I start work early on Wednesdays, since it’s the day that Albertsons and Safeway release their grocery ads. (It’s the first day for King Soopers and Sprouts, too, but I’m thankful I can get those on Tuesdays!) Let’s be honest about “starting work early”: it usually means that I stumble downstairs around 6 AM, usually in my bathrobe, and stay crouched at my computer until everyone else comes downstairs at 8 AM.
(We have a “no kids downstairs before 8 AM” rule so that I can get some work done before beginning my job as a mom referee. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t fights while they are upstairs in their rooms, but they don’t usually fight too much between 7 and 8 AM.)
Hannah (one of my team) does the Safeway and Albertsons deals late on Tuesday night, and I add ratings and notes and publish them on Wednesday morning. This has taken a big load of stress off of me, and I no longer dread Wednesdays quite like I used to.
If you’ve ever wondered what my kids do while I’m working (that’s probably the question people ask the most), here’s pictorial examples:
Some sort of car that my 3yo and 2yo built.
Yesterday’s messes were pretty mild, probably because the 5yo and 7yo played together and the 3yo and 2yo played together. When they all play together, it’s usually a much larger mess. They did all go outside together and make a “camper”:
I’m a big believer in kids coming up with their own things to play, without direction or suggestion from adults or media. I want their imaginations to develop, so I try to be fine with most of their messes, even if it drives me nuts sometime. “Free play” is very messy and very difficult for adults to understand, but I think it’s sorely lacking in our culture today. Did you ask for parenting advice? Oops.
After putting three wailing girls (3 year old, 2 year old, and 8 month old) down for their naps after lunch, I finally got started on school with the 7 year old and 5 year old and had a relatively good school day with only minimal complaining that Teaching Textbooks had told him he got a math problem wrong when he swears he didn’t. (Yes, you got the problem that you did correct, but that’s not the problem they told you to solve!)
We also updated our timeline and map with stickers for Amenhotep, Nefertiti, King Tut, the Ark of the Covenant, and Jericho; among other things.
Wednesday was a decent day but I’ll be honest that I always look forward to Thursday and the days following because they tend to be lighter for me as far as work. Except that I’m working on a new project (hint: it involves one of my goals for this year) so I’m hoping to spend quite a bit of time on that this week.
What’s happening in your world? (Jump in the comments here.)
Just FYI, so that I actually get these posts done, I’m writing them in the past tense because Jeremy and I have a no-work-after-supper rule and late afternoons are when I’m doing school or fixing supper, so unless you want a recap on how my night’s sleep was, you’ll be reading about the day before.
$1.25 for Lucerne (half gallon) at Safeway, Fri-Sun Only
The work of a Mom is never over, regardless of the clock.
I’m a fan of “free play” too. There’s nothing wrong with fostering self-reliance IMO.
I have wondered what your kiddos do while you work. I only have one so far and she is pretty good about keeping herself entertained, but I fear for when baby #2 comes and the two of them can cause mayhem together!!! I love that my daughter has learned how to play by herself. It is so fun to see what kids come up with as far as what they choose to build or what object is now suddenly a leaf blower etc. I think your no working after supper is a fantastic rule.
Hehe. Yes, I understand the trepidation of having TWO little ones put their heads together! I’ve really realized lately that if you do a good job training the older one(s), it seems to make it at least a little easier on the others. Kids learn so much by example and if the big kids know how to behave, the little ones want to be just like their older siblings, so the good behavior rubs off a bit. Sort of. ;)
We’ve had the no-work-after-supper rule for about two years now and it’s the best thing we’ve ever done. Jeremy and I can both be workaholics – when you both love what you do, it’s easy to work all day and all night! But putting that ground rule in place has definitely helped our marriage, and we are more refreshed when we get back to work the next morning. (It’s not always a hard-and-fast rule; if Jeremy is trying to put in an offer for a client, he sometimes has to work in the evenings, but it’s relatively rare.)
We are finally on the backside of the 2 week break so the kids are getting stir crazy. Seems no matter how much I plan they get crazy by the end of break. My two boys were playing some type of game that only the could understand but that’s ok by me. I love it when they use their imaginations. The girls were cleaning. yep all on their own they decided to clean. I kept thinking to myself “how does she do it with 5 little ones?” I have 4 spread over 10 yrs and there are days that I get nothing done. You insipre me. Thanks.
LOVE it when kids decide to clean! It doesn’t happen very often around here but I am holding out hope that once they get bigger they’ll consider it fun to clean and organize. I did when I was a kid!
I sometimes thinking having five close together is easier than having them spread apart! At this point, I’m just used to not sleeping much and changing poopy diapers, lol.
Wow! you are wearing me out just by reading your day! It is about 9:00 am and I am heading to Safeway – last time I was there – this early – was pretty peaceful. If you see someone with a ponytail and no makeup – it’s me! Then I plan to stop at Famous Footwear (thank’s for the coupon) and have a 30% off Kohls, and pickup Papa Murphy’s for dinner! That’s my day today.
I don’t know how you find time to cook! Going to try the lamb kabobs. Making chili Saturday.
Well, I actually like to cook so that helps! :) Also, have you recently tried taking five young children out for supper? That’s a big motivation to always eat at home, lol. ;)