Sunday, June 14, 2009

Things have changed

You know, being a mommy really is confusing. I will go months, with nary a complaint about my babies. Honestly, my kids are pretty good. Porgie is a very good listener, and Izzy is usually eager to imitate his big sister. Most of the time, I walk around feeling very proud of my well-behaved children. But not all of the time. Sometimes, I wake up to find little demons roaming around my house. When I wrote this post, my kids were at a peak of horrible behavior. They were fighting with one another, whining over every little thing, and defiantly breaking the house rules. After a few days, their attitudes began to wear me down, and my patience was shot.

My mother arrived at the perfect time. She was a great distraction for the kids. They loved the attention that grandma lavished them with. They loved getting to go somewhere fun with her everyday. They loved all of the presents she gave them. And I loved that they stopped whining incessantly. It was perfect really. My mom (who is normally not my favorite person), saved the day. She helped to pull all of us out of a funk. Not only that, she worked really hard to fit seamlessly into our lives. She read the kids stories before nap time. She watched the kids while I ran to the store for groceries. She actually listened when I talked to her. Honestly, it felt like my mother had transformed into an entirely different person - a person I might actually want to be around. I enjoyed having her here. It has probably been at least 15 years since I have enjoyed her company.

Needless to say, I was dreading my mother's departure. I was afraid that we would fall back into the same rut we were in before she came. But to my surprise, Porgie and Izzy have been awesome this week. I even started coming down with a cold on Friday morning, and I decided to have a lazy day at home. The kids happily played in the house all day, with minimal tantrums. AMAZING!

Although my mom's visit was great, I was kind of happy to see her leave. I just wanted to have my house back to myself. I was constantly cleaning the entire time she was here. It felt like I was always picking up toys and washing dishes. When she flew home on Wednesday morning, I let the kids go hog wild...
I didn't pick up a damn toy all day. And it felt GREAT.

So, things have mellowed out and I am feeling like a peaceful mama again. Thank goodness for grandma:)

13 comments:

amanda said...

yay for hog wild and lazy days!!

much deserved friend :)

and very glad mom's visit was the perfect funk buster!

anymommy said...

Those are good days. I'm so glad you all had such a good time.

Antropóloga said...

I'm so glad to hear you and your mama had a good time!

Chris said...

That's awesome! Visitors can make or break you... glad it was a "make" situation.

Laura Marchant said...

My kids bedrooms have looked like that for the past week. Every time I clean it they mess it all up. I gave up last Tuesday.

Marni's Organized Mess said...

Great post. I know all of these feelings.

Amber said...

That's looks like my house every single day! Why do they feel the need to take every thing out of the box!?

Rachel said...

sometimes we need things to change to open our eyes. we all go through the same stuff. sometimes I feel like nobody is listening and then other times I feel like all the planets are aligned

Just Jiff said...

Glad it was a good time.
And did you photo Bayley's room? heh.

Jen said...

That is a LOT of toys! I am always happy to see my parents come- not too sad to see them go... that is the way it is meant to be! It IS nice having babysitters around though.. sheesh!

Danielle said...

haha. It sounds like the visit was just what you needed!

Becks said...

That is great you enjoyed your time with your mom! I wish so bad i lived near my mom just to have some help. I love the last picture! I love days where i dont pick up anything and just dont give a damn. It can always get cleaned up later!

Anonymous said...

I am glad you enjoyed her stay, for sure. I can sympathize with the mother woes, my mom and I have a complicated relationship, too -- sometimes we enjoy each other (rarely) but mostly we are at each other's throats.

Glad the kids are being better, though! (I hope i haven't spoken too soon?)