On Moms and Grandmas...

I talked with my sweet friend Lisa this morning. It has been a tough morning, and she and I have that kind of friendship where honesty is appreciated and encouraged! So, I called her to talk and to catch up. We can go for a while without talking and then just pick up where we left off...I'm always grateful for her; I feel like I can be transparent and that it's OK. She's got 3 of her own kiddos, the youngest is about 3 months old, so she's got her hands busy...and still makes time for me. Anyway, I was commenting on how Ev had been totally spoiled at Grandma's house...She said her mom has this theory that, for every day at Grandma's, 2 days at home are needed in order to recover. So, I've got a long haul!! :)

It's funny, because I adore my mother in law. She's a great grandma, for sure. Very doting, always paying attention to the kids and doesn't care if her house is a disaster. These are things that I want to be as a mom, but it is obvious that it doesn't work exactly the same way...I'm here to teach my kids how to grow up into responsible adults: Grandma's house is for being totally irresponsible! So, that means that I have to teach them that they aren't at the center of the universe, they need to pick up after themselves, and learn to do things like eat right, brush their teeth, be grateful, use appropriate words to express emotions, not hit...

I'm glad for my kiddos to be spoiled. They need that! They need to have time to just run wild and do their own thing...to have fewer rules and all...They also need to be reigned in at home when the time is right...and that's hard. It is NOT fun to re-teach all of the important things: Say please and thank you, put your things where they belong since Mommy isn't the maid, eat dinner with the family at the table and sit on your bottom please, share with your brother, do not growl at me when I ask you to do something, no we can't watch TV all day, and I don't have any M&Ms right now, you have to be quiet since our neighbors are still asleep (townhouses!! ACK!), markers may not be used on the couch, and no you can't eat the telephone Tate, we can't go to the park all day long today since I have a stack of laundry from here to the ceiling, and you have to go poopy in the potty and not a diaper since you're almost 4 now, saying "I don't want to" is not an acceptable answer, and don't slam your door...*sigh*

We'll get there!! And thankfully, with friends like Lisa, I can laugh now, too!! Maybe we can make some fun cookies and get a little distracted from laundry...Laundry can wait...