Thursday, June 11, 2009

a change of pace

my brain is working on overdrive today so you're getting two posts : ) lucky you's guys : )

the kids' last day of school is tomorrow. starting monday i will enter an unknown territory. i will be home with both of my children all day. every day.

i'm scared.

i have been home w/ them off and on over the years for a few days at a time. but not since giving birth has that been for any length of real time. i have always worked.

i don't know how this will go. i am worried that i'm not a good enough mother to do this. it is one thing to be a parent when you work full time, but it's a whole other ballgame when you are home full time. at least i think it will be. and, i think it will be hard.

i know there are parents out there who'd give their left nut to be able to stay home w/ their kids. and, though this certainly is not the long-term game plan (cos all the coupon clipping in the world doesn't make it possible for me to officially stay home full time), a tiny part of me is looking forward to the challenge. even these last few weeks of having them home after school has brought about a bit of a change in me w/ them i think. i am not as tense and i do think that trickles down to them and how i interact w/ them. or maybe it's just me wishful thinking.

i WANT to find a job. i NEED to find a job. but, i also am curious about being w/ my kids full time. don't get me wrong--i have no illusions that this will be easy or always fun. i have no doubt that by this time next week i'll be writing posts like--omfg i'm going crazy or bitching about them fighting or something. i know this. my eyes are open and i expect this. but, i hope it's not too bad.

if any of you have suggestions, tips, advice on how to keep a 9 and 12 year old entertained for little or no money, i'm all ears. also--i will be feeding them meals other than dinner (which is never fun cos they are picky and bitch about everything). i need snack suggestions as well. i've already told them they aren't sitting around eating and watching tv all summer.

10 comments:

drollgirl said...

hey!!! i bet your kids are SO EXCITED!!! i have you pegged as one of those folks that some just can't get enough of! i ALSO have you pegged as a great mom, and i know you will do well at this. and it is temporary, so sometimes that eases the pressure a little bit.

as far as entertainment goes (and i have no kids -- so i am certainly not an expert on how to entertain them and keep them busy!), if they have any interest in art or culture, museums are usually fabulous. some even let kids in for free! and some even have free days, so this is huge bonus. plus they get a dash of culture, and who doesn't need that?! if they aren't in to art, natural history and science museums are very entertaining, and educational.

sorry for writing so much up here! gsus!

Anonymous said...

For fun what about things at the library or the free movies that are offered someplaces?
How about making them do lunch for fun? I know they have kids cooking books. I also know my own kid is too picky for them!
SIL

cheatymoon said...

For a teacher, I have crappy ideas for entertaining kids. My child is difficult to entertain anyway, but some on the cheap things that I did when home for the summer include lots of library time, lots of making a big deal over going out for an ice cream instead of going out for dinner, doing craft-ish stuff like making tie dyes, and just biking and spending time outside.

You'll be fine and you're kids will have a blast...

Hotch Potchery said...

I appreciate how excited you are to be with your kids, I just know I didn't have the patience to ensure they didn't watch tv and eat all summer...

The library sounds like a good idea...do they have a reading club? I remember at that age you could sign up and every time you read a book you got a sticker or something and it was some sort of contest...

If they like crafty things Oriental Trading has a million cheapy (although CHEAP) crafts...

good luck!

Not Your Aunt B said...

I don't know if where you live maybe has a website of fun local stuff for kids to do? We have one and it lists all the festivals, plays, movies, etc. along with regular gigs like libraries, pools, parks, etc. We try to do a new thing every week. Ones that work well go into a rotation of places to go. You'd be surprised how many places offer discounts on certain days or are free, especially with this economy. I also snoop around on crafting with kids or educational type websites. They have some neat (and cheap) ideas to try. Good luck! And you could be an honorary member of our lunch beer club. Yes. Some days you just need a little something.

Pandora said...

I honestly don't think I could give you any advice that would actually work,but if I were you,I would have them have friends over (or have them go to friends' houses) as often as possible.That won't cost you money,and they can all keep each other busy.

I totally get what you're saying about how you want to spend time with them,but not too much (I hope that's what you meant).When people,especially kids and their parents,spend too much time together,there's bound to be tension.Absense,in my mind,truly does make the heart grow fonder.

Anonymous said...

I think you will do a great job! The library is a good idea, also Bea's idea of checking out the city website for free stuff to do around town.

Annie's mac and cheese is a great low cost lunch. Throw in some mixed vegetables and it is nutritious too. Peanut butter sandwiches are cheap and full of protein. If you are out or want to go for a picnic, splitting a 5$ foot long sub from Subway is cheap and pretty good. Those are my staple lunches.

Keep us updated...

tracy

IB said...

Just try to keep them away from anything that might be fashioned into a jail-yard shiv and you should be alright.

Good luck. Be strong ;)

the Mayor said...

For several years during the summer I would have my son invite 4-6 other guys over once a week for dinner and we made simple comfort food. They loved it (I guess that's where they got the saying, a way to a guys heart is through his stomach). Some of his friends moms took some other nights of the week and then I had a break.
Girls, they don't care about that so much and are too picky. It was definitely a hit with the boys.

Astarte said...

You're going to be fine, I promise you!

Let them have friends over a lot, since it's a lot easier that way. They're entertained, and no one needs you. Regal cinemas offer free movies twice a week, and other theaters probably do, too, so look at your local movie website to check that out. We do day trips, too, since we're 90min from DC / Baltimore. I look for playgrounds / parks in nearby towns that might be cool and different and we go there. Michaels offers inexpensive classes on crafty things for kids, and if there are any community colleges around you, they may do week camps at pretty reasonable prices. Also, there are a lot of community festivals at this time of year, like peach festivals or whatnot, that have entertainment and aren't too expensive.

Other than that, we play board games, Wii, and walk the dogs. They watch TV sometimes, and read, and hang out. Seriously, though, the friend thing is BIG.