Duel Income With Kids

Anyone else make their own Mother’s Day gift? 🤦🏼‍♀️

Momming is SO difficult sometimes. Here’s a “thoughts dump.”

-Mother’s Day is just like any other day

-I’m tired of picking up after everyone

-it’s hard making all the gift plans for holidays

-I wish that now that I’m a mom of 2 the day could be about what I want

-I love the snuggles I have already had this weekend from my boys

Here’s the deal: I don’t think we will get it, based on timing.

I would love so extra time to do progress reports and spend time with my boys, but I’m not convinced when it comes to reports. I think it’s possible that we will be at school for the remainder of the week, to our dismay.

Shitty Moms, Unite?

I have no idea what prompted this Facebook ad. So many of them I can connect to things I have said via text or searched about - but this one hit home.

I have never cared about fashion. Honestly, all that I care about is that I look presentable. I don’t put much stock in how a person looks. The pandemic has made me think more about this on a few different levels.

For one, should I care more about how I look? So many people do their makeup super well and look like entirely different people once they put on makeup. Should I think about that too?

Secondly, people say doing their makeup helps them feel better about themselves and everything, so would I feel better if I did my makeup and dressed up nicely every day?

I’m conflicted. When I wear something I feel good in, that’s great, but I don’t have this burning desire to shop for nice clothes (let’s be real, I’m like 36 with two kids, so not much looks amazingly good on me), and I certainly don’t feel as though I want to go find 1,000 different types of makeup to learn to put on and do it every morning. I would say only 3 out of 5 days in the week I get to dry my hair at this point. (Hi, Gremlins, I’m looking at you and judging your need for all the things before I leave the house.)

It’s midnight on a Friday, so once I finished watching 20/20, a riveting story about a news anchor that went missing decades ago, I naturally decide that browsing the Old Navy app for kids clothes was the thing to do with my time. Then I started looking for myself…. Apparently these types of shirts are back, the kind that have elastic at certain points to showcase certain aspects of the body and hide others. I remember wearing these types of shirts when I was younger…. 2000 me doesn’t want to relive that as a junior high teacher. My boobs aren’t going to fit in that upper elastic area, who the f are we kidding?!

If this is the new trend, I’m going to wear hoodies from now until this madness runs it’s course.

I had a weekend away with the girls. I think the picture will say it all. Wine, chargers, and breast pump accessories. I promise that no contaminated milk was saved during this excursion.

When I arrived home on Sunday, it was a shitshow. Gremlin #2 had massive snot and a crusty eye, along with a fever. Gremlin #1 had no appetite and diarrhea. So, the only logical conclusion was the possibility of Covid. Of course I set my alarm for midnight in order to book covid test appointments, but pressed snooze a few times unknowingly, and didn’t get a covid test until 12:30 Monday afternoon. But thankfully I booked all 4 of us in succession. However, we needed negative tests to return to work, because by Monday morning we all were feeling “off.” Maybe due to the power of suggestion, or maybe a real thing.

All tests came back negative by mid morning on Tuesday. However, I missed two days of work. As a special Ed teacher I will tell you, that sucks.

Tuesday night, I found out my boys were close contacts to a positive case on Thursday. Fantastic. At home tests Wednesday meant I was late for work but no positives. Out of an abundance of caution and a snot machine (Gremlin #2), my parents kept the kids for the day (no daycare).

Thursday, the snot continued, along with no daycare. My parents are also feeling shitty, so it works. PCR tests came back negative today, for everyone.

I am SO over Covid. The husband questions daycare - they are healthy when the don’t go (true statement), but I feel like the social benefits are important for Gremlin #2 - since he has such limited contact with anyone outside our bubble…

Then up with a flash, cuddly gremlin #2 dashed. A dance party began, and now there is no rest, despite it being bedtime and SuperTruck is no help.”

Send the wine

What exactly should a weekend look like for a full time working mom?

Social media makes me believe that weekends should be full of amazing family time, complete with happiness, snuggles, games, and crafts. I mean, haven’t I been missing the Gremlins all week? (Spoiler alert, I have them all evening when they are absolutely at their worst.)

