Back to me.

   I was finally given the okay from my doctor to walk and put pressure on my leg July 5th. My kids are relived as am I. I can once again start to do things with them, and resume the mommy tasks around the house. Naturally, it's a little overwhelming to try to get back in the swing of things when school for myself and my daughter is right around the corner. I have learned that I will never take any of my limbs for granted again. It was not an easy thing to deal with for most of the summer. I give brownie points to those who deal with it everyday.

Broken spirit

   Everyone has their breaking point. I reached mine today. The simplest of tasks have been a challenge these past few weeks. Add kids to the mix and it gets even more stressful. My oldest is somewhat helpful, but you can only ask a 9 year old to do so much before she gets in a mood too. My youngest gets that mommy isn't up and walking around and he has even pointed out that mommy has an "ouch."
   I'm thankful that I have so many people to help out when  need it, but I'm ready to get back to doing things on my own. I love running around with my kids, and being outside with them. This injury has kept me from my plans for at least half the summer. I plan to take it back once I get the ok to walk again.

Role reversal

While playing softball one night, on my second day of summer vacation, I broke my leg. The doctors called it a tib-fib fracture. Basically my shin bone and the bone behind it broke. I now have a metal rod in my leg and I am in a soft cast for who knows how long. This wouldn't be such a big deal, if I didn't have two children to look after.
I have come to learn that my 9 year girl is very helpful when she sees that someone is in need. Case in point, her mom. I'm lucky to have her as well as great family willing to look after my 17 month old boy while my boyfriend is at work. I wouldn't ask her to look after him, because she needs to have a summer break, even if I  only get half of one.
I have faith that she will keep this kind of mentality as she continues to grow into a beautiful young lady. It's always a good quality to have as you go through life. As long as you don't let other people take advantage of it.

Batteries NOT included

  When I was younger, toys didn't require as many batteries. Now, you not only have to buy the toy, but the power to make it do those cool things that it does on TV. What happened to being content with a bucket of Legos, Lincoln Logs, or playing a game of Mouse Trap? I can remember quite clearly NOT needing to install batteries to have the toy work.
   Some of my favorite toys when I was a child never needed batteries. I can't remember a classic game of Monopoly, Mouse Trap, or Uno needing to have some type of alkaline power to function. A jump rope, books, cards and other forms of entertainment were enough to satisfy my attention span for hours with my siblings.
   I feel very lucky to have grown up in a generation that didn't require the use of batteries for the simplest of toys. The outside world, some sidewalk chalk, and an imagination was enough to keep us out of the parents way for ample time.

New Mommy

  I recently visited a good friend of mine who just had a baby girl. I have known this friend since before we were in school. When I had my daughter, she was there to visit me in the hospital and see me through the rough time I had coping with motherhood at a young age.
    I now understand how she felt roughly 9 years ago. The roles have now changed and seeing her with her new baby puts a whole new spin on life for her. She was always the friend that said she wasn't going to have children, wanted to be an aunt, but not ready to be a mom. So, you can imagine the shock I experienced when I was one of the first people to know that she was with child.
   She is so in love with her baby, as any new mom would be. I can now for the first time be the one giving advice to her instead of the other way around. In a way, my daughter was the "guinea pig" kid for all my friends who are now thinking of having or have had kids. I got to see my friend become a mom right before my eyes. She changed in a way that cannot be described unless you have seen it or gone through it yourself. Being an aunt is going to be fun. Why? Because 9 years worth of noisy payback toys and sugar is coming.

Scary movies

   The sound of thunder and rain usually make me tired. On this day though, I decided to do a favorite activity of mine while it's raining. Watch a scary movie!
   I have always loved scary movies, and I think that trait has carried over to my daughter as well. My son is too little to understand what's going on when we get the popcorn out and turn the TV up. All he knows is that food is being made and he wants some. That's why 90% of the time we wait until he's down for a nap.
   My daughter usually picks out the movie. I know what you're thinking, "You let your 9 year old watch a scary movie?! What's wrong with you?" Yes, I know. Letting my daughter watch a scary movie is the biggest parenting sin I could commit. It's horrible and I should not let her watch the movies she enjoys. However, we do watch these in the middle of the day, NOT right before she goes to bed.
    So, my daughter gets the popcorn out for me to pop, and she gets the TV trays and chairs out. (We like to sit close.) The thunder is rumbling, rain is falling hard on the window, and it's a perfect setting for the movie. We are munching away on our popcorn and as the movie gets to a spooky part, I feel my daughters hand reach for mine. She squeezes it, even though she knows what's coming. After the initial jump, she looks at me and smiles. A little sunshine in here, and the storm outside is long gone to me.
 

