Unpredictable bliss: January 2014

Monday, January 27, 2014

SAHM vs WM - My Two Cents

I'm a stay at home mom. I enjoy being a SAHM. I have not always been a SAHM and it bugged me on a daily basis. I would feel sick to my stomach going to work. Not that I didn't like my job, but because I ached to be with Emmy. This is not the case for every mom.

I was at a play date yesterday with a working mom. She mentioned this video. Granted, it is a heartwarming short film about how sweet motherhood is and taking care of kids day in and day out is tedious and not for everyone, but do SAHM think that working moms don't do the same things on a daily basis that we do? I mean, we all love our children and just because one mom stays home or goes to work doesn't mean that any one of us love our kids any less.

I feel like there is a war going on between SAHM and WM (working moms) that doesn't need to be happening and it is kind of sad that the judging is happening when all we should be doing is concentrating on raising our children to the best of our ability and building each other up.

We all have sleepless nights, we all play nurse to a sick child, we all discipline for unacceptable behavior, we all feed our children, we play with our kids, and teach them our values. No one of us should be idolizing our way of life and judging others for not choosing our lifestyle.

I don't know about other moms, but I'm just trying to stay sane on a daily basis.

There are videos of working moms too. Like this one (it is long and I skipped through some parts, but it does show that working moms are no less "mom" than SAHMs.

I just want to reiterate that we are called "mom" and whether we stay home or work (in any sense) our responsibilities are the same and taking care of our kids should be our highest priority.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Life Lately

So, the threat of a PT test puts my husband in fitness overdrive. We have been eating more clean that we ever have and doing INSANITY workouts almost every night. My whole body hurts, but I think it is nice to do something challenging with my husband.

While Caleb and I are on a fitness kick, Emmy is on a Frozen kick. Everyday we are either watching the movie (thanks to a friend for the link!), listening to the soundtrack, reading the book, or acting out scenes from the movie. Elsa and Anna are common names in our house lately.

And, thanks to postpartum hormone nosedives, my hair is in desperate need of an overhaul. A cut and some color is in my near future.

I'm thinking...

A cut like this

With color like this...

We shall see.

Friday, January 17, 2014

That time we went to the movies...

...And took 18 people with us. - 9 kids (one nine, eight, seven, year old; two five year olds; three, three year olds; one 3 month old) and 7 adults.

Yes, one rainy day, the week after Christmas, the Wilkes clan decided to venture out to see the new Disney movie, Frozen.

Since then, Emmy has been obsessed with everything Frozen. She asks to watch the movie at least once a day, wants to have dance parties with the music from it, and quotes scenes constantly. If only I could get her to learn her bible verses with as much enthusiasm.

Mesmerized by Frozen.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Elana

My second born daughter is four months old now. It has been a long and short four months. The most challenging and happiest four months. I figured it was time to do an update on my current youngest child for me to remember how she has grown without losing the memories through my sleep deprived state of being.

Elana is such a happy baby. I'm really not just saying that because she is my kid, but she really is happy. Her smile is HUGE and very contagious. She doesn't like to be alone and will cry out if she isn't in the presence of others and she loves to let you know that she is around by cooing and babbling often, so I'm gathering that she will be a social butterfly, unlike her sister.

As I am anxious to see what her personality will be like, but I also don't want to rush the growing process. I love her being little and wish I could keep her that way.

Currently, Elana is not sleeping through the night. I'm working on it. We had her four month appointment a few days ago and I wanted to wait until then to start her on rice cereal. So far, she LOVES it, but I'm still waiting on the sleeping benefits. Maybe she is just going through a growth spurt now too, but being woken up three times at night is no fun.

She is getting much better with her trunk control and using her hands more and more.

What I love most about having Elana, is seeing her and Emmy interact. The way Elana watches Emmy is heartwarming. Emmalyn has no idea how much she is adored by her sister. I love how Emmy has taken on her role as big sister. She loves to read to her sister, show her new toys, take baths with her, help get her dressed, and is constantly telling her sister how much she loves her. Never having a sister myself to grow up with, I'm enjoying the view.

Monday, January 6, 2014

2014 goals

I don't usually make new year's resolutions, but the more I think about it, the start of a new year is as good of a time as any to reevaluate one's state, reflect on the past year's mistakes and failures, and make goals to better the next year.

For me, most of 2013's self discoveries happened after Elana was born and I intend on taking what I've learned and moving forward.

In the next 358 days I intend to...

Get more organized

I'm obsessed with cleaning. And as my house is clean, it really isn't organized well and there are so many things that need to be overhauled with organization. My kitchen, important papers, toys, clothes photos, computer files, time, I could go on and on. I also know, from experience, that getting organized won't happen unless I take baby steps and work on one thing at a time. So, I'm going to try to take one thing a month that I'd like to organize and get it done the best way I know how.

Purge unneeded things

I do this yearly. Mostly because we have moved every year that we have been married and moving makes it easy to see the things you never use. I love it. I'm the opposite of a hoarder. However, I need to get rid of clothes. I have clothes from before I ever has children, while I was pregnant with my girls, clothes from immediately after giving birth, a few more months after giving birth, and then regular clothes. Granted, they are all organized, but there is a lot of them and no way I'll ever be able to wear them all again. So, once a month I'll be going through my closet to purge pieces I know just need to go.

Play more with my girls

I want to be a mom whose children remember me being engaged with them. I love teaching Emmy things and seeing Elana learn new things daily. I have to remind myself that the baskets of laundry and the sink full of dishes can wait. The chores will get done in time, but time won't stop and my babies won't quit growing.

Save some money

Lord willing, this year we plan to purchase a house. I'm not getting my hopes up because life seems to get in the way of the plans I make, but it is still in the back of mind. I'm elated to think of having a home of my own to do with what I choose and I have some major pinterest ideas to put to work.

workout more

I know a lot of people say this, but this isn't completely about losing weight (although losing some post baby lbs would be nice). I've been trying to run lately (I say "trying" because I'm extremely slow and out of shape), and I feel really good when I finish. I've noticed I'm more patient, less anxious, and happier when I sweat some. It is beneficial to everyone around me ; )

Do some things for myself

As a stay at home mom or two who works randomly at two different jobs, saving my sanity is important, but keeping it as a priority can get lost in the mix of everyday life. Once a month I'd like to do something for myself. And this does not equate to going grocery shopping by myself. I'm talking, a girls night out, a massage, take a trip, have a date night with the father of my girls - something that doesn't involve any of my jobs (photography, nursing, and mothering). This month I'm attending a girls night out with some fellow RN friends and all of us could not be more excited to get away and hang loose.

Now, hopefully I can just keep up with all of this and keep you all informed on how things are going.