Mrs. Sweet

Lately I have been learning to parent to two babies. To be a better housewife and Mother to these beautiful blessings. I love them, but life certainly is different than it was just a few short years ago. I wouldn’t trade it though.

Take our recent roadtrip to visit my sister. The drive is about 300 miles. The first few hours passed quickly, it was thanksgiving, our babies sweetly sleeping in the back of our car. We stopped when they woke up, our two year old stretched her legs with my hubby while I fed our 4 month old.

We got back in the car, our daughters belly full of goldfish crackers and orange juice, we set up the dvd player for her to watch curious george….about 15 minutes later we hear crying from the backseat. I look back to see our daughters arm covered in Vomit. We were at the longest stretch of road with neither a fast food restaurant nor a gas station. I am praying something comes up soon, thankfully we found a McDonalds and a family dollar. I send my husband to retreive paper towels and garbage bags, I take my daughter into the restaurant to wash up, having stripped her sweatshirt and pants, in only a t-shirt and diaper.

We stayed their for a little while, Elise eating like nothing had happened, stealing our fries, I fed the baby again, Phil did his best to clean the carseat. I learned something that day though, about our families ability to weather the rough things. I would have thought that would be the worst thing that could happen, but really we dealt with it.

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Later that weekend we braved the mall. I was meeting a college friend and her new husband for lunch. First, we didn’t have a stroller because we didn’t have room in our trunk and I assumed the mall would have stroller rentals. Lunch went ok, finding a place to nurse was a little stressful, huddled in a dressing room I was making the best of it. Then a parent came in with a child who kept shrieking at her brother who kept coming in to the room. Plus their was carrying of the 15 pounder across the mall.

We met back up with my friends and planned to meet them our in the parking lot.  Then, my hubby went to get the car.

He calls me, I am on a bench with the babies, two diaper bags and a build a bear.

“I don’t know what to do, I can’t park and I can’t pull up.”

I load the babies in my arms and find a stray target cart. I hear an officer, “Ma’am you’re going to have to go back in the building. There is a small fire and four fire trucks will be pulling up here shortly.”

Now, I am not sure what reason tells us that we should go back in the building that is one fire. He wouldn’t let me head into the parking lot. So me and the babies headed back in the mall, we took the cart back to the other end of the mall, up the elevator 4 floors and across the mall. We entered the Target store, wanting to meet Phil at another entrance. Then, the cart promptly locked upon crossing into the store.

Eventually with the help of an employee  we dragged the cart far enough into the store to get the wheels security feature reversed. I found my husband and met back up with our friends who had some Christmas surprises.

So much drama.

We headed back to my sisters, and got lost on the way. But, that’s a story for another time, somebaby needs to eat

We make lots of decisions as parents. Decisions on what our kids will eat, where we will live, what toys we will give our children to play with. From the first pack of diapers, or cloth (we did that for awhile), to the last meal we make them before we drive them off to college or wherever life takes them.

In some ways all these choices are overwhelming, but in another way, it is liberating. No matter the choices we make, they will still always be ours. Lots of these little choices, pampers or huggies, won’t ultimately effect the people they become. It is the bigger choices that will.

As a family we have been trying to focus more on giving our daughter, and the next one due in July, what really matters. That meant that we didn’t go crazy at Christmas, because she is only one year old. It means I write letters to her so I can remember what she was like at each early stage. It means we don’t sweat the small stuff. We try and watch our money so we can spend time with our kids, instead of spending money on our kids and time at work.

I work part time this year at a daycare, I think I was called to minister there, I work a few hours, a few afternoons a week. It is good because it helps me to get out of the house and I am able to take my daughter with me. It is nice to have a little extra money, it isn’t much but it helps with an occasional pizza or other treat we might have to cut out otherwise. I know that oppertunity will be over this summer, as number two makes his or her appearance, so for this season I appreciate the opportunity.

I haven’t blogged here in awhile, I plan on starting to blog here more often though. I want to write about our lives and also pass along some of my Mom and housewife wisdom. Some good deals I have found, ways to make our money stretch.

I hope you will enjoy reading my thoughts.

-Mrs. Sweet