Let's Get Real Some More

Well, that was fun! It was a relief to get some of my hidden fears into the open, and I loved reading yours too. More stuff has come to mind today, so I think I'll keep sharing.

7. I really struggle to appreciate my children's artwork. I know that they need to create, and I love to see what they do, but in the pit of my stomach there is always this feeling of dread when they bring me something they just drew. Now I have another treasure, priceless to my child, which they want me to display prominently (preferably hanging on the wall next to my bed) and which I want to throw away as quickly as possible. Then I feel guilty for being so heartless. I have set up a system that works pretty well, but they keep insisting that this one is SO special that I just HAVE to hang it in my room (which is my husband's and my sanctuary and I want to keep it as clear of toys and kids' clutter as possible).

8. Speaking of keeping my room kid-free, we have had babies sharing our room for much of our marriage. And we have never had a real bassinet. They sleep in portable pack-n-plays. I feel bad about it sometimes, but mostly I just haven't seen the need to invest in something fancy when this works just as well.

9. We do not have enough storage space for our kids' clothing. Currently our 7-year-old keeps her clothes in a plastic 3-drawer thingy from Walmart that we happened to have. Our 6-year-old has a broken down dresser that was found as junk in front of someone's house which we refinished for her, but the drawers don't really work right. Our 4- and 2-year-olds have overflowing baskets on shelves in their closet (I actually like this arrangement; less fussy than a dresser and easier for them to put their clothes away themselves. Well, at least for the 4-year-old. Though he rarely puts them in the right basket.) Our babies used to share one dresser/changing table combo, but now that they're getting bigger I can't fit all their clothes in it, so our 9-month old has the dresser to herself while our 6-month-old's clothes are in (and on) a plastic bin next to the dresser.

10. I dislike crafts with a passion. The mess, the trouble, it just gets to me. Especially when there are toddlers around to make it more complicated. So, unlike my friend who does it anyway, I do not. At least, we do as little as I can get away with. Tonight my girls are painting because we got our school work done early and I told them we could do fun stuff this afternoon/evening. So I could hardly tell them no when they've been waiting weeks (or months) to do these projects (one of them is an unfinished box my 5-year-old got for her birthday last June). When I finally do let them do it I feel like SUCH a good Mommy though!

11. We usually eat dinner sometime between 7-8pm. Then the kids get in their jammies and go to bed. It's not how I grew up, and it seems rather strange to me, but our kids are used to it. And it just seems to work for us. But I always feel a little guilty that we have snack time around 4pm and don't have dinner until late. I'm not sure why I feel guilty about it though, except that we are not like a lot of other people who eat earlier.

Okay, my kids want me to help them with their crafts. Sigh. Guess I'd better go!