing. Because of the heat, however, we are prisoners in our home, only leaving if we must. It is way to warm for Buddha to be out, Litttleman can only be out for a few minutes, and Bigguy just a little longer than that. Children need fresh-air, they need to run and frolick and be kids, but the heat is so oppresive that they cannot, and they are going nuts, and in turn, driving me up a wall. All I ask is for a cool day that is not rainny and muddy (because even though we are in draught conditions, if it is cool out, it is generally the rare days with rain) so I can take my boys to the park.
Hubby works primarily outdoors. If it is as hot out tomorrow as they say, we might lose a days pay. They are talking actual temps of over 100, with an index of nearly 115-120.

In a non-heat related note...we are trying to gently wean Buddha. This is not going well. The first type of formula we tried he flat out refuse, and gave anyone who tried to give hime a bottle the most pitiful of pouty faces. Now that we have the type of furmula we will actually be feeding him in the house, we gave it another go. It didn't go over well, but better than the first time. He drank an entire ounce and a half before pitching a fit. I want to gently wean him, but if he keeps being this resistant, we might have to do it all at once, where his only choice is the formula. I'd prefer to keep nursing him, but we live in an imperfect world, a world where Momma needs a new glasses prescription, a world where she cannot get said prescription until she has finished nursing the baby, and her hormones and water levels have regulated.

Hopefully it will cool down, hopefully Buddha will wean without too much fight. We'll see

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

My roots are showing

Littleman seems to have acquired some of the recessed genes in our family-the blond curly hair in a land or brown haired individuals should be one clue, his gigantic proportions another. Apparently, there is a latent gene that not only controls when and how often you speak, but also what dialect of the language your great-grandparents might have used as well. All day today I have had a 21month old dervish running around my in-laws yelling "YeeHaw!!!!" and "HowdEEEEE!"

I blame the biscuts and gravy, fried chicken, and cornbread.

granted, I am the one feeding him, and the in-laws are soooo not southern...

Saturday, July 22, 2006

I'm baaaaack

I got my cable back, and my intraweb, and my home phone!!!!

Friday, July 21, 2006

disconnected

Currenly we are without cable and internet at home. MIL was nice enough to offer me the use of her house for the day today, so that I could be online, and so Bigguy could be on-line and get in some tv time. This is greatly helping me keep my last three threads of sanity intact.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Blink Blink Smile.

I cannot remember what he asked for, even though it was only half an hour ago, I only remember HOW he asked. "Mom, can I please have some ______, pretty please?" head tilted slightly down, looking up, blinking just a little faster than normal, with a very sweet smile. Bigguy has ENORMOUS brown eyes, and lashes that should be illegal for anyone off a fashion runway, let alone a five year old boy. I, as a fully grown adult, who had perfected the power of the eyes at a fairly young age, am overcome at times by him, and can only imagine what it will be like as he gets older. If he retains his looks as he hits his teen years and adulthood he will be devestating. I pitty the crushes who do not have their affections returned. We already have little girls get mad if he ignores them, which he rarely does, and we have almost had fights break out at the park if he switches his attentions from one young lady to the other. High school is going to be hell for his father and I. Of course, if I am to listen to the drag queen contingent of my friends, he could have a lucrative career when he grows up. Apparently, underneath the pudgy cheeks he inheritied from yours truely, he has amazing cheek bones, and since he has my eyes, it is only fitting that he has my brow and ridgeline.

Blink, Blink, Smile...never underestimate the power.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

He Speaks!

Littleman is what one would call a 'late bloomer'. He was walking and standing late, and talking late. In fact, he did pretty much everything behind the curve with the exception of eating! I tried not to worry too much about this, every kid being different and all, but was secretly very relieved when he started using intelligable words. It started recently with 'button!', and of course, mama, and papa. From there we got hungry, go home, good puppy, nice puppy, up, go nap, go up, go down, pretty much any word that can have go before it, baby, brother, baby "buddha", kiss, and so on. We are getting more words a day now than I ahd hoped. One issue, however, is assigning words that are confusing or un-clear. If we cannot figure out what he is trying to say, he either melts down, or reverts to 'button!'. This leads to conversations along the lines of "Hungry" -well, what do you want?- "ungamillahrmmmmmmm", -milk?- "noooooooooooo", -cereal- "nooooooooo" -a banana?- "nooooooo, hungry button!", or "good puppy, go button!", or "go nap, button!" you get the idea. We also get randomly placed words, like "nap now, doggy woof."

