Buried In Laundry

With two adults and three children I sometimes feel like all I do is laundry. Then I look around and realize that it's true. I always have at least one basket of laundry left to fold and put away but then, guess what? I have to start all over again. So I don't think there will ever be just one last basket of laundry to put away. Maybe I'll start calling the last basket, the first. That seems about right.

8 Fun "Games" for Toddlers and Adults

Nope. It includes hours of internet exploring, blogging, facebook, and twitter updates all while the kiddies watch their favorite television shows and eat snacks. Duh.

Seriously though, I write my blog posts at night while everyone is tucked all nice and cozy in their beds. I take about 20-25 minutes every morning to get on the computer and post the blogs and update anything I need to. I don't have to do this, I want to. It gives me a bit of a break at 9:00 in the morning when I've been up for a few hours with already two screaming babies and one whining toddler. It's not my job, but I tell my toddler "Mommy needs to work on the computer while you watch one show. When your show is over, it's time to play."

Play. You would think playing all day would be fun or something that you might enjoy. I have a three year old. Playtime is one part boring and two parts exhausting. So when I actually do need to get things done in the house, playtime consists of some really fun games:

1. Throw the socks, shirt, pants, etc. in the washing machine. Kinda like basketball, but with dirty laundry. My toddler's favorite part is smelling the laundry detergent and pressing the start button.
2. Throw the socks, shirt, pants, etc. in the dryer.
3. Find the socks and undies. Just hope you finish folding the laundry before all the socks and undies are found.
4. Grab a dishwasher soap pod thingy and put it in the detergent compartment. Then press the start button. Really fun for three year olds.
5. Get all the clean spoons and forks out of the dishwasher and put them away. Just be mindful of the knives.
6. Sweep up the dirt and put it in a neat pile. This one takes some time to perfect. In the beginning, my toddler was sweeping the dirty floor randomly and just moving the dirt around but not actually cleaning up. Now she's a pro and loves to make a neat pile of dirt. Her reward is getting to vacuum up the dirt pile with the hose extension.
7. Use the magic Swiffer wand and make the dust disappear. 
8. Erase the fingerprints. I don't know about you, but I have a full glass front storm door and my toddler loves putting her grubby little fingers all over it. She also enjoys putting her mouth on it and licking it. Toddlers are silly like that. Some Windex and paper towels give you at least 10-15 minutes of playtime.

So there you go. Stay at home moms and dads really need to be creative when it comes to getting household chores done. Including your toddler in these activities and calling them games is just pure genius. These tasks may take twice as long to get accomplished, but your toddler will keep out of trouble while you two are doing them. They are too young at this point to realize it is actually work. Sure, sometimes my toddler gets bored by these games and I don't blame her. That's when I say, OK. Time to play kitchen or hide and seek or run around the table fifty times (she really enjoys that one) or scream "peek-a-boo" really loud and scary at your baby brother and sister and make them cry ('cause twins crying at the same time is totally funny and awesome) or whatever this little imaginative three year old can come up with. Then when all that is done, I will sit on my ass and enjoy my bon-bons (but of course, that never happens).

Work or Stay At Home

Before I got pregnant with our first daughter, now three years old, I had a long discussion with my husband about whether or not I would continue to work. I was making a pretty decent salary, but then I worked out some numbers. It is a numbers game here because I could've kept working. I could've paid for daycare. I could've, but I didn't and it all came down to numbers. Well, numbers and the fact I didn't want some stranger practically raising our child. For some, they have no choice in the matter, but I was and am very fortunate to be able to stay home to care for my family. 

So, there we were discussing our future or more-so, my working future and I laid it all out for my husband. If I continued to work, practically my entire salary would be paying for daycare. Let me repeat, "My entire salary!" I would be working for the sole purpose of having one child in daycare. What was the point of that? It didn't make sense. And forget about the fact that we now have twins. My whole paycheck plus some of my husband's would be paying for it. How ridiculous is that? I really don't know how both parents who work do it, let alone single parents. 

The daycare scene is a money maker, definitely. I'm on Long Island, New York, so I'm not sure what it's like in other parts of New York or in other states, but here, the price to put your child in daycare is costly. I guess it should be since you want the people who are taking care of your children to be happy. If they get paid very little or it isn't a very nice facility, then you might have issues. So I guess expensive daycare equals quality care? Who knows. All I know is I don't have to know. My situation is a blessing. So to all those working moms out there, I hope you are getting the best quality care for your children. To all those SAHM's, I hope you're giving the best quality care. In the end, it's all about the Benjamin's...and Katie's...and Joey's...and Jennifer's...and.....