I taught my first class at Spool last Saturday, braving the snow and driving to Philly while Dan watched Edwin. All went well. I only had to sit at a student's sewing machine one time (and pretend I was making the project) in order to make sure I was giving correct instructions. It was a class of 7 women. Mostly my age or younger, and it was fun, fun, fun. The snow out side made it all the more cozy. All successfully finished their zippered pouch in the 2 hours we had.
I am a cold weather person as opposed to a hot weather person. I would much rather bundle up in layers and walk down a cold, windy street than break into a sweat when merely walking down the same street because the sun is so hot.
Sometimes I can't quite believe that I'm already on my way to being 32 and I've only just had my first child.
I used to think I was totally an unstructured, spontaneous person, but as time goes on, I find that I'm a little more "type A" than I thought. Either teaching did that to me or it's something that is growing along with my age. I really like having a routine (not a hard-and-fast schedule, mind you) to my days and weeks. Laundry day is Monday; we tend to do things in the same order when at home all day, etc. However, I always like having some planned unstructured time that I can spontaneously decide to fill in one way or another, but that isn't filled ahead of time. Does that make sense? Structured spontaneous time?
I can't believe how much more time I spend online now compared to just 2 years ago. I have blogs that I read regularly.
As I think about having more children, I realize that I'm not at all opposed to hiring help, if necessary (especially if we continue to live relatively far from family). This has partially been shaped by my experiences as a nanny for two different families, our time spent in Zambia where we had "house help" and by the stories of friends who have many children. Growing up in the culture and community I did, I recognize an attitude of it being a luxury (which I guess it is) and of it somehow meaning that you're doing something wrong if you need help. You know, strong work ethic, able to do any and every thing that needs to be done, etc., etc. And yet, if you don't have family nearby whom you feel free to call on to help, what should you do? Struggle on your own? Out of pride? Because society says women should be able to do it all on their own? Everyone needs a support network (i.e. help) and if that includes hiring someone, I'm all for it.
I just finished a crocheted hat that has a little brim. For me.
I'm really enjoying the friendships I'm making through a local MOPS group I attend.
I've been online long enough tonight.
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If my husband worked crazy shifts like Dan, I would totally hire help. It sucks when playing with my kids is a burden because I have so much housework to get done. I almost hired a maid in Oct. but Chad really felt like we could do it on our own--we can but help sure would be nice.
ReplyDeleteHelp is good! As much as I complain on the hard days, I'm actually quite spoiled. Mike works in the basement. If things get really bad up here, he comes up to help. Our church has a culture of making meals for families after a baby or when the house/mom is sick or if things are hard for some other reason. My parents live less than 2 hours away and have taken a couple of kids overnight on more than one occasion when things are tough. Sometimes I feel guilty accepting the help, but I know that we weren't meant to do motherhood alone. I look at the Amish community I grew up near, and how they really have a lot of things right in the way they live close to family and help each other out.
ReplyDeleteIf we had the money, I'd be all for hiring a maid so that I could focus on being the wife and mom. Instead, I've learned to lower my standards -- I cook meals that take less time, use the dry cleaners for shirts that wrinkle instead of ironing them, and incorporate Flylady's plan of 15 minutes of cleaning a day. My house might not be as clean as it looks, but it looks clean if anyone drops in.
Let's see the hat! Or even better, you in it!
ReplyDeleteI've missed having family nearby, too- when I was pregnant all I wanted was my mom to bring me a meal. (Well, that wasn't ALL I wanted, but I remember being tired and hungry!) Our church was great when we were in the hospital, though, so that was super helpful!!!