“Mum, really. You’ve been a mother for 19 years. It’s time you got your shit together.”
Another rewarding conversation with my teenager. Provoked, admittedly, by my sarcastic comment about the laundry slave having been too busy earning money to find time to distribute the washed and dried items to their correct location… i.e. his bedroom. Read more…
I think I may have finally reached the pinnacle of my motherhood. My two younger boys are on spring break this week. Awash with motherly guilt about having to work while they are off school and hanging at home, last night I asked Youngest Child if there was anything he wanted to do this week as I was quite prepared to take a day off work to spend some time with him. Read more…
On International Women’s Day, this goes out to all women everywhere. Even if you’re not juggling mothers, you will be juggling. Because you’re women.
Women have strengths that amaze men….
They bear hardships and they carry burdens, hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in..
They stand up to injustice.
They don’t take “no” for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They’ll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.
HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.
Always remember yours.
Advance warning: This may turn into a bit of a rant.
I am done with December. We haven’t even made it to the winter solstice yet, and I have had enough of the holiday season.
I must confess to a bit of a bah humbug attitude even in the best of years, turned off by the massive consumerism, raucous Christmas jingles, forced jollity and endless ‘to do’ lists that everyone is trying to valiantly navigate through without resorting to Valium. Why do we do this to ourselves every year? Read more…
I am no Heidi Klum but I guess I am in reasonable shape for a middle-aged mother of three. Producing three boy babies has probably helped with that; I have not stopped running since they were born. The stages have varied – high-maintenance squawky infants, toddlers bent on self-destruction, little guys heading off in different directions to explore the world, or sports-minded teens needing to get to their events – but the result has been the same: I NEVER SIT DOWN. Read more…
Doesn’t this commercial just sum up our juggling lives?
Is it any wonder we’re stressed? We can plan out our day to the nth degree, but all these little gotchas just seem to be waiting in the wings, ready to strike at the most inconvenient moment. Read more…
I was grumpy this weekend. There were no big, obvious reasons; just felt a little weary of all the chores needing to be done for all these people, and of being taken for granted by my teens. Not sure why this weekend was particularly annoying; it’s not like there were any arguments or discipline issues. I think perhaps it was cumulative domestic overload – the non-stop demands on my time – and the fact that these days my weekends tend to be consumed by all those family and household details rather than by anything I choose to do for myself (like heading to the mountains, socializing, or – perish the thought – sitting reading a book). Read more…
The Magic Mother Wand has had to wave again. It’s 6:30pm on Sunday night, dinner cooking in the oven, pots boiling on the stove, and through comes the phone call:
“Mum, I’m at university and I’ve locked myself out of my car with the engine running. Can you bring the spare key?”
Which of course gives rise to many immediate and important questions:
How the heck did he successfully execute such a stunt?
Do we even know where the spare key is?
What is he doing at university on a Sunday night?
Is dinner going to burn if I leave it all cooking? Read more…
“Mum, what’s for dinner?”
This is by far the most frequently-asked question in my household. Rather than “Hi Mum, how was your day?”, it’s usually these dreaded words that greet me upon arriving home from work…. before I’ve even taken off my coat…. and when all I really want to do is pour myself a large gin and tonic and put my feet up. But dinner has to be attended to – and quickly – before everyone scatters for the evening to their various events.
I used to like to cook, before I had kids. Lots of spare time, glass of wine in hand, it was a sociable thing to do. Then I began to hate it. All those years of three solemn little jury members passing judgment on my food (“Yuck”, “Oh, sick”, “What IS this stuff?”) took their toll. Read more…
It’s amazing, isn’t it, how we mothers have built-in magic wands that we seem to be able to wave at a moment’s notice and solve all our children’s woes? I have noticed, though, that my own wand seems to be losing its magical powers as my kids get older. Or maybe its batteries are run down from overuse. Or, perhaps closer to reality, after 18 years of parenting my waving arm is getting a little fatigued. Last week it was the blood blister text; this morning it was the missed bus text:
9:04 am: I think I might have missed the school bus
Oh great. Read more…
