Moving....

Hi my small number of followers :)  Just an FYI, I have switched blogs.  You can now find me at momstew.  I think this will cover more of what I want to write about, which is a little bit of everything...  Hope you continue to follow me.  I have no posts as of yet, but hopefully in the coming weeks!
Thanks!

First Vacation away from Children, I'm a mess!!

Married, check.

Home, check.

Long road to having children, check.

Married 15 years this August, check.

Going on first vacation ever without children, soon to be a check.

Anxiety, mood swings, being overwhelmed, check, check, check....

I have no idea on how to deal with my first trip away from my children who are 8 and soon to be 5. I am a basket of nerves. I've just never been a parent who has left their child without either parent being there. All of the normal things go through my mind, should my husband and I take different flights just in case something where to happen? Is it smart to Skype with your children while your away or will that make it worse for both of you and for the person taking care of your children? What would you do? how would you handle it?

We are mind you doing a guilt trip with the kids a few months later to Disney World and have vowed never to go on another vacation without them until they are on their own. I'm also wondering if this trip will change my mind on all of the before mentioned? Maybe I'll enjoy it so much I'll want to do it again next year? But my close friends who know me I can cry at the drop of a hat and am a very emotional person even though I can put off a tough exterior when need be.I have been all over the map lately emotionally. Any ideas on how to get though this? I am looking forward to time alone with the hubby and not waking up with four people in bed and two kitty cats, but I'm also feeling I'll look forward to getting back to it to.

Disconnected.....

Recently I disconnected myself from electronics.  I found myself checking Facebook while taking a bubble bath on my iPod touch, or even my nook color and yes my android cell phone.  I wasn't relaxing at all!!!  I was also playing digital games like video poker, blackjack and domino's. Seriously, couldn't what X, Y and Z where doing on Facebook wait until after my bath???  Couldn't I leave the electronic gadgets alone for 30 to 45 minutes. The sad but true answer to that was no.

So I remembered seeing this episode on Oprah where a family disconnected themselves for a month from anything electronic, games, computers and the beloved cell phone which would of course include texting, unless it was for work or school.  Now this was a while ago but for some reason it stuck with me. 

I could see myself in this family.  Me watching a show I DVR'd early in the week on the couch while on my laptop talking to someone on Facebook or playing a game.  Husband downstairs watching TV since I took over the upstairs TV because that's the one with the DVR.  So now we are on separate floors, kids are doing their own thing, but all of us separate and disconnected from each other in every way.

The Plan:

Sell Droid on eBay.  Put laptop in spare room upstairs and only use it when necessary.  No electronics other than my Nook while in the bath to read.  Check email, facebook and surf the net 3 times a day.

Now this was hard for me, BIG TIME!!!

The Result:

Droid sold on eBay for $140, I got it for free almost 2 years ago.  I'm also saving $29.99 a month on my cell phone plan because I no longer have a smart phone.  I have what I like to call, a not so smart phone, but it's smart for our bank account!!!

I'm actually reading and enjoying books again.

Hubby and I started working out in the basement together every night and the first week we are both down in our weight!!  We are also planning healthy meals together (more on that in another blog post later), and we are eating together again as a family.  Something I always did growing up as a kid and so should my kids!!

With making myself only go on the computer 3 times a day, I am getting so much done around my house.  It's not that I couldn't keep up with the housework, I was spending too much time on the computer, so I wasn't getting anything done...

And where else does this help?

My hubby is happy, he gets to spend time with me (bonus), and the house is being kept up.  We are setting an example for our children.  One day they will look back on their childhood and think about family dinners and spending time together not apart.  .  And yes this was part of my 3 times allowed on the computer...

Have I had the urge to go back to my old ways, have I faltered?  Yes.  My cell phone carrier Verizon started carrying the I phone 4, thought seriously about getting it.  But I stopped and said to myself, I have the iPod touch, only thing it doesn't do is make phone calls.  So still saving the $29.99 a month and just saved the $$$$ on getting a new smart phone.  Have I gone over my said allotment of 3 times a day on the computer, yes, but not a lot, which is a considerable improvement!!!  And I'm back to relaxing in my bubble bath as I have a glass of wine with a locked door and fan on so I don't hear the kids :)

So are you overly connected?  Do you think about disconnecting yourself?  Have you tried it and failed?  I think I've come to a great middle ground :)

Organized or Un-Organized where do you fall?