Today, my mom wanted to have the Gremlins, even though my dad and brother had them all day yesterday. She asked if that was okay, since I “may miss them.” Without missing a beat I assured her that she could absolutely have them for awhile!

I promise I love my Gremlins. I love being a mom. I also love using 4 hours to organize the refrigerator and then grocery shop without feeling the need to rush because the Gremlins are quickly taking over my house. They love being alone with Daddy, and Daddy loves being with them, but they go absolutely crazy when mommy isn’t around and make a huge mess. (My husband has a shirt that says, “Dad, Like Mom, only funner,” it is SO true.) I was ecstatic to have them gone for a few hours.

I went shopping and met up with a local mom that made some amazing valentine crayons that I can have the Gremlins to give out! I saw a post in a local moms group on Facebook and jumped on board. Figured it would a cute thing to give out!

I’ve been down and out the past week. I went back to the doctor about my ear infection because my ear started to hurt again (and I still couldn’t hear). Apparently, my ear drum has decided to start inverting and suck further into the ear canal, because, ya know, that makes a lot of sense. Another round of antibiotics (3rd round now), and some ‘roids. Today’s the last day of them, and I haven’t seen much improvement. Might be getting some love from an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor in the near future.

Anyway! Last weekend we did Jurassic Quest with gremlin #1 and some family. Gremlin #2 will not wear a mask, so we don’t take him out much. I love how Gremlin #1 is extra cute when he is a little scared of something but gets brave enough to do it. There were some lifelike raptors that he was nervous about, but after he had some time to process the situation, he really wanted to interact with them.

The soap in the downstairs bathroom ran out today. I love buying soap. I’m a soap snob. I like bath and body works soaps, but not all of them. I’m super selective. Some of them are at too much. Anyway, a few times a year (especially Black Friday) I get a ton of soaps for the bathrooms and kitchen. I know that it’s a waste of money. I’m fully aware that softsoap from BJs also cleans hands. But, we can afford sale soaps a few times a year, and we fill in with softsoap when necessary.

Anyway, the kids were in bed when the soap ran out. I went through a lot of different scenarios. I have no more holiday soaps - which makes sense, because when they were on sale I tried to time things with the holiday - however I specifically remember purchasing one soap on clearance. A fall scent. After fall. 50% of me thought that we just use it right away - 50% of me thought it would sit in the cabinet for 6 months…

Just picked it, it’s good. Zero bad feelings.

My husband has loved this song since it came out. We had it played at our wedding and we have pictures and video of him going crazy. He’s a unique individual. Lately, along with some other things that aren’t so desirable, this has been passed to the gremlins.

Gremlins love it because Dad thinks it’s super cool. They thrash themselves around as if they’re at a rave.

Sometimes this occurs quite close to bedtime. Mom does not approve of that.

Dad left - we need to take the down the tree to help allergies, so we took of the ornaments kid #2 decided he wanted to play Connect 4. He does not know how it works. Kid #1 rediscovered stamps beneath the tree. So now it’s 7:15 and kid #1 realizes stamps are a thing and he wants to use them. Amazing. Thank God bath time happened already.

I love my job. Once break ended and I went back yesterday, I was happy to be back.

But, both children can’t be vaccinated yet because they are too little. Daycare isn’t an option this week, so I pulled the short straw and had to stay home with the kids today. I was actually looking forward to it. I was looking forward to sleeping in, because at the end of break they had started sleeping in until a bit after 7, I was looking forward to playing some games and getting some housework done. Neither slept past 6:15, of course.

Around 10:30 yesterday I remembered that I had a meeting at school that was really important to me and it was essential that I be there. After panicking that I would need to go in to the school for the meeting, I was allowed to do it virtually. But, what about the Gremlins?! At 9:40 I handed the both a buffet of food and drinks, produced iPads and turned on the TV. Almost an hour and not a peep out of them! It was like MAGIC! The end celebration called for favorite chips (salt & vinegar) and a Hershey Kiss.

The day was spent playing random games and racing/crashing remote controlled vehicles. But we contained the mess to one room (I can’t believe it!!) and I was even able to make an actual dinner. Like, a real dinner. A dinner that requires more than 3 steps!

