As I weed my way through being newly single, I find an obstacle at every corner. But I have an amazing family who pitches in where ever they can as well as a great support group of girlfriends who have been there and done that (and have the t-shirt). This is my life line. Those who truly know you and understand you...these are the people you cherish for eternity. The home front is one of the most difficult tasks to maneuver.
I am learning to juggle the house (all 7000 square feet of it), the basic maintenance, the laundry, the housekeeping, the grocery shopping, the snow shoveling (ugh), the two dogs and cat (oh and the siamese fighter fish!), volunteering at my daughter's preschool, and the list goes on. (Oh and did I mention: the house is currently on the market, so it has to stay in tip top shape in case any prospective buyers pop by unannounced. Which we all know Realtors LOVE to do that to sellers!) And add to the pile, teaching my preschooler to read and do basic addition.
The most challenging times though are the evenings. When everyone is tired and hungry (including myself) and there I find myself, just me...no calvary to walk through the door at 7 o'clock and pat you on the back and tell you what a great job you're doing and to lend a set of hands to help with dinner or homework or simply to pour me a glass of Cabernet. Nope, it's just me. Una Madre. During the crazy dinner frenzy last night as my toddler was redecorating my kitchen with PlayDoh and my Preschooler was trying to get Polly's plastic capris on (really, Mattel, you had to make plastic pants?) I started to feel a bit overwhelmed and just took a deep breath. Exhaled and said, "One mommy, only two hands, and two kiddos...please be patient, Love." And she stood there - all 3' 11" of her beautiful self - and said, "Mommy, if I give you my two hands then we'll have four!" Tears welled up in my eyes, and I thought, I love this child (Well, actually to be honest...first I thought, she's starting to get addition!! She does listen to me! Yeah!), this wise little girl at the age of 5 gets that even she has to pitch in and help as best as she can.
So I had her jump right in there and help with making dinner and then she thought it was so fun that we talked about other chores she could do around the house to help out. I love it! Not only because now I have a little helper, but I could see the satisfaction in her eyes and the smile placed on her face from the sense of accomplishment. Who knew folding laundry and doing Toilet Paper duty could build self-esteem?
I know as a mom of a preschooler I'm always amazed and intrigued at what she can actually do compared to what I thought she could do. So here's a few cool sites for getting your little ones involved in the day to day living. Enjoy! And feel free to post your own tips on how you get your little ones to help around the house.
Lotsofkids.com (Great lists broken down into various age ranges!)
12 Chore Chart Tips for SuccessThe Box System, Flower Pot System, Over the door organizer, just to name a few! (Love this article! And my 5 year old is having fun making her own cards from photos in magazines or ads and glueing them to the 3x5 cards. It's a win-win!)
"Ctrl+Alt Parenting" Check out this fabulous Virtual Nanny game!