Well, here comes the new year. Christmas has passed again, and I feel for once like maybe I did something worth while. I extended a fundraiser I was doing for a local charity, and am happy to be dropping off some toys for the kids, and I think I taught my child something.
To celebrate all the new toys Christmas brought (thankfully not too many, I really don't want out household to get used to too much, then have it taken away if we hit a rougher patch) we have begun sorting through the old things to see what we can get rid of. Some will be donated, some will be sold. I was a very proud mommy when she agreed to give away some shoes (she collects them just like mommy) for some girls who need them, as well as a few toys and some books. "Then they won't be sad anymore!" She seems very pleased to be able to make some other little girls happy. I am happy that I can instill these values. Not only will it help people who need it, but it will help her to learn the value of what she has. She was very excited that she might be able to go with me to drop off the donations. She is also learning that we can pass on or sell items we don't really need to make room for the ones we do. Small shoes out, bigger shoes in. I may not be able to change the world with a crinkle of my no
0 Comments
We have all heard this over and over and over. It's right up there with you sleep when the baby sleeps for mommy advice. How many of us do it though?
I always have just one more thing to do, just one more call to make, or one more game to play, or load of laundry to wash. The thing is, whether you do it today or leave it for tomorrow, there will always be more. I learned, in a more difficult way, that you really do need to take care of yourself. Why? If you don't, then you wear down. When you wear down, you are not benefitting your children. I personally lost almost half a day with my baby because my body decided enough was enough. I awoke with a heart palpatation. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, and I'm not looking forward to having one again, especially not soon. It was followed a little later with some tummy trouble, and this was all combined with the cold I caught because of my overworked immune system. This lead to phone calls, doctors appointments, time running around that could have been spent at home, and my baby spent some time with a babysitter when she could have been with me.Why? Because I was exhausted. I haven't been getting enough sleep in an attempt to finish my to do list every day, and baby doesn't always sleep through the night. This wouldn't be as big a problem if I didn't have to get up every morning to complete my daily list, and often to babysit. Part of the decision to stay at home was so that I would be able to get things done without working full time and trying to do everything else on top of that, so I have been operating under the assumption that I should be able to do it all. That has caused large amounts of stress, which compounds the problem,and also leads to lost sleep. I was pretty lucky that I only lost a few hours. I went to the doctor, I took a couple small naps, and I spent some time that should have been playing and learning cuddling baby on the couch. That is not completely wasted time, as I think they all need some cuddle time, but it lead to a more boring day then we would normally have. Although, maybe if I had boring days more often then I wouldn't have ended up in that position in the first place. The moral of the story? It's Christmas. We are all so busy running around and rushing to finish everything, are we forgetting that quiet time and rest are important? That our children will ultimately suffer when we fall sick or our bodies fail? Christmas is a time for spending time with our families and celebrating what we have. Our health, or friends, and love. Let's not risk all of that by trying too hard to do too much. Slow down and enjoy the season for what it is, and you will be healthier and happ I sometimes forget the importance of grandparents. Not to me, I always remember how lucky I am to have a family so willing to be involved in our lives, like when I really need to do something and am home alone with children. Grandparents are always the first to volunteer to babysit, no matter how silly the reason you need one. I do sometimes forget their importance in a child's life.
Children need their grandparents. They thrive on the extra love, and always enjoy extra attention. They also benefit from the extra guidance. Not just learning to knock on the door when you are in the shower, or how to hide mommy's shoes, but also a different set of values. They learn that Mommy and Grandma might not always agree on everything, but they still get along. It helps them see that people see the world differently, but that doesn't make one person right and the other wrong. They also learn that people are good at different things (sure Mommy can bake, but Grandma can sew) and that the world does change and that's okay too. Grandparents are a wealth of information! There is no way that we can remember everything our parents ever taught us, and our children won't remember everything we teach them, but I do remember days with Grandma and Grandpa and some of the things they taught me that I would never learn somewhere else. I remind myself of this every time I start to monopolize my time with my child. I want to be with her as much as I can, as time is fleeting and they grow so fast. This makes me feel that grandparents can visit, and should visit, but I stay here too. I forget that she needs to learn that other people love her and care for her, and that she is safe and can be happy with other people too. So, sometimes, I have to force myself to take the time away and let her bond with them. Sometimes it's even fun for me to get out and do something, occasionally not even something I need to do, but that I want to do. It feels as though it's been ages since I last updated, but in fact it's only been a week. A very very long one. Between business calls, friends, and Christmas preparations I thought I was to busy already. Then the rule of three starts.
