Monday, April 24, 2006

Single Mom

So, I'm a single mom this week! My hubby is gone to a pastor's conference until Thursday. It's times like these I wish we homeschooled because I would have taken the boys to grandparents and gone to the conference with him. There are other times I wish we homeschooled, but that blog is for another day - deciding to send son to public school was a long, hard decision.

Knowing there is no one about to walk in and ask why I'm still on the computer - I've spent quite a bit of time checking out the FlyLady and reading other blogs! That FlyLady is something else and I want others' opinions of her and her methods. LiteratureLover seems to really accomplish a lot with the routines. Please let me know what you think and how you got started and the difference it's made for your home.

What is your advice for this single mom? Early baths, Benadryl, and off to bed? (for the boys, not me). Chicken nuggets and mac n cheese every night? (for the boys, not me) Major house cleaning so hubby is impressed/blessed when he returns home? I am really glad he's at the conference. Everyone needs renewal - especially pastors. I got my renewal weekend earlier this month when I flew to TN for a Beth Moore conference - all by myself! It was wonderful! I tried to get Heartsjoy to come along but she just couldn't do it. Maybe next time!

But seriously, I am thankful I'm not a single mom. I can't imagine a more difficult situation. Even if hubby is in the house, but has checked out (you know what I mean), at least he's here if I need him. Just his walking through the door takes the pressure off me at the end of the day. No one should have to parent alone.

5 comments:

SuperMom said...

I know the feeling. My hubby works full time and goes to school full time. Many times I have to play the role of "single mom", but the reality is, I'm not. I don't even want to think about doing it all by myself!! My hats are off to those that do.

Flylady is a saint. I am still a beginner, but my bed has been made every day for over a month, my dishes are done every night before I go to bed, and our sheets are changed every Monday. And I wear comfy shoes, which my feet love me for. Flylady rocks!!!

When hubby isn't home, we usually keep dinner very easy. (But Flylady is helping me in menu planning and actually remembering to set something out to thaw. Yet another reason I love her.) I say you and the boys should just have as much fun as you can cram into the week. One night we had ice cream for dinner :-)

heartsjoy said...

Oh, I know what you mean. When hubby is gone we have a low key schedule. I miss his walk through the door and presence as do my kids. I have so much admiration for single parents as well!

I do like Flylady as well because I have seen my sister LL, FLYING!

Yes, maybe next time we can jet off to Beth Moore together! ;) Love having you on the blog.

LiteratureLover said...

I sing the praises of Flylady all the time! I think the reason that I love her so much is because she is gracious. She continues to tell you to do BABYSTEPS and if you mess up, it doesn't matter. Just jump in where you are!

I would second her opinion on "babysteps". When I first started, I went gung-ho and tried to do everything listed on Flylady's routines. I ended up burning out and quitting for awhile. When I re-started, I decided to just work on one thing at a time (which she tells you to do). Once the sink became a regular happening, then I started adding other things. I would definitely advise you to delete the testimonials at first if you are overwhelmed by them. There will always be more the next day if you need encouragement. Happy "Flying"!

joyfuljourney said...

Thanks for the comments about FlyLady. I have found it all overwhelming and I want to do it all NOW! I needed to hear you say to start with the sink and move on from there. The sink makes a HUGE difference! How simple! I do love the encouragement too. I'm so hard on myself for not getting it all done and having my house clean all at one time. Especially living in the parsonage, I want to keep it picked up. So now I have permission to be myself! Blessing my house a little bit each day is better than nothing at all. Just keep the front area picked up, clean my sink, and take babysteps when it comes to the rest.

There are some older ladies in the church I thought would look down on me for not keeping my house perfect all the time (like they do). But they have been such an encouragement. They remind me I have a toddler and that my house will always have a mess to clean up because we are home all the time. If we were all gone all day, then it would stay cleaner. Which would I rather have?

heartsjoy said...

Hey girlie! Where are you? We are missing our joyfuljourney. :) Hope you survived the single mom week.