Posted by StuntMom on Monday, May 12, 2008We all have our own fears for how and where our kids are going to get hurt. I personally have an irrational fear of my kids being in a car wreck while someone other than myself is driving. It took me a long time relax while my mother in law or husband drives my three little darlings around. But I'm finding the longer I'm a mom, the earlier it is becoming. I still have a slightly uneasy feel in my gut while they are in a car with another driver, but it is no longer as debilitating to me as it used to be. They are allowed to places with other people.

It is the law of our school that kindergartners must be with their parent or caregiver at the bus stop for pick up and drop off. After that, they can wait out by themselves. For some reason I have always had a bit of an issue with it. At first it seemed like such a big step letting her ride the bus since I lived in fear of her not figuring out where her class was when she got to school, but oddly enough, she figured it out. Then as the school year progressed, I started thinking it was crazy that I had to wait outside with her at all. She is a wise girl, or at least as wise as a kindergartner needs to be, so I thought, next year, she is waiting alone. She will know to walk back home if her bus doesn't come. She will know not to get into the car for a ride if offered by a stranger. Next year she will not have a bus option, she will have to walk since the school district is moving the school a few blocks away from our house.

Standing out at the bus stop one morning I asked the other parents if they were going to let their kids walk to school. (I didn't mention that I was thinking my first grader was going make the short journey alone since their kids are in 5th and 6th grade) But they said no way, it's just not safe, any creep could have their way with their child as they walked to school. So I soon felt like the bad mom not wanting to walk to school in the morning, but really, I just don't think there is much that could go wrong and if there is I certainly don't think my child is going to be the victim of an unusual crime on her walk to school.

I will walk her the first month or so to ensure she knows the route, but after that, she need to do it alone. There will be crossing guards to make sure she isn't plowed down by people in haste to make it to work. So really what could happen? Someone might steal her lunch, but chances are they will only do it once when they realize it's not a fun lunch that I see some of the others take to school. No lunchables or other pre-package stuff. Check out this article if you think I'm being a little carefree. Suddenly a short little walk in the city of Cincinnati doesn't seem so bad. This mom is my hero we can't keep our kids on such short leashes if we want them to grow.

Posted by StuntMom on Wednesday, April 23, 2008And I'm feeling so overwhelmed! I managed to talk the kids out of an organized party by instead doing something special on their day. My oldest daughter is taking a friend to a pottery painting place for the afternoon and for some reason I thought this was going to be easier. But instead I realized I didn't talk her out of anything. We still need to make the cake design of her choice, let's not forget the pinata (clearly she has decided that is her favorite part of parties), clean the house extra well since my parents will be attending, oh and wrap a few gifts.

The baby doesn't know it's her birthday, so she will get a cake, a few gifts (or shall I say a few boxes to unwrap) and of course, no friends are needed to make it complete, just the in-laws- and I see them enough I don't need to clean for them.

The middle child was easy to convince that she is having the first birthday sleepover by having a camping birthday. We invited all of our camping friends with kids, so it will be a simple celebration. Again, I need to make a cake, pack for camping, wrap a few gifts.... so really not so easy, but at least I won't need to entertain the kids which I always find the most stressful of it all. It's hard to keep up the energy going from craft to game to food for two to three hours. HOW DO SCHOOL TEACHERS DO IT?

So my advice to those who haven't had kids yet, given a choice in the matter, spread out the birthdays a little. It may seem like a good idea to have birthdays close together, or spring babies, or whatever was going through my mind every two years, but for the sake of birthdays, have a winter, summer and fall birthday, it will seem a bit more special for all involved.

Posted by StuntMom on Wednesday, April 23, 2008Whenever I'm contemplating working vs. staying at home I often seek the Internet. (Yes, I question it often) Here is a great website to offer insight on life as a stay at home mom. It was cancer that made her take a step back and realize her meaning in life.

Wendy, the blogging woman wrote an article about taking your kids to work day as a stay at home mom, and won the contest- pretty cool.

Posted by StuntMom on Saturday, April 05, 2008I imagine I've run my readers away by not having a post in weeks, so be it. I'm going to write anyway since I'm finally feeling a reason to write.

I've been a single parent for the last week, husband traveling, saving money for the company by spending the weekend in Europe... Not a problem, I can handle it. I used to stay at home full time without help, I know I can handle a few weeks without help in the evening. Well, tonight is the night that has made me doubt whether I can handle this mom thing at all. Bless those true single mom's out there. I really don't know how they manage.

Around dinner time Saturday night I had had enough of the endless fighting. I offered pizza as the main course tonight with a fancy side of cantaloupe, who wouldn't love the lack of green vegetable, right? I was instead greeted with tears over a new found hate of pizza. Not to mention the constant request for a veggie burger instead, I was just about over the top. I had reached my limit of unhappy children and I was not about to accommodate any requests for another option. It was going to be another night of putting the kids to bed hungry- they will survive.

After dinner I suggested that if the girls took a quick shower without fighting and tattling, then I would let them watch a movie we picked up from the library. Midway through the shower they started fighting, so that was it, no movie allowed. They started crying, but I held firm, sorry, no movie tonight. They wailed while putting on their pj's, I chose to vacuum while they got dressed in effort to drown out the tears. Then while the dirt was being removed from carpets, they decided to become friends instead. They got together and discussed that if they were sickly sweet to each other, which I so often praise, then maybe I would change my mind. I was so enjoying hearing them working as a team that I decided to finish vacuuming the upstairs, and heck, if time allowed, I would even vacuum a staircase or two.

Briefly turning off the vacuum to swiffer the hardwood, my oldest daughter came in to announce that Audrey was putting toothpaste into the baby's hair. I scolded her tattling, then continued to vacuum. I finished the room I was working on then headed off to see the mess in the baby's hair (trying to make it seem like I was heading that way anyway, rather than a result of tattling). Wow, was it ever a mess. Audrey had managed to squeeze out the majority of the tube all over the freshly showered baby. At this point no amount of vacuuming was going to drown out the mess. I lost my mind. I was truly shocked over the white creamy paste and just how much is still available from a tube that has been around for 6 months. Rather than harming my child, which was what my mind was telling me to do, I instead sent her straight to bed, after she changed into fresh toothpaste free pj's.

Wow I could use a husband right about now, because a walk with the dog on this warm spring night sounds like more fun than cleaning the kitchen, which is another story, but trust me, don't leave my three alone at the table for ten minutes while chatting out front with a neighbor when really, they hate pizza these days.

Posted by StuntMom on Thursday, March 06, 2008We get tons of pre-approved credit notices and refinancing options in our daily mail. This company number provides all of your credit info to the companies that send out the junk mail. Not only is it good to do to ward off identity theft, but we can save a tree at the same time.

Call this number 1-888-567-8688 to put a stop to the mailings. They ask for your social security number and birth date, but you can just skip that part and they will still take your info out of their system for 5 years!

Here's the website just to make it easier.


Good Luck!