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.

Things of Note

*Baby likes new schedule so much more. He even refused to let his sister help him eat. He wants me now.
*Five-year old comments maybe innocent but can still be hurtful.
*Being a single mom can be lonely. Good thing I have older sister here to visit with often.
*Two parents are so much better than one.
*Kids need lots of love and affection and attention in life.
*Kids like knowing how to do things themselves. Better to teach them than to say no all of the time.
*This experience has not sqaushed my desire to have my own family.

Moving Right Along

Yesterday, I tried doing one long nap with Eric since the two small naps the past two days wasn't working. Baby slept 3 1/2 hours! He went to bed early too and as a report from this morning slept in until 7:00. My sister Suzy suggested I put a bottle of water in his bed and a book. I heard him "talk" this morning and went to get him out of bed. Low and behold, he had the bottle in one hand and the book in the other. It was nice because he wasn't crying which usually wakes everyone else up too. I want to try this schedule again today. Oh! He also drank 4 oz before going to sleep last night so I am making progress. All the other kids are doing well. They try to convince me that they can stay up later, not clean up their messes, etc. Unfortunately for them, I was a school teacher. Their excuses and pleas don't work.

ABCDEFG...

Yesterday morning, Eric (the 11 month old) barely ate any breakfast. The kid had to be starving! I had a brilliant idea. I had Tiana (8) feed him. Little one ate the whole bowl of rice cereal. Eventually, he will get used to me. That morning we went to the park with my sister Suzy and her kids. It was nice for the kids to run around with friends and get energy out and it was nice for me to talk with Suzy. We always have fun conversations. Lunch was great. Now for naptime. Believe it or not, Eric fell asleep to me singing the ABC song. I sang it over and over again and kept singing it as I put him in the crib. Still sang it and rubbed his back as he settled in the crib. I think I found a winner! I know that parents get a routine down that kids are familiar with and maybe this is my routine with Eric. Suzy also gave me a suggestion to help Eric take a bottle from me. He didn't drink his usual 6 oz. but he drank something. I'm going to keep working on this one. The kid has got to be thirsty. I also used the ABC song again for nighttime and it worked! So Eric slept the whole night long. I also figured out that it was better to put Josh (3) and Andrew (5) down before the older two. I'm getting the hang of this mom thing. I swear it is easier when you add them one at a time instead of five at once!

Being a Mom Day 1

My brother, his wife, and my parents left for Denmark yesterday. Crazy fool that I was, I offered to help babysit his kids while they were gone. In my defense, I offered when they only had four kids. :) Yes, you read that right. I am now a single mom of five kids ages 9 1/2, 8, 5, 3, and 11 months. The kids are getting used to me and my tolerance level, and I am learning what they need. The five-year-old and I are working on helping him use a "house" voice. He loves to yell and scream everything. The older two are just great helpers. The three-year-old is actually doing really well with me and loves to help. That leaves the youngest. Naptime was okay. I finally had to let him cry himself to sleep which he did within five minutes. Bedtime however was almost a nightmare. He was so mad his mom wasn't there. He only drank 1 oz. and refused to calm down. He even started crawling around, crying the whole time, looking for his mom. My favorite is when he put his head on the floor, falling asleep for just a second and then kept searching and crying. Eventually, my niece held him until he was drifting asleep and then I took him. After I put him in his bed, the three-year-old sang to him. Gratefully he slept all night. This morning when I got him out of bed he looked so disappointed to see me instead of his mom. Hopefully he gets used to the fact that I am here.