Happy New Year! Marking the end of the holiday season, we embrace the coming New Year with hope and vigour! A time to grasp possibility, to conquer the vices that taunt us – to make the all-popular and unavoidable New Year’s Resolution.
Every year, we reflect on the year behind us and think of ways to improve ourselves. Then I remember the resolutions I made this time last year, then promptly forgot, and now feel lousy about as I can’t even keep a promise to myself!
“Mom, where’s my coat?”, “Do I have to wear that?”, “Stop looking at me!”, “Get out of the way!”, “Where’s my other shoe?”; “Kids get your coats on!”, “Don’t torment your Sister”, “Can you please be careful on the stairs”, “Why don’t you have a coat on?”, “Seriously people!! Can you...I said....BE CAREFUL....THAT’S IT!”. From here, I yell, in an effort to prevent injury, facilitate compliance and by some miracle, get us out of the house. I truly believe that shuttles are put into orbit with less volume and agitation than what is required for us to get out of the house. Enter...New Year’s resolution/guideline number one.
1. Making an extra effort to spend less time, doing what I call, “compliance shouting”. My highly raised Mommy voice takes over after asking the kids to do something (or not do something) over and over and over! I’ve been so confused and mesmerized, I’ve questioned whether or not it’s I that has the problem. “I did ask them to get ready didn’t I?”, “Did I not say you don’t have hot lunch today?” – No wait! – Maybe they really can’t hear me? Could they have something wrong with their hearing? Should I take them to have their hearing checked? – Wrong again- they really are just tuning me out. I could get more of a response from the gyproc on the walls. Increasing my volume level seems to be the only way to break through, yet, it does have a certain level of guilt accompanied with it. However, I will try to improve on this area keeping in mind, there are situations out of my control – i.e. spending two hours cleaning the kitchen only to find the kids fed the neighbourhood while I was taking a pee!! Shrieks of disbelief and despair are inevitable
2. I do seem to ask a lot of pointless questions: “Did you brush your teeth?”, “Why are all the lights in the house on?”, “Are you wearing clean underwear and socks?”, “Where are all the spoons gone?” “Do you think it’s a good idea to wipe boogers on the wall?” Perhaps a better approach would be, “Go brush your teeth.”, start charging them for electricity, let the underwear disintegrate from their bodies; encourage the consumption of more finger foods, eliminating the need for utensils all together while providing a consistent supply of tissues at all bedsides!
3. In an effort to be more pro-active, I will instruct the children to tidy their rooms on a regular basis; instead of waiting until the rooms resemble the aftermath of nuclear warfare! (At one time teetering on the edge of obsessive compulsive tidying, I have come to terms with the cluttered, organized and structured chaos that has become my life).
4. I should make more of an effort to have a girl’s night! A night when us Mom’s can head out and just be us. No bums to wipe, laundry to fold... a few hours to be free. Free to speak without wondering what little ears are listening and enjoy the camaraderie of others who feel the exact same way! There are only so many conversations I can have about Lego’s, how playdoh really is good for you and the importance of routinely washing your hands. Then there’s the same old arguments over Star Wars figures, when there’s a bucket full in the closet. At some point, between cheese sticks and Fruit Loops I wonder what is happening in the world beyond my kitchen. I’m too tired most evenings to watch the news, would prefer a shower to reading the news paper (when I have a free minute), and most of my daily conversations are with individuals ten years and younger
5. Then, there’s the gym! I have on ongoing love/hate relationship with gym! And, let’s face it, I may never lose that last ten pounds! On three separate occasions my body has housed and baked children. As a result, I now exercise three-four times a week in an effort to restore my body to some resemblance of its former self. I won’t lie, there are days I have no more interest in hitting the gym than I do in hugging a wasp nest. Yet, I go, have a terrific workout and always feel better. Some workouts are to simply tune out the world around me. While others contain all the ingredients of me not being able to walk up stairs properly the next day! However, the old “fat” pants just can’t seem to fully disappear from my wardrobe. Whether I’m PMS’ing or suffering the aftermath of an evening of wings and nachos, those evil fat pants are both incentive and demise! Sometime this year, they will be gone!
6. Now that I think about it, things are generally not too shabby around here! Homework gets done (though sometimes at the last minute), most days the kids leave the house in a presentable state (a certain level of grass stains are acceptable), we get to hockey, swimming and gymnastics in a safe and timely manner. It’s my three little munchikins cuddled on the couch, then the sweet foreheads we kiss goodnight. The small stuff? Don’t sweat the spilled milk, broken zipper, or the laundry that has to get folded...it’s the tea party with my Tinker Bell Princess and her Storm Trooper brothers that matter the most.
Where does that leave me with my new year’s resolution? There’s no doubt we all have room for improvement – I, will forever be a work-in-progress. Still, I don’t think I’ll be sticking to one, absolute resolution. For every test, practice, and recital or for every page coloured, bed made, and shoe tied; I’m always telling the kids to simply have fun and do their best! So why not the same for me! (I’ll just be sure to have a stash of candy on-hand for emergency purposes).
2011? Bring it on!
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