anyone else here NOT superwoman?

smilingmom

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 8:46 am

poemmom wrote:

Not superwoman? Me, me and ME!!!
I would ask to be president of the not-superwoman club, but honestly, I just couldn't handle that much responsibility. I'll try to come to a meeting, though. Oops, I was late -- sorry, but DD had to nurse one more time, then she pooped all over her clothes. But her sweaters were all in the wash, so I had to put on DS's vest with trucks. Oh, and please excuse the crumbs on DS--I had to give him a cookie on the way. Um, excuse me, my cell is ringing. Hello? (Shh! I'm on the phone!) ) Bake cookies for older daughter's class? (No! No more cookies! Shh!) Um, sure! Beep. Oh, great. I was worried about getting dinner ready, when am I going to do cookies? And that will really add to the pile of dishes... Oops, and I'm out of flour! Well, it was nice being here but its time to go!

mommyofgirls

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 10:50 am

noone I know that is superwoman is really superwoman in every single way. there's no such thing. we're all super one way or another. my in laws think I'm super. my neighbors think I'm super and the calmest mother(I sometimes wonder if they're deaf). I'm a working mom, and try to juggle my work like all other yiddishe mommies. I love to cook so I always multiply my recipes in big pots which gives me tons of food for my freezer. I bake challah when I have time. try to throw in my laundry in the morning before work. prepare snacks and the childrens clothes at night, and try to make my life easier and I must admit I AM PERFECT in my own little way and NOT PERFECT in many other ways. the only perfect one is the one above.

Dance2it

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 11:12 am

I've come to the realization that the only people that are superwomen are the ones that you really don't know very well. I thought my neighbor was one- all health food and meticulously dressed (her and the kids)and never a stain-NO!!! house was perfect etc.. until we had a real talk one day and I found out her kids have a crazy bedtime schedule and still wake up at 6 am so of course they are up and dressed by 7! she does not know what to do with them. So no I am not superwoman.

gryp

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 11:22 am

I really think it's harder having just a toddler and infant, than having a bunch of toddlers and an infant. I think because a toddler with older brothers is different than a toddler who's the oldest.

I find I go through stages, a few weeks of everything running smoothly and then a few weeks of havoc. We're in the middle of havoc right now and I'm praying it will be over soon.

At my brother's wedding a while back, relatives who I hadn't seen in years were looking at me and my 4 boys and saying things like, "Are you okay? Do you have help at home? How are you managing?" My aunt who has many many kids herself simply told me: "It will get easier."
I started wondering if something's wrong with the way we look, that I was getting all these comments and worried looks, but I figured the relatives just want to say something nice.

But that's what I have to say to everyone in this thread: "It will get easier." It will.

Cookielady, I loved your story. LOL

zigi

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 11:28 am

when I look back it was a lot harder having a newborn and a toddler. now that I have a toddler who has older siblings and a newborn things are easier than then, the toddler has the good examples of the older ones (also the bad) he knows the concept of being neat and cleaning up. which helps.

zaq

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 11:31 am

mommyofgirls wrote:

my in laws think I'm super. my neighbors think I'm super and the calmest mother(I sometimes wonder if they're deaf).... I love to cook so I always multiply my recipes in big pots which gives me tons of food for my freezer. I bake challah when I have time. try to throw in my laundry in the morning before work. prepare snacks and the childrens clothes at night, and try to make my life easier and I must admit I AM PERFECT in my own little way and NOT PERFECT in many other ways.

no fair, you've told us all your good points but nowhere have you shared what makes you not superwoman, outside of that hint about your deaf neighbors. so, do you verbally abuse your kids? wear the same underwear for a week in a row? pick up everything off the livingroom floor before company comes and throw it down the laundry shoot? come on, spill. and no "confessions" that are really bragging like "sometimes when I'm feeling lazy I buy ready-made flour from the health co-op instead of grinding my own wheat for baking challah."