Being organized, either you have it or you don't... which category do you fall into?  We'll I'll break the rules and say I fall into both!  I am very organized, to the point if you need a receipt from 3 to 5 years ago I can find it for you in less than 5 minutes, no joke, the hubby tested me on this and I won!!  But on the other hand I have piles of stuff everywhere...  It has a place, but for some reason I just don't put it where it belongs.  Instead I'll waste a day re-organizing my piles and putting the stuff where it belongs.  I know in my head it would be so much easier to just put it there in the first place, why don't I just do it???  Are you with me on this?  Do you do the same thing and to what extent?  I've watched talk shows about being organized and it always gets me in the mood to tare a closet apart and re-organize everything in it, it will last for a while, then you won't be able to open the door "again"!!

So my question to you, which category do you fall into?  And if you can't stay organized, how can we expect our children to be?  You know how we are always sending our kids to their rooms to clean and organize, but please please please don't open my closet, because my kids may just look at me in bewilderment!!

Weather is getting nicer... Pros and Cons

Don't get me wrong, I love nice weather as much as the next person.  But as a mom have you ever weighed the pros and cons of winter versus spring/summer/fall?  We are not even out of school  for the summer, haven't even really enjoyed spring yet, but the drama on our street has begun...  I know you moms out there with grade and middle school aged children know what I'm talking about.  We've been there and lived through it.

Benefits of winter, you can pick and choose who your kids play with in your home or theirs.  If it's freezing outside kids stay inside.  Con's of winter, kids play inside :)

Benefits of spring, summer, fall, kids play outside :)  Con's of spring, summer, fall, kids play with whomever is outside, even the kids they normally don't play with.  You are no longer in control of the dynamic, it's up to the kids, hence kid politics.  Kid politics involve deciding if they want to play with the kid that rams their bike into yours, or the kid that is constantly saying bad words (which you hear all about later).  You have to decide to let them make these choices on their own and deal with the fall out later.  But it is so hard to give up that control you had during the winter!!

So you have to watch your child go back out the next day and put themselves into that same situation, over and over and over again, hoping that it will change, but we know it never will, we've been there, we've lived through it...

So as a mom, how do you handle it?  How do you handle the hurt the frustration? 

When will a mom learn??

When will a mom learn when enough is enough??  That is the question I ask you.  I turned 40 this past March and I’ve had my drinking days in my 20’s and 30’s, you would think that once you hit the big 40 that I would know when to stop?? I can’t handle it like I use to.  Hence camping out on the couch for a whole day for sharing way too much wine with the hubby!!  Then your 8 year old puts it into perspective when he says to you while you’re lying in the fetal position, that at least you didn’t drive, because that would be a crime….  You have to smile and hope he remembers that when he’s 21 and legally able to drink.  Your 4 year old brings you ice water while you’re in the bathroom waiting with the porcelain god (just in case), not knowing that water makes you feel more nauseous.  Did I get through the day, yes, will I get through tomorrow, yes.  Did I say what I always said in the past, of course I did, I will never drink again, hahahaha…. Hubby comes home and offers me a beer with a smile on his face, grrrrrrr.  It’s almost midnight and I’m still feeling the effects of my stupidity.  Will I ever drink again, yes, but hopefully I’ll know when to “stop” next time.

How I survive being a Constant Mom...

Well there are so many ways I survive being a constant mom...  DVR is essential!!!  I can't live without watching Nate Berkus everyday while I fold laundry!!  And I'm just going to put it out there, wine, yes I said it, wine.  Sometimes you have one of those days that calls for a good Merlot.  But the best ways I survive being a Constant Mom is the hugs and kisses I get from my children and the I Love You's make you pretty much forgive anything they've done :) (almost)

I am new to blogging, but back in high school I LOVED to write.  So why not do something that I love, in between getting breakfast, lunch and dinner on the table.  Oh yeah, and lets not forget dishes, laundry, changing beds, homework, you see where I'm going with this.

I think I'm going to love connecting with all the moms out there that are like me through everyday stories, advice and tips!!!

See you tomorrow!