Idle Time is Never Idle

Idle hands are Satan's workshop.

Is that how the saying goes? Well. Satan has nothing to do in my house, because my hands are always busy--holding Bird, petting Luther, washing dishes, folding laundry, doing various skirt-work tasks (thank my husband and brother-in-law for that little gem), or knitting.

Ahhh, knitting.

I had some down time this evening, so I completed a small project for myself.

Let me be honest. I sat a basket of clothes down next to me on the couch...and then I picked up my knitting. I didn't really have down time, but I made some anyway.

Back to business, though. Here's what I made:

Nothin' major, just practical. Boot stuffers. They'll keep the wind outta my boots and I don't have to contend with the full length of traditional leg warmers.

Pattern is here. It's free until October 1. After that I'll charge $1.50.

That's all I have for ya tonight.

Sweet dreams, dear reader.

I'm Still Here.

Just in case my reader was concerned, I wanted to let you know that I am still alive and kickin'. Usually, I'm just kickin' stuff out of my way as I mosey through my house/obstacle course, but still.

More to come later in the week. :)

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

So, Wade & I have decided for certain...we are going to move out of Hagerstown.

I don't know when.

I don't know where we'll go once we're out of here (either to my parents', a rental, or right into our new home).

All I know is, we're excited (and also terrified) at the thought.

:)

Invasion of the Body Snatcher

That's right...just one Body Snatcher. My body has been snatched by some loudmouthed, impatient,  sleep-deprived dairy-cow equivalent, and my husband is still the patient, mild-mannered, quiet man he's been since I met him. 

He deserves some sort of award for putting up with such a terrible excuse for a wife.

Apparently, I've been so grouchy lately that he can no longer tell the difference between my nice tone and my "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP" tone. Red flag! Someone needs to change her attitude!

I'd like to say that sleep will do the trick, but that's only part of the issue. Most of the issue lies in the unrealistic expectations I have of myself.

Our house is a disaster most days. We have more stuff than we have space. We have more laundry than we have clothing storage options. We have more mess than we (I) have time to clean up. I have to remind myself everyday that I am a stay-at-home MOM, not a stay-at-home housekeeping service. 

I'm also not a machine. I can't honestly expect to have energy for sex when I barely have energy to dress myself for public viewing. I'm usually really happy with myself if I remember to brush my teeth and put on deodorant in the mornings after my shower...that is, on the days that I actually get a shower... And because of the lack of sleep, I'm even more critical of myself because that's how I get when I'm not getting adequate sleep. I get hypercritical. And then, because I'm picking on myself and telling me how horrible of a wife I am and how awful a mother I am, I start to get depressed, and that just makes things so much worse. And that, in turn, makes me not want clean the house. It makes me want to knit or sew or crochet and play with my son because those things make me feel a little less crappy.

I used to be fun to be around. That no longer seems to be the case. So, hopefully, the Body Snatchers will return my former self and make things right in my world again. 

That's all I need. My self. And sleep. And, well, some really good lovin'.

Being a parent is hard.

Yes, I realize my son is only 5 1/2 months old, but it's true. Being a parent is hard.

When Wade and I were dating, our biggest decision/concern on any given day was what to do for dinner. When we got married, our concerns turned toward paying off debts and saving as much as we could. And then when we had Luke, our (my?) concerns seemed to grow into these gigantic snarling beasts that won't leave me alone at night.

Being a wife and a parent is hard.
If you ever feel like you don't spend enough time with your husband, have a baby. Then you'll know what it's like to really not have enough time to spend with him, let alone enough energy to stay awake long enough for any quality time.

Being a stay-home wife and mom is hard.
"Oh, it sure must be nice to be able to stay home and not work."
Yeah, it must be. Wish I knew what it was like.
Thankfully, I have been blessed with a very "easy" baby. He was not colicky. He has no major health concerns other than that pesky bubble on his shoulder, which will be removed next Thursday. He sleeps through most of the noise generated in my home, including the dog and the vacuum cleaner. He is happy, through and through. And even with all of that good fortune in the baby department, I still cannot seem to get on top of the housework. I do laundry almost every day. I constantly have dishes to do. Constantly. My bedroom is a total disaster. My guest room/finished attic/storage area is something comparable to an episode of Hoarders I once saw. The basement isn't much better. Luke's room is still, actually, being turned in to his room.

I haven't felt this inadequate as a person in about 5 years.

Does that feeling ever go away, once the kids come along and seemingly suck the life right outta ya?

I hope it does. I miss me...

a little of this, and a little of that

I've been rather busy these past couple weeks as I've begun clearing out the little room in which Luther sleeps so that I can transform it into my sewing/crafting room. Realizing that the room will be there, but moments with my son will pass and never return, I spent my day out on the front porch with him. We enjoyed the fresh air, the sounds of the birds in the trees...watched squirrels play in the grass, and did some playing of our own on a lovely handmade quilt laid out on the planks that make up our old porch.

It was a day well-spent.

Time Warp

Whoever it was that said "A baby changes everything" certainly cannot, and should not, be considered a liar.

It's been over a month since my last post. Whaaaat? Apparently, this time of year is busy whether I am teaching or not.

Time has been flying by outside the walls of my home, but inside it seems as though it is simultaneously passing quickly and dragging. My beautiful baby boy will be 14 weeks old this coming Thursday, but there's no way that's possible. Mother's Day is in less than a week. My two-year anniversary is coming up in October. And at Christmas, Little Bird will be nearly 1 year old.
But these long, drawn out nights of up-every-two-hours, the inconsolable crying due to teething pain, the endless diaper changes (I think our record is 4 in one hour) are all what help to make time seem to stand still in here, not to mention the sudden explosion of laundry in every room of our home, grass that grew a foot and went to seed overnight, and my inevitable lack of productivity.

I have pictures to post, but Little Bird is between moods right now. He's making happy sounds, but has an odd look on his face.

It may be time for a diaper change.