The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Once I got the hang of the single mom thing I stopped writing about it. Actually I got so busy and was so worn out I decided I would rather play computer games and watch the Olympics than write. Here are my final thoughts on the whole single mom for two weeks adventure:

*Brought all five kids with me to Costco and we made it out without a scratch on any kid. Of course it helped that sample time was over. :)

*Took a walk on a bike path and the kids enjoyed being outside.

*Went to first day of school with no obvious mishaps. Did I mention it was the first day of school? I only had two kids for four hours and as soon as the kindergartner got home I put baby down for a nap. Loved it!

*Baby took a bottle and went to sleep without too much fuss. No problems after the first few days.

*I was finally able to work out after I dropped three kids off to school. Everyone should have a jogging stroller.

*My computer came in the mail! Granted it was shipped to Utah but came nonetheless.
*The last week there, the high temperature was above 100 degrees. It finally cooled down the day I picked up my parents and brother and wife at the airport. I abhor the heat! At least the kids were able to play on the slip-n-slide to cool down after school.
*In attempts at drying out the back lawn to mow it, I killed some grass in the front lawn. Who has two sprinkling controllers?! Got most of the lawn revived before leaving but never did mow the back lawn.
*I really don't like whining. It bothered me as a teacher and bothered me more as a "parent."
*I have a lot of patience at times and very little at others. See previous line. :)
*Teething babies can be difficult. Gratefully Infant Tylenol did wonders for baby!
*My sister Suzy saved me at times. I saw her everyday and loved talking with her. We talked about the kids, school, our own personal frustrations, and most importantly, the Olympics. It was fun to share my life with her for two weeks.
*Most importantly I came away understanding what kind of mom I want to be and maybe how to be that. The key to that is having a good husband to help. Being a single mom is tough. Every child needs two parents and every parent needs a good spouse to help support him or her. Dads balance out moms and moms balance out dads. I'm sure all you married people understand what I am trying to say. I believe a child needs a mom and a dad. As for those who thought being a single mom of five for two weeks would squash any desire for my own family, they were completely wrong. If anything it fueled the fire.