I've become Michael Keaton

First lesson of me: I over extend myself. Constantly. In the middle of saying yes to something I will even think to myself "when are you possibly going to have time to do this, let alone sleep and eat?" but I just keep saying yes. Perhaps something to work on next year - a resolution I guess, if I believed in them. But this is how things I WANT to do get shoved to the side and neglected from time to time; i.e. this blog, two baby blankets I'm knitting, my oldest's baby book, and a whole ton of filing here at home.

THAT being said, I've been handed 9 glorious hours of freedom each day by my doctor. It's not quite bedrest, it's "restricted activities" but I don't care what the label is - she said I cannot go to work. And when I asked if I can work remotely (never let anyone say I'm NOT a dedicated employee!) I was given a big fat no. So I've got 9 to 10 weeks to kill. This sounded kind of great in her office and even on the drive home, but then I remembered a few things about my house during the day.

My co-workers do not need assistance wiping their rears in the bathroom, blowing their noses, having their meals made, clothes laid out, laundry done, or need me to entertain them. They do not force me to watch "Bedtime Stories" four times a day, ask that I learn the moves of the Dragonball-Z characters, or destroy what I clean within 3 minutes of me being finished. They do not puke on my floor, fight with me over every little request, or throw tantrums of an embarrassing magnitude on the kitchen floor in front of my in laws.

My 4 year-old, however, does.

We're not a traditional family. My husband works as a substitute teacher, so he usually handles the day shift after school or on the days he has no work. I go to work as the primary income and roll into the driveway around 6 to a kid that just wants to play with me for 2 hours before bed and a meal ready to eat. Me being home all day? I think my son and I are both in for a rough few days as we figure out what the heck we're doing.

Yesterday was day 1. By 2pm, the Wii was removed from the living room for what I can only hope will be the next 3 years. The house was destroyed, he was still in pajamas, had pooped his pants TWICE out of spite, destroyed a lego creation my husband spent 2 hours working on with him, and we had both cried numerous times (I lost count for him, but I was at two times).

All I could think about was the first day from the movie "Mr. Mom". Only that made sense - Michael Keaton was the DAD. I'm the MOM. How did our movie become "Mrs. Mom" with the same sad yet hilarious bumbles?! At least Michael Keaton had THREE kids. I have ONE! Oh...where is my crazy group of stay at home moms that want to get together to play cards and gossip? Where does one find them? Craigslist? Or is it like Fight Club and we can't really talk about it but someone will eventually come find me?

At the end of the day, I did what I do best. I called a meeting. Between the 4 year-old and myself. We discussed the problems of the day, brainstormed where we can improve, and created a plan to follow to get there. Granted, I'm used to a little more high tech approach with tangible terms of measurement (usually dollars and cents) but a sticker chart with the promise of a trip to Chuck E. Cheese appears to be my new KPI for being home.

Nine more weeks of this? I like to think we can get through. Especially since the last 6 will also include a newborn! For now, I'm bringing some business sense back into this game - the 4 year-old has a 9am with the shower, new clothes, and toothbrush. We can't be late for that!

Still learning to knit...

I have FOREVER been jealous of women that can make special things for their kids, family, and friends. It's never really been a strong suit for me - mostly because if I can't learn it and do it in a 2 hour time span, I lose interest. My life is literally a serious of specifically timed events and if one of them takes longer than planned, I cannot stand it. Running behind is my enemy.

A few years back, I discovered a friend of mine knew how to knit. And she knew how to knit really well. And she wasn't 80 with a lot of cats. She was my age with only one cat and completely awesome. Fast forward a little more, I started dating (and eventually married) her brother so we started seeing each other a lot more and I asked her to teach me how to knit.

My first lesson was almost 2 years ago. To date, I've made a lot of scarves. They're rectangle, fast, easy. I made two blankets that look like a 10 year old made them (I'd like to give my mom and son a shout out for accepting my crude work and swearing they loved it). I can do a total of four stitches. But I get by.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I realized that I didn't have enough on my plate - between full time work, full time college, mom, wife, new homeowner, sunday school teacher, and being pregnant life was getting dull. So I decided to make a blanket for my baby. What could be better than me working on something tangible we can see while my body is making something we cannot right?

It's been 4 1/2 months and I have about 1 inch of this blanket done:
http://www.loopknits.com/2008/08/09/wave-blanket/

It was 4 inches long last week but thanks to a lack of attention on my part, it was destroyed and beyond fixing. I had to tear it out. Then my husband had to spend an hour untangling everything (I called in an Eagle Scout for this! It was SERIOUS!).

This blanket will hopefully be done for the baby by kindgergarten.

I moved on to a new one, its going much quicker :) Because its much easier!
http://www.coatsandclark.com/Crafts/Knitting/Projects/Print+Ads/LW1417+Angel+Baby.htm

So...we'll see....

Welcome

I've decided to step into 2005 and have a blog. All my friends have them - so why not me, right? Oh how many wonderful sounding ideas have started with that mindset and ended horribly. I am hoping that this is not another one of those deals. We'll see.

So why a blog? Why not. And because I have a lot to say. A LOT. And between a less than interested workplace crew, a household full of boys, and an extended family full of their own deals - some of my stuff goes unsaid. But definitely not unthought. And I want to share it - so why not here?

The term Motley Momma is perfect for me. First off, because I will fully admit to rolling up the windows on the family sedan and rocking out to some Motley Crue from time to time...I'm not your momma's momma! But even more so, the term motley perfectly describes me: "composed of diverse often incongruous elements" (thanks to www.m-w.com).

I am learning to knit. Have been for two years. I have somewhat mastered 3 or 4 stitches. I keep it simple - but there is certainly no lack of love in anything I make. There may actually be more since anything I make takes 4 times longer than a seasoned knitter and most others would probably give up. Today's goal: casting on a new baby blanket. For my new baby. I've got 5 months to get this sucker done...and sadly, this could prove to be a challenge. I'm trying an actual pattern for the first time also. This is major.

I want a Food Network Show. Only...I do not live in LA or NY and cannot/will not ever live there. Oh, and I don't have the knowledge, skills, or patience for many things I see on there. I DO however love trying out new things and trying to expand my skills, so who knows! And thankfully, my husband is right there with me...so we tag team a lot of things.

I like reading, sports, work in the trucking industry, hate shopping, love playing with my son, and have a severe fear of most things girly. I have never had a pedicure, only 1 manicure (for my wedding- highly disappointed), and if a hairstyle requires more than 10 minutes of a hairdyer in the morning, it's too high maintenance.

I've got a colorful cast of supporting characters, tons of conflicing interests, opinions, and the likes...and I'm happily entertained. Perhaps you'll walk away feeling the same.


Danielle