Today was like a HUGE SUCCESS! No one bled, everyone was alive, and I can count the number of tantrums on one hand!

Pictures of one room mess and dinner!

In my mind, it was beautiful. I told child #1 that we would play games and watch Encanto so I can tell him the story at bedtime (I tell him stories as he falls asleep - I prefer Lilo & Stitch and Beauty & the Beast). Instead of my serene scene, we did Perler Beads (I do not recommend this for almost 5 year olds while in the presence of a 2 year old). And played “Feed the Woozle” which is the most stimulating game, ever (not).

So, the other day we decided that the toddler bed for child #2 won’t work anymore. We need to be able to lay in the bed with him. After much consideration, I ordered child #1 a conversation kit to make the crib we used for both boys into a spectacular full bed. We would buy child #1 a full size bed and move the twin to child #2.

At the be haste of the husband this all happened in one day. He was insistent that child #2 not continue to sleep in our bed. So, I pushed through and changed the beds around, upending the kids rooms. Rails for the full bed came today, so I went ahead and put everything together and moved the room around. Also, it’s worth noting that I still can’t hear out of one ear, due to the ear infection…

One weekend. One chance to put it all together. Mom did it.

Oh hey, wait, mom also went with child #1 and bought special sheets at target. Those sheets didn’t have a UPC, so the awesome manage on duty said “how about $10?” when we were checking out (amazing, since I knew that a full size set of sheets was at least $20)” Perhaps they weren’t marked because even though the package says “full” they are clearly the twin size. Already washed them. No turning back. Give them to child #2 I suppose. While putting together the whole contraption…..

Hey, child #1, your gnawing on the side of the crib will haunt you until I fill the damage. Love, Mom.

Nope!

Well, a little bit. I pledge to work on decluttering our lives in 2022.

I spent NYE partying hard with my sister, niece, and my boys - playing trouble, dealing with an obsession with the planets, and continuous screaming about a “ghost” (aka the husband) while being the DD for the said husband - followed by sleeping with child #1 in his new super big boy bed (a full, we moved the twin to child #2 because we couldn’t deal with his toddler bed and not being able to snuggle him properly anymore - this plus sized mama was having an extra time getting him comfortable in the rocking chair - I mean he is a super huge 2 year old, so that *should* make me feel better).

So NYDay was spent with cleaning, most notably the couch, and laundry with the husband. I got back 2 out of the 3 major downstairs rooms… maybe 3 out of 4 if you count the laundry/bathroom.

However, under the couch is clean! (OMFG) and under the cushions are too! The number of cars I found will astound child #1.

No one wants to admit that they let the laundry in the washer sit for an extended amount of time…

What exactly is an *extended amount* of time, anyway?

It was there for 24 or more hours, because, life is too difficult.

Thank the good Lord for baking powder + vinegar.

My saving grace.

Both kids have iPads. Yup, I’m that mom. They are 4 (almost 5) and 2.

Rationale: Starting in Fall 2020, my kids were home with a nanny. A situation called “Osmo” promised me hours of educational (independent) fun for my (then) 3 year old. An iPad seemed like the best option for us. It wasn’t independent, at all, and only entertained him for short periods of time. Fast forward to a few months ago. 2 year old dominates the iPad. See, he found a “shapes game” that was super cool and we thought it was so cute how good he was at it… so we let him play sometimes. Then kid #1 wanted to play at the same time… you see where this is going. So now, we have iPads for each gremlin.

Back to my original issue. Pictures. Kid #1 loves to take pictures and videos. He has a kid camera, but that’s been full for the last like 12 months… so he uses whatever he can get his hands on (my phone or his iPad). Apparently, since I got the new iPad I didn’t turn sharing off. So I get pictures And he gets pictures….

How often should one do laundry? Weekly? Every other week?

We pretty much subscribe to every other week… we should do weekly, because we are a family of four. However, we are blessed and privileged and have way more clothes than we need when it comes to the kids…

But, this break I found shorts in the wash. Seriously, WTF.

Makes me question how often I wash clothes. Are these seriously from like 3 months ago?! Could that be possible?! The sad answer is “Yes.”

We live in Central New York - we have not required shorts in our attire for quite awhile, seeing as it’s December…