Is it bedtime yet?

How do you all feel about sending your kids back to school in August? It's a hot subject right now with no right or wrong answers! I think we're all a little worried, but ready for the kids to go back to a normal routine!

Any first time moms of babies under one who are a little worried about fireworks this 4th of July? I know I am. I will be inside with the tv on loud, my daughter (8 months) is a little finicky and I don't want them to score her.

Would you let your 5 year old son play call of duty?

I think I really just need to vent some... So my Mother’s Day wasn’t bad at all. It was actually really nice. But at the same time it was exhausting and stressful. And the one thing I wanted (the only thing I ever really want on Mother‘s Day) I didn’t get. I just wanted a card! That’s it’s. I don’t care if it’s a simple card that my husband writes something sentimental in or an in depth card that says it all. I’m a card person and that’s really all I want. I send out personalized holiday cards and then spring cards. I mailed out birth announcements. I send cards to our parents on Mother’s Day/Father’s Day and their birthdays. I send our nieces and nephews birthday cards. Cards are my thing I guess. I keep them. I have a memory box that I put them in. I write the date on the back and keep them to look back on. Today could have been just like every other Sunday, but with one card, and I would have been perfectly happy.

Now don’t get me wrong, my husband, his brother, and their brother-in-law planned an at-home paint and sip for the three of us wives and we had a great time drinking wine, painting, and gossiping about our in-laws while the guys watched the kids. But it just didn’t feel like Mother’s Day. It felt like it could have been a Friday night girls night.

Here’s a break down of my day: I got up an hour earlier than I usually do (and we have a 2.5 yo and a 5 mo) to make breakfast for everyone since my BIL, his wife, and their 4 kids were staying with us this weekend. Before someone says I shouldn’t have made breakfast, the alternative was Coco Puffs and donuts. Kids need more than sugar to start the day and so do I. After everyone ate, I started to unload the dishwasher so I could do the dirty dishes. My husband told me to stop, that he had it. Cool! I went to put our 5 mo down for his morning nap. When I came out of the nursery, I saw the dishes were still in the sink. Apparently “I’ve got this” to my husband means he’ll finish emptying the dishwasher (I’d already emptied the bottom rack, so it was half done already). So then I started doing the dishes. No one said a word.

He called me 3 times while I was at my SIL’s because he couldn’t figure out how to fix our 5 mo’s lunch despite me leaving WRITTEN directions and fixing 2/3s of the plate before I left. He just had to add some applesauce to the plate and microwave it for 20 seconds. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Then I got another call closer to afternoon nap to come home and nurse the baby. I expected this call and my SIL is a 2 minute drive or less from my house. I’m about a block from home when my husband texts that the baby is asleep. I figured I’m already home, so I went in to check on everyone. Apparently the baby refused to eat lunch and only had a bottle (no surprise there, hubby NEVER feeds him), but other than that everything was going alright. (They’re watching 8 kids, my two boys, my BIL’s 4 kids, and my SILs 2.) I head back to my SILs to continue our kids-free afternoon.

Close to 5pm I get a text asking what’s for dinner. I said “IDK. What are you making?” A more in-depth conversation followed. Not long after that, I get a text that the baby is “freaking out”. I get home and immediately have to feed the baby and then give him a bath because had dried food stuck on his face from his attempted lunchtime feeding. Now my BIL and his family are getting ready to leave, so I go down to our basement playroom to make sure his kids didn’t forget anything (they always do) and to make sure everything is picked up (meaning I picked up at least half the stuff). I also switched over a load of laundry that my husband had started earlier (only because he couldn’t find any bibs). My 2.5 yo starts losing his shit as everyone’s leaving because he skipped his afternoon nap since all of his cousins were here. I had to put both boys to bed and then do the dishes from the afternoon/evening while my husband napped on the couch. I’m now in the basement about to fold the laundry and debating about saying something to my husband about not getting a card (an argument we had on my first Mother’s Day two years ago) or just going to bed because I feel exhausted.

Hi moms! How are we holding up with all the chaos of the kids being home and taking care of babies? Has anyone seen a difference in their babies behavior? I read an article yesterday about sleep (my baby is a horrible sleeper and I'm constantly seeking help) and it made a point i never thought of before. It said that babies need change of environments through out the day to tire them out. When they start getting fussy and show signs of early tiredness or frustration they are telling you they are bored and restless. Supposedly this leads to frequent night wakes and short naps. Any opinions?