Quick Hits

* When did we as a society become so anti-kid? (More on this later)
* Have you ever noticed that the teens who work at In and Out Burger are so clean cut, happy, and efficient in comparison to the teens that work at other staple fast food joints? Why is this? (A friend and I have several theories)
* Women, mothers specifically, need to be more supportive of each other and less judgmental. Not everything needs to be made into a "Mommy War" ( a term I hate, by the way)
* There is such disparity in the views today's parents have when it comes to the roles grandparents should play. Some expect them to be strictly that...grandparents. They get to enjoy the benefits of having grandkids without being overwhelmed with the responsibilities. Still there are others who feel that grandparents should be an intregal part of raising and caring for their grandchildren...esentially becoming second parents. Where do you stand on this issue?

Schedule

So, I don't read a lot of blogs. In fact I only read one faithfully and that is almostlucid.com. So, I'm kind of hijacking this idea from him. He put as an entry his daily schedule. I thought that was kind of interesting to see how our family's schedule compares. My husband works on an alternating schedule, meaning he works 8-6 some days and 11-8 other days..sometimes later. He's in sales, so essentially I keep the same schedule with the kids and he blends in when he's home.

6:30 am: Kids are up. If hubby works later, he gets up with kids and I stay in bed until 7 am. If hubby works early we get up to see hubby off to work
7:00-7:30: Change diapers, get kids dressed, cuddle
7:30-8:00: Breakfast
8:00-9:00: Play with the kids, read books
9:00-9:30: Nurse baby and put him down for a nap (my kids hardly sleep, so his nap usually consists of the power nap while nursing); daughter looks through books or plays in her room
9:30-10:30: Color, play in my daughter's kitchen, etc.
10:30-12:00: Run errands, if necessary; if not we usually go for a walk or play outside
12:00-12:45: Lunch
12:45-1:00: Clean up
1:00-2:00: Naps if all the stars align correctly
2:00-2:45: Play with the kids
2:45-3:15: Household Chores
3:15-4:00: Try to give my daughter some uninterrupted time if my son can stay entertained with his trucks, blocks, etc.
4:00-5:00: Try to prep most of dinner; kids play with fridge magnets
5:00-6:00: Nurse baby and hopefully he naps again
6:00-6:30: Dinner
6:30-7:00: Baths; some nights hubby comes home around this time
7:00-8:00: Read (my kids, daughter especially, love to read. She would spend all day having me read to her if she could), talk about different things, cuddle
8:00: Put kids to bed
9:00: Things are usually calm by now
10:30- midnight: I go to bed after I get things picked up

The entire cycle repeats the next day...Obviously outtings are thrown in there on a regular basis: visits to the grandparents, trips to the library and zoo, play dates, shopping trips, etc. There never seems to be a dull moment.

So, my question to you is this: What is your day like? How do you find time to juggle everything? Do you find you have enough time to give everyone the attention he/she needs and still have time left over for yourself? I feel like I frequently sacrifice time for myself to give everyone else the time they need. I gladly do this because I love my family, but I do miss having down time where I'm not having to worry about what needs to be done for my husband or children.

So Many Decisions

So, what is it about having children that suddenly makes us view the world with entirely different eyes? We start worrying about things like retirement funds, savings accounts, pollution, global warming...just to name a few. Before we had kids we did what we wanted, when we wanted, with no real thought to the long-term consequences. Since having our two children: a daughter who is 2 1/2 and our son who is almost 10 months, it seems like every decision is made with such intense scrutiny that the pressure is almost too much. Are we over thinking things? I want to hear your thoughts. How has your decision making process changed since having children?