Ongelooflijk maar het is ondertussen al iets meer dan 10 jaar geleden dat ik mijn eerste postje plaatste hier op de blog. De blog was oorspronkelijk voornamelijk om vrienden en familie in Belgie op de de hoogte te houden van onze avonturen hier en alhoewel dit nog steeds het geval is, is dit ook mijn plekje geworden waar ik mijn gedachten kwijt kan en ervan geniet om te vertellen over het leven hier met vrienden (die ondertussen ook familie geworden zijn) en over ons gezinnetje. Er zal een moment komen dat Zoe en Elise dit 'dagboek' zullen lezen en ik hoop dat ze er evenveel van genieten als ik.
Nu de kids al wat ouder zijn hebben ze je fysisch al iets minder nodig omdat ze al een stuk zelfstandiger zijn maar ze hebben je nodig op een heel ander gebied. Emotioneel is het ouderschap een heel stuk uitdagender en bij momenten helemaal niet simpel. Er bestaat geen handleiding die uitlegt hoe je best op welke situatie reageert en daarenbovenop heeft ieder kind wel iets anders nodig. Dat constant wikken en wegen is niet gemakkelijk...Ik hou enorm van de blog van Jess, die heel direct over het moederschap schrijft en zich helemaal niets aantrekt van hoe een ander over haar denkt. Onlangs schreeft ze een post over de ochtendroutine. Hieronder is mijn versie - rewritten to fit the Sercu family :)
When you are a parent you wake up ridiculously early to get your children ready. Gone are the days when you rolled out of bed and out the door in 20 minutes. With kids, you have to factor in the parenting space/time continuum principle: 20 minutes is exactly the same as 1 second. Except for the 20 minutes before bedtime. That 20 minutes equals about 45 hours. It's all very confusing and it is okay to cry about it.
Let me remind you about the morning routine:
Mornings before kids:
1. Get self ready.
2. Get self in car.
3. Go.
Mornings now:
1. Put cup of milk in microwave for E for 45 sec. It has to be exactly that or she will complain that it’s too hot or too cold!
2. Go upstairs.
3. Wake up E.
4. Wake up Z.
5. Go back to E’s bed telling her it’s time to get up.
6. Wait another 3 min until E moves.
7. Help E put PJ’s on which she always takes off at night because she is too hot. Grab robe and help put on robe. Lift E out of bed.
8. Go back to Z – tell her it’s really time to get up. Put robe on her bed. Still no movement.
9. Go downstairs while telling Z one more time that she needs to get up.
10. Get milk out of microwave, walk to living room and give E cup of milk.
11. E sits on couch.
12. E becomes one with the couch.
13. Z finally emerges. It is unclear if she is human or zombie.
14. E stares into space and does not respond to anything until she finishes her milk.
15. Ask kids what they want for breakfast while frantically calling: "Clothes!" "Shoes!"
16. Z becomes one with the couch and hides under blankie.
17. Ask kids again what they want for breakfast.
18. Kids make no sound.
19. Walk to living room and stand in front of kids: "Clothes, come on guys! You know the drill, we do this every day!”
20. Children look at me like: do I know you?
21. Children start moving.
22. I am hopeful.
23. Ask kids again what they want for breakfast.
24. E wants strawberry smoothie, Z wants the world’s best smoothie (yes that does exist, you can look it up!)
25. Try to get agreement on 1 smoothie, no time to make 2 different kinds of smoothies (discussion last at least 5 min).
26. 15 minutes later, E sits on couch with underwear on and 1 sock.
27. Z stumbles in kitchen and starts breakfast.
28. Yell from kitchen to E that she MUST hurry up!!!
29. E screams back: I am hurrying up!!
30. Me: No you are not! (while checking to see if windows are closed - afraid neighbors might be calling CPS!)
31. E: Yes I am!
32. Me: sigh
33. E finally sits at the table and eats breakfast at turtle-pace.
34. Z goes upstairs to brush teeth and comb hair.
35. Tell E to eat faster.
36. E looks at me like: do I know you?
37. Find Z on the couch reading a book.
38. Tell Z to put on shoes.
39. Tell E to eat faster.
40. E is finally done.
41. E goes upstairs at turtle pace.
42. Put dog outside.
43. 15 minutes later, standing at the front door to leave.
