Leave it to Beaver Lied

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Not at my house!"][/caption]

Does anyone else wonder what happened to the quiet, calm peace of the 1950's Dinner table?  Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing wrong when I glance longingly at the wine bottle wondering if I should have it with dinner or enjoy a glass as a reward once the kids are in bed. Dinner at my house could qualify for armed forces training. There is flying plates to dodge when Tiny Tyrant spots something she would rather have than her designated dinner, search and destroy missions by Moody Tyrant when he flees the evil poison hidden in his food (anything red or green is immediately under suspicion) and negotiating worthy of the United Nations as I try to keep Mr. Tyrant from loosing his temper with all the drama and chaos.

Meal planning helps to some extent (www.savingdinner.com thank you so much!) but for the most part any given night can be a surprise raid that can turn my world upside down. I constantly walk a very fine line between trying to cook dinners that will suffice for my kids (or have components that I can quickly change up to something they enjoy (such as making Pad Thai but leaving noodles and chicken out and plain), and creating an atmosphere that doesn't completely cater to the tiny tyrants in my house.

I wonder sometimes how much of this is the changing society that our children grow up in.  Are they so demanding of our time because they have so little of it anymore?  Did kids use to enjoy playing outside or by themselves more because they were home with mom all day? Or have we created a generation of children that need to be entertained constantly since they are so very used to the instant gratification of television, toys and constant companions at childcare centers. Moving into the holidays I'm attempting to keep digital interruptions out of our evenings by keeping the computer, iPad and my phone off or ignored until the kids are in bed.   It's my own little social experiment and at the very least I'll spend sometime proving to myself that Pinterest doesn't run my life! :)

My Time

Hubby is upstairs doing the laundry (yes I know He ROCKS!), Alex is supposed to be in bed but I just heard him running around, and where am I...downstairs catching up on American Idol from last week enjoying a brief half hour of me time. The older I get, the more I feel less like the person I think I am. Cryptic huh? There are so many pulls on my time now between being Mommy, Housekeeper, Working Girl, and Wife. This half hour is my time to enjoy some of the things that make me the person I remember in my head but rarely get to see.

Blogging is something that has really let me decompress and unwind, think through thoughts that would sometimes get lost in daily shuffle, and most of all connect with other people who are like-minded. The past year we have dealt with Eric going gluten free, the trials and tribulations of Alex's second year, typical growing pains in our marriage, worries as the economy continued to spiral down, and most stressful of all, we purchased a new home but were unable to sell our old one. We are now landlords to great tenants but the worry never really goes away. Through all of this I have been able to come here and let myself vent, and de-stress. However regardless of how stressful things get there is comfort in knowing others have been there and gone through similar circumstances before.


There are some wonderful groups out there who help connect people with amazing blogs. 5 Minutes for Mom brings a smile to my face with their Ultimate Blog Party (how can I resist a party, even a virtual one :)). Click on the picture and see if you find something new and fun, and don't forget to sign up for some of their awesome prizes at the same time!

Clocking Out

First day back at work went okay!  I did good on the food I ate, whohoo!, and best of all Eric is taking me out to dinner and a movie. I finally get to see National Treasure 2.  I'm excited!!! Since Alex was born I think we have been to the movies and dinner alone 2 times.  Bring on the diet food and entertaiment! 

Short and Sweet

It's finally caught up with me. I was able to hang past midnight most of our vacation but I have been yawning since Alex went down at 7:30 tonight.  It really cracked me up how defensive I was with the few friends silly enough to sound surprised at my ability to hang in there and watch the ball drop.  From the consummate party girl in college to the sleep deprived parent of a toddler, I have gone a long way in a short time.  It wasn't long ago that 9:30 on a Wednesday meant it was time to head to Scruffy's for some hilarious Karaoke.  There's days when I miss that life, and then there's days like today when my bed looks better than anything else.

I got my Curves workout in this morning, and some extra crunches a few different times today.  I even managed to talk myself into 3 push-ups!  I was motivated by the freaking crazy funny commercial that Yo-plait is running right now with the husband who is scouring the fridge for the desserts he hears his wife mentioning.  Looks like I might have to grab some Boston Creme Pie yogurt next time I'm out!