Vote for my Sunflare Girl.....

OK.......so I will never do this again, I promise! But I have to ask you to vote for my little "Sunflare Girl" in this canvas contest hosted by the best children's photographer ever, Kristina Young out of Boston....




See it here.........don't forget to click on "Sunflare Girl":

http://kristinayoungphotography.com/blog/

A whole new world......

OK....so like a lot of other husbands out there...mine added his name to the list of thousands last week who have been "relieved" of their duties at a large investment firm (we'll just leave it at that...no names necessary)

Well, I have to tell you, at first I panicked - after all, we have only one income coming into this house and we have three kids, a dog and a fish (oh yeah, and we are hosting the class hamster this week as well)....but, we are one of the lucky families that had something on the back burner so my husband will be returning to work in a few weeks.

I have thoroughly enjoyed having my husband home since he lost his job. Everyone gave me a hard time at first saying things like "Oh, after a few days that will wear off and you will be begging him to back to work"....but having three small children home with me everyday was beginning to really wear on me and I needed a break too! I have joked with my friends that I now have a manny....which is something I thought only executives in Manhattan got the luxury of having....look at me now!!!

My husband has never spent this much time with our children, our baby has become a daddy's boy and now hangs on his leg instead of mine, my son has someone to play Mario Kart and wrestle on the floor with, and my daughter who is 6 going on 16 has been able to talk to him at night when he is putting her to bed and she can actually voice her concerns and talk to him about things that happened during her day.

Now, is everything rosy? Absolutely not...he puts the Tupperware away in the wrong spot, he changes the location of items in the kitchen and does not indicate on the grocery list when we are out of something.....but if those are my problems right now I consider myself very lucky!

Scary things tend to come out of his mouth like "I think I am going to demo the bathroom next week" or "I'm thinking of buying a truck and a snow plow".......he has no experience in either category.

I know when he goes back to work in a few weeks I will be the one clinging on to his leg as he walks out the door and waving out the window sobbing, I will be a glass of wine or two ahead of him when he comes home at night (once again) and we will again face the challenge of having any time together but that's OK - because somehow life always has a way of balancing itself out - right?

Now, I think I'll go ask my manny if he feels like folding the laundry and sit back and enjoy a cup of lukewarm coffee in my semi-clean robe......ahhhhh....the luxuries......

Is it wrong to love our Wii?

Am I a bad mom for saying I love our Nintendo Wii? I bet there are a lot of moms out there who feel the same way, they just won't admit it.....

Now, am I using my Wii as a "wiibysitter (A word the "Urban dictionary" defines as "utilizing Nintendo's Wii console as a babysitter when one should be parenting")? Well, maybe there are times when I am.....I'm not afraid to admit it, does this make me a less than great parent? I'm sure in some people's eyes, yes, it does. Do I really care if there are parents out there who are judging me for using this electronic device to keep my older kids happy so I can get some things done??? The answer is no......well, depending on the day in which case the answer could be yes.....

It's a hard job being a mom - you are constantly judged for everything you do, do you read to your kids enough? do you let them play too many video games? do you feed them processed foods? do you give them antibiotics when they are sick? Ugh! Enough already! So many mothers feel a certain sense of satisfaction when they can say they feed little Johnny all organic foods and he can already read and he's not even 4! Well, to those mothers I say "Good for you! You have won the mom of the year award! So picture that freakin' award in your head and I hope it makes you sleep better at night!" (I know what makes me sleep better at night - a few vodka drinks....but I digress...)

For now, I think I'll go get my kids another Gogurt and let them play some more Wii so I can paint my toenails while the baby rubs snot on my pants......

Planning a Disney Vacation.......

OK....so the kids are finally old enough and we thought we would treat them to a day at Disney when we go down to Florida this winter...yes, I said "a day", one single day, 24 hours, not 2 days, not a week, not 10 days....a single day....

To the people at groups like "All Ears" and "The Mouse for Less" this probably seems like a complete waste of time.....I am almost embarrassed to tell people that we are only spending a day there....but for the four of us we are spending almost $500 for a day of tickets! Does anyone else think this is crazy - that a family of four (we aren't bringing the baby - no thank you.....) has to spend about $1000 to go to Disney for one day and one night? Coming from a family that has one income I think this is almost rude on the part of the Disney Executive staff - who in America can afford this right now? Isn't Disney for families? How can people enjoy everything that all these parks have to offer if they have to take out a second mortgage to plan a trip to the Magic Kingdom?

Anyway, I guess I'm just venting, but this is my blog, and I can cry if I want to....(wasn't there a song like that a long time ago?) Maybe blogs are a "poor man's" therapy? I sure feel better now - Hey! It worked! I think I'm on to something!

I'll let you know how in debt we are when I return....I mean HOW much more debt we have accumulated when I return....

By the way, I have give kudos to "The Mouse for Less" and "All Ears" or I wouldn't have a clue as to what to do, when to go and what to see...so thank you to all the kind people out there who read my posts and answered them with great facts about the parks :)

Should I find a "paying" job while trying to raise my 3 kids....?

Well, with the economy in the pooper and trying to raise 3 kids at home with a husband getting paid what he did in high school (even though he has 11+ years of financial experience under his belt...), I finally decided to go out on my own and find something that just might work for a busy mom of 3........I'll update you all to let you know if I find anything interesting.......

Why is it so hard to motivate on a Friday?

OK...so it's Friday and I am still in my PJ's and all three of my kids are as well.....if you look back on my posts you will see that this is a common problem of mine.....

After a long week of drop off and pick ups at different schools, and lessons & sports I finally have a day to sit and drink a cup of coffee and catch up on my email while my kids zone out to Hannah Montana reruns and play with their little kitchen. Fridays are like my Sunday (minus the husband) and if I could I would probably sleep in until at least 8 (years ago I would have said 10 or 11)!

I am looking at the clock and realizing I have three kids and myself to get ready for a birthday party in less than 2 hours and I still cannot get up from my computer and start the process - I dread it - maybe this makes me a bad mom sometimes but I find it hard to manage four bodies as sometimes I feel like I can barely take care of myself - but I guess that is part of growing as a mom? Maybe?

Happy Friday......

Something to put on your "To Do" list even when funds are low....

I'll admit...we aren't having the "best" year here in the G house....but - one thing I always try and do is take pictures of my kids to document their growth and the good times (so we don't just reflect on the bad...) I don't really have the funds right now for professional photography but I looked at my kids recently and realized that they are on their way to not needing me...which scares the heck out of me. Yes, I complain about the whining, the crying, the fighting - but things I will miss in a few years: the hugs (even in front of their friends), the snuggling, the crawling into bed in the middle of the night, the book reading......it is all going by too fast and if I could I would stop time just for a while so I could sit back and truly take it all in before it's gone.
I met a photographer in my area, (sorry if you are reading this and you don't live on the North Shore of Boston), who truly captures the innocence and beauty of childhood. I am not getting paid to write about her or anything like that but I love showing people her pictures, even if they don't live near me, as they truly inspire you to look at these moments and cherish them....now I know some people might be saying right now - "Is this Blogger mom getting a little sappy on us?"

Well....maybe just for today.....

Check it out if you have a chance - as I have to point out talent when I see it, if I only had this gift....

http://www.kristinayoungphotography.com/



Happy November!