Real Reality

I was just getting caught up on one of my favorite blogs, by a scrapbooking military wife and mother. I don't know her one bit, but he scrapbooking and vintage collections inspire me. Her recent blog post challenged us to make a little reality inventory of sorts. It sounded cleansing, and just like thing I needed to do right now... so here goes.

My reality:

1. I try my damndest, but my house is a pigsty. Stacks of newspaper litter the kitchen table, which is sticky because I only wipe it down every 2 days. This time of year there is dog hair and cat hair everywhere. Laundry has been known to sit in it's basket folded for weeks before it gets put away. Dishes sit overnight atleast twice a week. Dust is abundant. I think the dust likes it here because it knows I won't wipe it away anytime soon.

2. Atleast two days a week I stay in my pajamas all day long. The kids do, too. Ben likes it beause Theo will come home and call him a "Lazy Bones."

3. I yell a lot. Most days. I hate yelling, but sometimes I simply can't get my points across unless I do.

4. We swear in front of our kids. And when they suck, we swear at our kids. Fortunately, the kids have not yet picked up using the words in everyday language. The day Ben outbursts with the F-Bomb, then we'll make a change. Maybe. Just because we have kids doesn't mean we can change years of being sailors. Trust us, we tried.

5. We only eat out about once a month. We do not "drive thru" places or pick up food on our way home. I despise fast food. And really look down on people who feed masses of it to their kids. That said, my kids can go an entire day eating packaged food like granola bars, cheerios, crackers, go-gurt, and string cheese, or the unpackaged apple and baby carrots they can pull out of the fridge themselves, if I simply can't find the desire to prepare a meal.

6. I let my kids dress themselves if we aren't going anywhere. They almost never match. Nothing they wear costs more than a few bucks, and tons of it come from yard sales.

7. I am content, and not longing for much anything different in our lives (expect the improved credit and larger home lot to play on). What I mean is, I don't miss having a career, or getting validation from an education. I love just being a mom, and wife, to the almost-best of my abilities. If I never went to work again, I'd be okay with it. I like playing in the kitchen, and sewing curtains, and knitting, and scrapbooking, and even cleaning and organizing my home when my energy permits.

8. I am proud and unapologetic for being believing in God, and raising my kids that way. I am pissed when people assume this also means I am closed-minded, racist, idiot, because assuming such is, well, closed-minded, racist, and idiotic.

9. I firmly believe the best thing I have done as a parent is teaching my kids to do for themselves. Seeing parents who do everything for their kids frustrates me. My kids, ages 4 and 5, could probably go an entire day without me, literally. There may be spilled milk on the floor, but they would be dressed, fed, occupied, and even have brushed teeth. They would even clean up their toys! And the cats would clean up the milk. Ever wonder how I have so much time to garden, etc. ? It especially urks me when the parent does everything for the kids because it makes them feel better about themselves--they aren't teaching their kids anything, and thus, aren't parenting.

10. I nap a couple days a week. We make our bed about 4 times a year.

11. I wear make-up maybe 4 times a month.

12. I have terrible facial hair. If I were to really stay on top of it, I'd be waxing every 3 days.

13. Theo is a superhero. This is the truth. Without him, this whole house would crumble. I would lose all control. I know so many women who can't trust their husbands to take charge, but if I wanted to, I could check out completely for days at a time, and the family routine would be unchanged. Most days he gets the kids breakfast before I even find my way to the coffee pot (to sip coffee he's often made for me). Somedays he comes home and prepares dinner while I "get out," and roam the town. I have so much love for him I might burst just gushing about it.

14. I really do love my life.