History behind my daughter

It seems like it's been forever since I've had my daughter. She is 9 years old and one of the greatest kids ever. I'm bias of course. I can't imagine leaving her side in a time of need. That's what someone else did to her though. Someone who is supposed to be very close to her.
   I may not have mentioned him before but my daughters biological dads name is Steve. Just as quickly as he came into my life, he was gone. Leaving me with an infant when I was 20 years old. I had no clue what to do, no job at the time, and if it wasn't for the guidance and support of my close friends and family, I would have been in a bad place.
   I won't go into details, but Steve left very abruptly and is no longer a part of her life. My daughter could not pick him out of a police line-up if she had to. He is a stranger to her and doesn't send so much as a birthday card. It's like she doesn't exsist. It's upsetting to me as a parent that he could even brush off his own kin like he does. Did I mention he has a son who he takes full responsibility for? Yep. He will do anything for  his son. He loves and adores him, clothes him, takes him places, does all the normal parenting with his son. He has not done a thing for his daughter though.
    That's okay though. I have grown over the years to find that one of the best things he could have done was leave. If he isn't going to be an active parent, then don't come to me when she wants the 18 years of back child support that she's owed. When she gets married, he won't be walking her down the aisle. When she decides to make a life changing decision, he won't be there. I'm just fine with it too.
 

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Garage Sale Time

   I never liked going to garage sales when I was younger. Now that I'm a mom, I find them useful. The saying is true. Another ones junk is someone elses treasure. Sometimes you have to dig hard for it. I like to go to the Friday garage sales simply because one child is in school, and having one to deal with is better then two some days. However, with my kiddos being spaced 8 years apart, big sister can help with little brother during the sale. She doesn't like to stay as long as my mom and I do though.
   Some things that I have found useful while going to garage sales and getting in and out of the car with young ones are as follows.
    Bring snacks: Make sure that they are something not too sweet as their appetite may not be good for lunch.
    Take change (coins): Sometimes these garage sales have cookies and little toys for hardly anything. I found that this was a good time to teach my kids about money and getting change back. Sometimes I let her make the purchase on her own.
     It's ok to get lost: My mom and I have done this numerous times. Sometimes, you stumble upon some great sales that may not have been advertised.
     Treat the kids too: Take them to the park or their favorite spot when all the garage sales are done for the day. My kids enjoy the running around time that they may not have been able to do at the sale.
    These things don't always work, but they help. Sometimes it may be best to leave the little ones at home with dad or a trusted relative. Whatever the case may be, I find garage sales to be helpful in purchasing something for hardly anything.
 

The ones who keep me on my toes

Rainy Days

Recently, my daughter and I were on spring break at the same time. If any of you were in the Topeka area for this recess, you know that it rained for a better part of the week. My challenge for that week was to keep my children entertained in the house for four days of rain, and somehow keeping my sanity. This is usually done with arts and crafts, or some kind of games. But, when you have that many days in a row, you have to get creative beyond the crafts. So, during this rainy spring break we went beyond and decided to take advantage of the weather instead of shunning it. Since we both like scary movies, we watched them with the lighting and rain coming down. Our front porch became a great viewing spot to watch the birds get worms, and how other creatures react to the rain. We also told fictional stories to each other at bedtime, rather then reading a book. We turned on one of the music channels on T.V for a day and danced around the living room. Although, I think the best part for my daughter was just taking a break from school work, and getting to spend time with her mommy. That was my favorite part too.

The simple things

2 year old learning to ride a bike

This is a simple thing that almost all kids learn how to do, but it makes a parent proud to know that the child has accomplished it. Especially when they can teach their friends how to do it too!

"Done"

  Today was one of those days where I knew it was going to be challenging. I told myself this, and even though you prepare your mind for it as much as possible, it doesn't come close to what actually goes on. I was in charge of the kids all day because my significant other had to work the overnight shift. Which means he didn't get home until 7 am. That's about the time that my daughter wakes up IF she knows I'm up. I wasn't, so I got to sleep in for about a half hour. In mom time, that's not bad at all. I then proceed to try and get my math homework done, and then the little one wakes up. So, after breakfast is served, I manage to get one section of math completed, thanks to my daughter helping out with her brother.
   The little one decided to take a morning nap, (YAY!)  so that left me some time to get things accomplished. Dishes, laundry, sweeping, housework to be exact. That's the easy part of my day if you can believe that. I don't HAVE to do it, but it gives my mind a break, even if it is only for 10 minutes some days. I like being able to escape from time to time.
   My day was finally "done" around 10 pm today. The reason done is in quotation marks is because I now understand what my own mother was trying to tell me when she said her day was never really done. When you have children, school to attend, homework and housework, the day is never really through. Time management is an important skill you pick up as a parent. You learn to pick your priorities, and see what you can actually accomplish, and what needs to come first. It's not something I would have wanted to pick up at an early age, but I'm glad I did. Thanks to my daughter.

The child side

  I have two wonderful kids. They keep me young or old, depending on the day I'm having. My girl is almost 9, my boy is 14 months. They are one of the reasons I'm going back to school. The other reasons are for personal fulfillment. My children have a way of making me look at things from another point of view. I always see the adult side first, but I can look through the eyes of my kids and try to see things how they would.