When You're With Them, Be WITH Them.

"This has got to be one of the hardest habits for me to break."

let me start off by saying, i love my son more than anything. he is my world. but being 10 months old, sometimes he's not all that "exciting" to be around. I'm not the kind of mom who sits and plays with her baby all day long, 24/7. he has his alone playtime, and i have mine. but when i AM playing with him, i am noticing more and more that I'm not actually WITH him. This has got to be one of the hardest habits for me to break.

Computers, Social Media, iPhones, TV's... yes, we love all of these things and sometimes, being a SAHM these things mean our sanity. but how often are we using these things when we should be with our children?

i am SO guilty of this! When I'm playing with Oliver and he's not being the best "entertainer," i find myself pulling my phone out of my pocket and going on Instagram or checking my Facebook. i figure, "Well I'm still in the room; I'm still sitting on the floor next to him; that works for our "together time."

NO WAY!

when you're with you children, be WITH them.

this has been very hard for me to learn but it is SO important to remember.
it is extremely easy to turn on the TV for you or your child so it makes your playtime with them easier. or to sit your baby down on the floor and check your e-mail or Facebook.

sometimes i even find myself taking pictures of Oliver being cute (as usual) and it's totally harmless, but when i sit there for ten minutes editing the picture and posting it on my Instagram and then continuing to scroll through my news feed... that's when it becomes wrong.

one day i was feeding him his breakfast and he was taking forever to chew each bite (even though he has no teeth yet) so i pulled out my phone and started scrolling through my news feed to waste time while Oliver was chewing. he then grunted and took my phone out of my hands and threw it on the ground. MY 10 MONTH OLD!!

yeah, that hit me hard!

since i don't dedicate my ENTIRE day to playing with my son one on one, i OWE him my full attention for that one hour. at LEAST!

just some food for thought. i'm not saying get rid of your phones or TV, (those things come in HANDY when you're a parent.) I'm just saying to take an hour out of your day and leave your phone in another room and keep the TV off and just play with them. (or talk, if your kids are older)

Much Love
xoxo,

"What Do You DO All Day?"

I'm going to start off my first blog with a vent...

Being a mom is hard. not only is being a mom hard, but a Stay-AtHome mom is hard. why? you ask. first off, if you had to ask "why," it's either because 1. you are NOT a stay-at-home mom, 2. you do not have children and/or you are not married, 3. you are a man. 

people say, "being a stay-at-home mom must be the easiest job in the world. you get to sit on the couch all day, watching tv (or blogging). you get to do what you want, go where you want and play with your babies all day! what could be better?"

HA!!!

being a SAHM (Stay-At-Home Mom) isn't all it's cracked up to be. let me tell you me normal routine:

-wake up early from a crying baby

-change diaper

-make a bottle

-MAYBE get another hour of sleep if it's before 5am

-wake up again

-feed baby cereal

-make coffee for mommy

-play (i.e. tire baby out for his morning nap)

-make another bottle

-put baby to sleep

-finally drink coffee (though it's cold)

-reheat coffee

-make breakfast for mommy and daddy

-feed husband

-feed myself

-drink coffee (it's cold again)

-reheat coffee

-get baby up from his nap

-change diaper

-make bottle

-put baby in play room

-reheat coffee (not even trying it first this time)

-clean up kitchen

-play with baby (work on new skills)

-put baby down for short nap

-reheat coffee

-sit and drink half the cup

-clean up baby toys

-clean other rooms in the house

-sit for a few minutes

-get baby up from his nap

-change diaper

-feed him lunch

-clean up baby's lunch

-mommy eat lunch

-clean up lunch

-make bottle

-put baby in play room

-hide in the bathroom for silence

-pour coffee down the drain (knowing i'll never actually finish it.)

-start on dinner

........

after that, every night is a little different depending on my husband's schedule... but you get the picture. i don't just sit on my butt all day long. and when i DO sit, it's because i need to crochet. (i sell baby hats online to make a little extra money for the family.)

so, probably the WORST thing someone can say to a SAHM is "what do you DO all day?"

if you are a SAHM, you can relate.

i would love for you to comment and tell me what YOUR Stay-At-Home Mom experiences are and what bugs you when people say "that must be easy."

Much Love, 

Mama Kelley