Biting off more than I can chew.
Keeping our house in tip-top, maybe-somebody-will-want-to-see-our-house-and-buy-it shape has not been easy! Not to mention this week I am planning to go up to Brainerd (tomorrow) and offered to help watch a friends' 10 month-old baby on Monday and Tuesday. Last night I was nearly in tears. Our house is a dis.aster. I am tired and period-crabby (sorry, guys ...).
Joel called his mom and expressed concern that he's afraid I bit off more than I can chew and she kindly offered to watch Rosemary for a little while today. So, after she wakes up from a [hopefully] long nap, I'm going to send her over to Nana's house for the evening. Then I'll come back here and clean, clean, clean. My goal is to have most everything in the car (is that safe?) and then not have to do anything except eat breakfast and brush our teeth tomorrow morning. We will then head off to ECFE, and then up to Brainerd during Rosemary's naptime.
Speaking of ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education). We in Minnesota are so stinkin' blessed to have it. I cannot brag highly enough about the program. They ask you to pay according to your income, but they do not force anyone to pay. So they basically provide this great service for free. I get to go once a week with Rosemary, we play and do circle time together, do some activities with our children and then separate for parent-time and kid-time. That hour and a half of parent-time is pretty much my favorite time of the week. Somebody else is taking excellent care of my child while I get to sit and drink my tea (or coffee, if I'm in the mood), and chat with other like-minded parents. Well, we're not all like-minded - but I am blessed to live in an area with lots of other parents who think like me. Anyway, tangent aside. I love ECFE and totally think I am a better parent because of it. There is really something to collaborating with other parents and the highly experienced instructors there. I have gotten so many good ideas from ECFE and have never felt judged or uncomfortable. ECFE has pretty much solved Rosemary's sleeping issues and given me so many other good parenting ideas. I have learned so much about child development and seriously think I would have had much different expectations about what Rosemary can/should/can't/shouldn't do at her age.
Anyway, I am just sorry that it is a Minnesota thing and not a national thing, because I feel so blessed to have it.
Joel called his mom and expressed concern that he's afraid I bit off more than I can chew and she kindly offered to watch Rosemary for a little while today. So, after she wakes up from a [hopefully] long nap, I'm going to send her over to Nana's house for the evening. Then I'll come back here and clean, clean, clean. My goal is to have most everything in the car (is that safe?) and then not have to do anything except eat breakfast and brush our teeth tomorrow morning. We will then head off to ECFE, and then up to Brainerd during Rosemary's naptime.
Speaking of ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education). We in Minnesota are so stinkin' blessed to have it. I cannot brag highly enough about the program. They ask you to pay according to your income, but they do not force anyone to pay. So they basically provide this great service for free. I get to go once a week with Rosemary, we play and do circle time together, do some activities with our children and then separate for parent-time and kid-time. That hour and a half of parent-time is pretty much my favorite time of the week. Somebody else is taking excellent care of my child while I get to sit and drink my tea (or coffee, if I'm in the mood), and chat with other like-minded parents. Well, we're not all like-minded - but I am blessed to live in an area with lots of other parents who think like me. Anyway, tangent aside. I love ECFE and totally think I am a better parent because of it. There is really something to collaborating with other parents and the highly experienced instructors there. I have gotten so many good ideas from ECFE and have never felt judged or uncomfortable. ECFE has pretty much solved Rosemary's sleeping issues and given me so many other good parenting ideas. I have learned so much about child development and seriously think I would have had much different expectations about what Rosemary can/should/can't/shouldn't do at her age.
Anyway, I am just sorry that it is a Minnesota thing and not a national thing, because I feel so blessed to have it.