Cheesy Rice Surprise.

The thing that I like least about being a full time mom is the cooking… the constant worry about meal time. When I was working, it was pretty easy… buy lunch at work and my mom’s cooking for dinner!

I have never cooked this much in my life! My toddler and preschooler together can eat more than 1 ‘grown up sized’ meal. Sometimes I make some really weird dishes, like last night we had ‘Cheesy Rice Surprise”! Actually, there was no surprise, but it does sound better than just plain “Cheesy Rice”.

Before my kids started eating actual meals, I really did not have an urgency to cook, my husband is not picky, and neither am I… we just ate whatever… or ate out a lot. My desire to prepare meals only comes because of my kids, and I do try to give them something balanced, so the eating out is very seldom now.

So, here is the ‘Cheesy Rice Surprise”… rice, shredded cheese, minced chicken, corn, broccoli, carrots… cook in a sauce pan and “wla!” (as my preschooler like to say)

Daddy is a ‘meaniac’.

Tired? Frustrated? Stressed out at work? Now available…safe, socially-acceptable sedatives for kids!

Ok, I am just kidding… But, sometimes a parent just needs a break…

My husband, who is ordinarily a great dad, has been working a lot of long hours and has been very stressed out lately… My preschooler has noticed this change in his dad who has been very short-tempered with him. Last night he told me that “daddy is a meaniac”!

I understand that parenting and “not losing it” is hard for parents with full time jobs (I used to be one), but at the same time, it’s also hard to be a full time parent. I want to let my husband have some time alone to relax, but I would like some time alone too! I am wondering how to find the balance with 3 small kids. As much as I would like to think that I am not one of those moms that just hand off the kids as soon as the dad steps into the house from work… sometimes I am that mom. (Sometimes we are all “that” mom!)

Usually my husband is the cool-tempered one, the one who remains calm in the face of toddler destruction, the one who can reason with a preschooler having an argument using every word in his vocabulary, the one who can hold a crying newborn till he falls asleep… I wonder if I am causing him to turn into a ‘meaniac’?

At least kids seem to forget the bad things really fast… so tonight daddy is back to being his ‘best friend’!

Parenting, alone time.

My kids are with my mom, my husband is working tonight, and I finally have some “alone time”!

But, hold on, who’s that in the crib? Oh right, the newborn!

Being a mom to newborn number 3 is a stark contrast to my days as a first-time mom… time ’alone’ now really translates to time ’alone with the baby’. I remember being a first time mom, and needing to spend time ‘alone’… it was really hard to take care of a baby.

Upon reflection, I don’t think that it was hard to take care of the baby, I think the hard part was adjusting to the fact that now my life is no longer my own… Here is this little person who depends on me for all his needs, who needs me for comfort, who can sometimes only be pacified by me… that was the most responsibility I ever had!

Today, my newborn is a source of comfort for me, I hold him when I am ready to relax, I play with him for my entertainment… Now, my newborn is my stress-relief.

Three children make ’alone-time’ a little impossible! But at least now I am not wishing that my baby is growing up faster than he needs to, I am appreciating the fact that he can’t sit up yet, than he can’t crawl yet, that he can’t walk yet, that he can’t talk yet, that all he needs is milk… well, you get the picture!

Frozen Ice & Shrinky Rope!

My kids are super heroes! Well, at least the preschooler and toddler are.

The preschooler came up with the names himself… and I did not even realize that they had super hero names until my husband pointed it out! Guy thing?!

Now, they go running from room to room pretending to do “super hero” activities… actually the preschooler does most of it and the toddler just follows behind!

Too much TV?!