3 good things day 3

Today it's hard, but I'll try

1. My son made me laugh in one of those tough moments.

2. I made a nice dinner, which we ate together

3. I made it to have a whole (short & confused) conversation in Chinese with a chinese woman who comes to the mothers club with her 2 year old grandson. She speaks nothing but chinese.

3 good things day 2

1. We had a relaxed day at home.
2. Rob came home in the afternoon and we all had dinner together.
3. Although not feeling well, my son was very sweet and made me smile all through the day.

New look

I've been thinking about a new look for some time now.

With the new Blogspot design and templates, it was easy to chose something nice that I would like.

If you have any ideas, likes, dislikes, I would love to hear them!

21 days of happiness

I ran into this video on one of the forums I follow:

http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html?source=email#.Tz1MIiuQc_A.email

(on the website itself you can chose to watch it with subtitles)

It made me think.

So I was thinking about starting it today. Writing 3 things I'm grateful for and happy about, three good things that happened to me, every day, for 21 days. Let's see how I feel in three weeks from now. In this post I'll write three things from yesterday, and tonight I'll write a new post with 3 things from today.  

3 good things 26.3.2012

1. Had a good chat with a new mother at the mothers club.

2. Had a friend come over in the afternoon, and then our neighbor and her daughter joined, which made me very happy.

3. Had about 2.5 hours to myself in the evening.

Unappreciated

Being a mother is one of the most unappreciated jobs I've ever done.

If you can't cash it into money, some ppl will just never think you are actually working, or that you have a say about certain money issues.

If you'd calculate the time I work, meaning 24/7 all week long all month, every month of the year, and multiply it by the hourly rate a nannie would take, you will reach a huge amount of money.

That's what I would have earned if I were taking care of kids that aren't mine.

Then it would have been legit for me to spend the money however I want.

You know what. I don't really feel like continuing this post. It makes me depressed.

And sometimes it is hard

And you need a break.
And you only want to be alone.
And do nothing.
And say nothing.
And take care of nobody.

The best job

It's challenging, it's tough. You have zero vacations. Zero. No sick days either. You're under payed, and that's an understatement. It's interesting and u always learn something new. You can't really be promoted, but you can make new clients. They are not easy though. They demand all your attention and energy and time. They don't take 'no' as an answer and they will let you know that wherever you are and whomever you're with.
But it's still the best job I've ever had.
I'm my own boss, and I decide today's program. I get to be with ppl I love and adore. I can use my creativity every day. And I have to.
I make the rules and have to make others follow them. I need to be reasonable and fair.
I get to sing, laugh, cry, smile, hug, kiss, play, cook & bake, go for walks, and teach every day.

Being a mom. Really the job I've enjoyed most.

Listen to me

It's the same old cycle: I have an opinion, an instinct, about how to rase my child. The ppl around me have a different opinion. They sometimes let me know what it is, and sometimes just act differently. Sometimes they make a funny face and suggest a different way.
Then I start changing my ways a bit. I do my best to think and decide which way is best. I find myself thinking too much and doing everything wrong. I suffer. My child suffers.
I realize I've been trying to do something that contradicts my believes. I promise myself and my son that I wont do it again.

I do it again.

The most important tipp I've ever heard since I became a mother, was to get ear plugs. Not coz the kid will be loud. But because everyone will allways have something to say about your choises as a parent.
And unless you stop listening to them, and start following your instincts (in case you can recognize them, after years of ignoring them), you'll find yourself very stressed, trying to please everyone else but yourself, and that can make you very unhappy.

His first steps

Were made to reach the plate of chocolates :-)

Back into me

When you become a parent your priorities change completely. You start thinking about the well being of your kids and somewhere along the way you forget your own.
It's normal of course. But it's only when you do something for yourself again, that you realize that you've missed it.
It's when you suddenly look into yourself, and recognize an old friend you haven't seen in a long time. The deeper you go inside and the nicer what you're doing is, the more familiar and comfortable it gets.
You suddenly miss that person, that being, that feeling. You try to plan more time for yourself, more activities you enjoy doing alone, without your kids.

It's not easy for me to plan these things. I want to but I also want to continue breastfeeding (and I still do!), my son still doesn't go to a daycare for all kinds of reasons, and there is no family close enough to help be with him during the week. 
That leaves me the weekends only, when Rob's home and can stay with him. Just that on the weekends I would like to spend time with my family, and so I usually don't plan anything else.

But I must. Because I enjoy it so much and it revives me.