Things I Learned This Week

David was out of town this week so I had a 2 and a half year old and a 3 week old all by myself. I obviously had no time for blogging!! It feels very good to be blogging again! I really enjoy writing and don't have the opportunity to do much of it in my new career as Stay-at-Home-Mom! At any rate, I survived the week just fine. The worst part was that Jessica screamed herself to sleep the first few nights because she missed Daddy. By the last day though, I had things running like a well oiled machine! Thursday morning I got up at 8:10, got a shower, packed a bag for the day, got both kids up, ready, and out the door, and drove 30 minutes to the next town all by 9:15! I also took the kids swimming that day! I was rather proud of myself! Having been thrown in the "Mom of two kids" deep end of the pool rather quickly with David traveling, I learned several important lessons this week:

1. If you want a homemade breakfast (and potentially lunch/dinner) you need to do the prep work the night before! From now on I will make our smoothies the night before so I can just pour them in the morning!!

2. I used to keep track of our finances by hand, but I have concluded that I now have less time at less than regular intervals and less brain cells with which to think. Therefore, I have started using a free Linux financial planning program.

3. I am really enjoying using my Bumgenius diapers since they fit both of my kids! However, if I really want to cut the electric bill, then I should do a load of wash every morning so I can hang them out on the line during nap time.

4. Any outing with children will not be quick or efficient. It is an adventure, a journey, etc. Be prepared to change your plans in an instant and remember to pack accordingly: be prepared for every contingency while traveling as light as possible!!

5. How calm and pleasant your house is each day is largely up to how you choose to approach each situation. You cannot control most things that will happen during the day. You are just along for the ride, so you might as well as make the most of it and enjoy the ride!