I remember when I was little, probably almost as far back as I can go, it was mentioned that Grandma always said bad things come in three. They really do. Sometimes it's three in a day, or two days, sometimes it takes a week or two. I had my three this week, and I'm glad they are over too. Don't get me wrong, they were not huge issues by themselves, but when you are already focused on something distractions somehow seem worse then normal. My car was acting lazy. It didn't want to go, didn't want to shift, and didn't want to go up hills, so I thought, ok, it's too cold for summer oil, and sent it for an oil change. This resulted in the news that my battery is wearing down, and I will soon need a new one. Fine. I'll take a day, find a way, and get a new one. Not really a big deal, but just one more thing to do, and one more thing to buy. The next day, my pet is sick. No, I will clarify that, my child's pet was sick. So, of course, off to the vet we go. It is not possible to explain to your child that even though you take her to a doctor every time she is sick, that it's not that easy to get an appointment with a small animal vet the same day. So we went to the next town. It was apparent he was suffering, and there was nothing else to do but pay the vet, get the medicine, and proceed to syringe it down the poor things throat. I stand behind my new belief that the smaller the animal, the more expensive the vet visits, so next time I will get a Saint Bernard so when he's sick, I can tell what's wrong. That was a half day of driving, waiting, and comforting an animal. I love animals, but really! And another thing to pay for. So I arrange a job interview. I am not perfectly qualified, but almost, and could reach the remaining qualifications before the start date. So off I go on the highway on a day with reportedly bad highways, to find out that I'm babysitting early so taking a child to my interview, and then my wonderful car that I've had good reviews about by others driving it that week, is acting badly. So I miss my interview, get stuck in the snow, freeze my feet, and finally get home. All for a hopefully small problem (it was an easy fix, but the reason for it is still unknown and it could be a much bigger problem). There was another half a day, a missed opportunity, and another thing to pay for, with the added fear of it being a much more expensive issue in a week or two. I am calling that my three. That meant I was done for the week, and today was my day of rest. It doesn't help much that the past couple weeks I had my three electronic issues. One of the most useful buttons on my cell phone no longer works, I dropped the tv remote in my drink (non-alcoholic too!), and got liquids in both by cell phone keypa I was feeling badly about it all, and worried about making up the money, then I had some calls and watched the news, and was reminded that I really don't have it that bad. Yes, money will be tighter then I had planned this month and next, and yes, it was stressful when I didn't know what was wrong with my child's pet, and yes, my feet were sooo cold, but so what? We have a roof over our heads, food in our cupboards, and I have a car to worry about. There is a lot of love here, or it wouldn't have been hard to see a sick pet, and yes, we even have presents under the tree. So now, instead of worrying about my hardships (well mostly, as every parent does eventually, I do worry jobs will be lost and I won't be able to feed my baby, or someone will get hurt, or sick, but I'm a mom, it comes with the territory) and I'm going to focus on those who have less and need more. I am focusing my business for the next 2-3 weeks on fundraising for children's charities, I am making all my presents for family so I can put love in them instead of money, and I will be happy even on the days it is hard! These are my gifts to the world, and my way of being thankful for what I have. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, whether it is in a huge house with lots of toys, or a small home with lots of love. If you have neither of those, my Christmas wish for you is someone to see that, and help to make it even a little bit better. I know that I can't save the world, or even all of the children, but if I can help just one person know that someone cares, and wants to help, then I've done something. I worked a trade show this weekend. I was excited going in, and had set goals. I wish to earn myself a free hoodie this month, my company is offering it for high sales consultants. I wanted to make it only a quarter of the way there at my trade show. I did not even come close. I am still considering it a success, as I got the experience, and it benefited the food bank. Now, I am starting my week behind on sales, and am having trouble catching up.
Everything we do help us towards a goal. The more we do, the closer to our goal we get. I apply this in business as well as in life. The more time I spend teaching my child things, the more things she will learn. The more time I spend researching the best Christmas gifts, the more great gifts I will find. So tomorrow, while my baby is off playing with others, I need to focus on my business just as I focus on her when she needs me. Now my business needs me. I must |