Five Questions

I've recently started following the blog "Five Kids is a Lot of Kids".  She's a mom blogger who also lives in the Portland metro area.  As you can tell by her URL (http://putdowntheurinalcake.com), she's got a sense of humor on top of some great stories and insight.  The other day she posted these questions for her followers to answer.  I wanted to share my answers and see what you all out there may have to say for yours:  

(P.S.  Yes, I know that the numbers below are all "1" I can't figure out how to get Blogger to fix it... so... I'm dealing).

5 Quick Questions on Parenting

1. If you could go back in time and whisper one thing to yourself when you were a parent of young ones, what would it be?

My daughter is only 18 months, so still quite little, but, if I was going back to when she was REALLY little, I think I would tell myself, "You're doing a good job."  I constantly felt like I had no idea what I was doing.  It's scary being a first time parent who hasn't been around babies in YEARS, and is suddenly (without any sort of formal training), in charge of a very little, fragile little thing that depends on you for EVERYTHING... including to know when something is wrong and to be able to fix it.  I would definitely tell myself that things are going to be ok, and that I'm an amazing mom.  =)

1. What’s one change you’ve made in your parenting or your house or yourself that’s allowed you to breathe easier? 

We hired a house cleaner. lol.  I work full-time outside of the home, then I come home, make dinner, spend time with my kid, but 9:00 I want to rest... not clean.  So, once a month, we have someone come in to do a full-house cleaning.  Sure, we still pick up/wipe down/put away throughout the month (especially when we know visitors are coming over!) but to have someone to come and mop the floors and scrub out the bathtubs has been amazing.  

1. Comparison. Blerg. What’s your strategy for not comparing yourself to other moms or your kids to theirs? 

I don't have one.  Because I do it.  Guilty as charged.  But, I don't *think* that I do it in a negative way... more out of curiosity/information seeking.  If we don't recognize the differences, and question the motives, how can we be sure that we're making the best decisions on our end?

1. What’s one of the funniest things your children ever did?

I don't know if I can answer this... she's hilarious like, all the time!  Today, for instance, we were playing on the "big bed" (mom and dad's bed, she things it's fun to run around and plop on our king-sized tempurpedic).  Her dad and I were laying on our sides, and she kept walk behind us and swan diving (face first) over us in the mattress/pile of pillows.  She thought it was HILARIOUS. 

She also has recently learned what a cow says... and she MOOOs with such force and commitment that she has, literally, bent herself in half to get the most power behind it as possible. lol

1. But how do you keep your sense of humor during the tough patches of parenting?

I laugh at my kid.  Not to her face.  But I have definitely had to turn my back/put my hand over my mouth a few times when she's throwing a temper tantrum or tossing food everywhere.  She just looks so pathetic sometimes I can't help but find it funny (because I know that she's just throwing a tantrum, and nothing is actually, seriously wrong).  Thankfully, she has yet to REALLY through a tantrum in a public place, so I haven't had to deal with finding the humor in that one yet...