Friday, July 07, 2006

surrogate

Shortly before the Bigguy's fifth birthday, the in-laws had to put the family dog to sleep. They have another dog, but Buddy was Bigguy's best-friend on four legs. It was very hard on Bigguy, and very hard on us. First, we loved buddy, he was family, second, no one should EVER have to explain mortality to a small child. We have been fielding some dificult questions since then, and doing our best to answer honestly and truthfully, even if that means answering the dreaded "I don't know." In an attempt to lessen Bigguy's pain, and make things easier on os, one of his birthday gifts from us was a stuffed black-lab puppy he named 'Buddy Poe'. Bigguy has a collection of stuffed Rotts and Dobermans, which are his Poe dogs, and they all have assigned names and tittles in the Poe family, Buddy is the only Lab. Having the stuffed dog has done wonders, but has also led to some interesting conversations along the lines of:"Momma, I don't ever want you to die, and I don't want to die, but you said everyone dies eventually, I want you to die before me so I can have a new mommy." "Do you want a new Mommy?" "Only if you die first, then I will need a new mommy, just like I got a new buddy!"
Kids, what ya gonna do?

Thursday, July 06, 2006

the daily grind

I wish there was an honest, informative, and truthfull, Housewife Handbook, but there isn't. Why? Because, quite frankly, there are too many variables: How many kids you have, what your income level is, the amount of support you get from family and friends, your kids' ages and the spacing between them, you get the idea. Some things I knew in advance about being a housewife/stay at home mom- I would be the Primary Care Giver-thet being I would be the one to first respond to me kids daily needs, generally even if Hubby is home, as they are used to coming to me for things. I would be responsible for the majority of the cooking and cleaning- In all the jobs hubby has had while we have been together, he averages 50 hours a week, so the cooking is pretty obvious, I do the daily pick-up, and he does his share on the weekends. When he wasn't working, and when I was pregnant, this didn't work so well, but now we are getting back into the swing of things. I love to cook, I do not like to clean, but oh well. I was failry certain that I would crave adult interaction the way some woman crave salt and chocolate when they PMS-I was dead on with that one.

I never thought that I would feel as good about my decicion to stay home as I do. I know I am doing the best by my kids, and I have few regrets. Would it be nice to have a second income? Yes, but it would suck knowing that I came across it by paying for daycare or sacrificing time with my Hubby. Would I have gotten a job if it took any longer for Hubby to find one? Hell yeah, I'm an optimist, but I am not stupid, and I will do my best to make sure my kids never go without.

I never realized that I would be doing the budgeting and bill-paying, but for the most part I am pretty decent at it. I set the amount we must live within, and we do it. I never dreamed that I would be so thrilled about my youngest having a bowel movement, my middle child saying button, or my oldest being quiet for five freaking minutes. I didn't think that it was possible for a woman to stay sane with three kids at home, two of whom are in daipers, but I seem to be holding up pretty well. I didn't realize how much it would fundamentally change me as a person. As much as I miss late night outs drinking overly-priced coffee and chillin' with friends, that time seems trivial to me now. I enjoy my child fre time, but I miss them every second of it. I enjoy doing things without my Hubby, but I wonder how he' doing every minute. I am heavily reliant on my family, but they would fall apart with out me.

I am also keenly aware that my family is my Hubby and boys first. That is another feeling I never expected. That family would be more than Mom, SisterGirl, and Auntie. They are all part of my family, as is Jazz-dad and uncle Rice, and Auntie Step, and the in-laws, but I have a family that is mine, seperate rom all the rest. I also couldn't have told you before I became HW@K that I would voluntarilly sever all ties with my dad and his family. It hurst, but it hurts less than if I stayed involved, and it saves my boys dealing with what I did.

If I were to write a simple Housewife Training Manual, it actually would be very simple-set all preconcieved notions behind you, try to enjoy every minute, and never be afraid to ask for help. No one would buy it, but there it is.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

If cleanliness is Godliness...

...Than I am most certainly a minor demon!