Fabulous

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 11:36 am

zaq wrote:

mommyofgirls wrote:

I am really a very messy person by nature but dh loves neat and clean (so do I but I'd rather the mess than the work LOL

). But he always loves to have guest, because everything gets put away.

zaq

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 11:36 am

cookielady wrote:

When the cops came and walked into the living room, they thought the house had been ransacked. embarrassed

Poor son had to explain "no, this is my mother's work".

my cousin once had a raccoon or squirrel in her house and called Animal Control to come get it. After they trapped it, the officers told her "we got him, but unfortunately he really trashed your room." when she went into the bedroom, it was exactly as it had always been. embarrassed

zaq

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 11:47 am

poemmom wrote:

Cute!

Fox

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 12:02 pm

zaq wrote:

Wow! I think I must have had the same raccoon/squirrel in my house! That explains everything!

greenfire

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 12:19 pm

cookielady wrote:

The worst part in my mind is that the police officer was a women. I'm sure every time she patrols by our house she thinks "That's where the slobs live".

I can relate - sometimes I wanna call them to come and see it when it's clean What

mommyofgirls

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 1:10 pm

zaq,

I don't sleep a lot, in fact very little and I work very very hard (I cant afford cleaning help) to try to save me from a lot of stresses. but believe me I AM NOT PERFECT we just have to focus on the positive in life to keep us going. and no I don't abuse my kids. I try to spend as much of my time possible to just love them especially on sundays and Shabbos.

zaq

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 1:33 pm

mommyofgirls wrote:

you still didn't answer the question. Most of this thread is a lighthearted, let's-laugh-at-ourselves-what's your-secret-secret look at life as a mother. Your tone is, I'm sorry, just a little superior. "I'm perfect in many ways, but I'm not perfect." That's a little like Miss Universe saying "I'm really not beautiful, you know. I work very hard to look this way, and I'm really not perfect. Believe me." It would be a lot easier to swallow if she said "well, you know, I had braces when I was 12 and then in HS I was overweight, and even now, I tend to overeat when I'm under pressure. I have to make up for it by running an extra hour on the treadmill for a few weeks. Plus, I go to a dermatologist for antibiotics against acne. It's the only thing that works for me.'

gold21

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 3:33 pm

Zaq lol! :-) you crack me up!

Guys don't ask. Its erev shabbos and I feel like cr*p due to a sinus infection that I haven't got time to take care of and my house is flying. My toddler fusses all day long. "Moooommmy my peeencil droooppped" or "I waaaant that tooooyyy...!" Etc. That just adds to my headache. My baby is unpredictable and forever wants to nurse.

Right now I'm nursing the baby to sleep and playing on dh's blackberry. Dh is making shnitzel in the kitchen.

Oy I think I'm just having a tough week. Its not always this overwhelming....

Mommyofgirls: how do you function on little sleep? Aren't you worried that it will catch up with you one day? (Think "beauty sleep") also, aren't you less patient when you're overtired? I know I am!! Share your secrets with me!

And thanks for all the supportive responses, everyone. :-)

mimivan

Sat, Dec 13 2008, 5:34 pm

zaq wrote:

mommyofgirls wrote:

I know why she feels perfect...she's a mommyofgirls...but what if she were a mommyofboys?? LOL

GAMZu

Sat, Dec 13 2008, 6:53 pm

Quote:

I really think it's harder having just a toddler and infant, than having a bunch of toddlers and an infant. I think because a toddler with older brothers is different than a toddler who's the oldest.

Ohhhh, yeah. It is so, so, so much easier to have 3 than it is to have 2!
My mother keeps asking how I'm managing and everything- how do I get 3 kids ready to go outside, with all the layers and scarves and blankets.
I don't know. Maybe because my pregnancy was so debilitating, that anything is easier compared? My previous pregnancy was a breeze, and things just got harder when the baby arrived. Count in a jealous toddler who has to be entertained only by him mother...
This time, the boys have each other, and they were both old enough for me to prepare them properly for the baby (it will only cry, can't talk... will be small and fragile, so we handle gently, showed them their baby clothes and told them the baby will wear them and they were so proud!)

In any case, I think once you are taking care of 2, the 3rd is just an extra little thing. It's not as hard as from one to two.