44. Cat wants to come in to eat.
45. S****T
46. Tell kids to get in the car.
47. Feed cat.
48. Get myself in the car.
49. E sits in car seat still unbuckled.
50. Tell E to buckle up.
51. Z forgot her book.
52. Get back out of the car, in the house, grab book.
53. Get back out, lock front door.
54. Get back in car.
55. Drive to school.
56. Drop off kids.
57. Finally on the road for work – blood pressure through the roof....mentally preparing for a 1.5 hour horror commute – aargh!!!
58. Get to work at 8.30am.
59. Walk into my office.
60. Want to go to sleep.
Yep – and we will do it all over again tomorrow!
Nu de kids al wat ouder zijn hebben ze je fysisch al iets minder nodig omdat ze al een stuk zelfstandiger zijn maar ze hebben je nodig op een heel ander gebied. Emotioneel is het ouderschap een heel stuk uitdagender en bij momenten helemaal niet simpel. Er bestaat geen handleiding die uitlegt hoe je best op welke situatie reageert en daarenbovenop heeft ieder kind wel iets anders nodig. Dat constant wikken en wegen is niet gemakkelijk...Ik hou enorm van de blog van Jess, die heel direct over het moederschap schrijft en zich helemaal niets aantrekt van hoe een ander over haar denkt. Onlangs schreeft ze een post over de ochtendroutine. Hieronder is mijn versie - rewritten to fit the Sercu family :)
When you are a parent you wake up ridiculously early to get your children ready. Gone are the days when you rolled out of bed and out the door in 20 minutes. With kids, you have to factor in the parenting space/time continuum principle: 20 minutes is exactly the same as 1 second. Except for the 20 minutes before bedtime. That 20 minutes equals about 45 hours. It's all very confusing and it is okay to cry about it.
Let me remind you about the morning routine:
Mornings before kids:
1. Get self ready.
2. Get self in car.
3. Go.
Mornings now:
1. Put cup of milk in microwave for E for 45 sec. It has to be exactly that or she will complain that it’s too hot or too cold!
2. Go upstairs.
3. Wake up E.
4. Wake up Z.
5. Go back to E’s bed telling her it’s time to get up.
6. Wait another 3 min until E moves.
7. Help E put PJ’s on which she always takes off at night because she is too hot. Grab robe and help put on robe. Lift E out of bed.
8. Go back to Z – tell her it’s really time to get up. Put robe on her bed. Still no movement.
9. Go downstairs while telling Z one more time that she needs to get up.
10. Get milk out of microwave, walk to living room and give E cup of milk.
11. E sits on couch.
12. E becomes one with the couch.
13. Z finally emerges. It is unclear if she is human or zombie.
14. E stares into space and does not respond to anything until she finishes her milk.
15. Ask kids what they want for breakfast while frantically calling: "Clothes!" "Shoes!"
16. Z becomes one with the couch and hides under blankie.
17. Ask kids again what they want for breakfast.
18. Kids make no sound.
19. Walk to living room and stand in front of kids: "Clothes, come on guys! You know the drill, we do this every day!”
20. Children look at me like: do I know you?
21. Children start moving.
22. I am hopeful.
23. Ask kids again what they want for breakfast.
24. E wants strawberry smoothie, Z wants the world’s best smoothie (yes that does exist, you can look it up!)
25. Try to get agreement on 1 smoothie, no time to make 2 different kinds of smoothies (discussion last at least 5 min).
26. 15 minutes later, E sits on couch with underwear on and 1 sock.
27. Z stumbles in kitchen and starts breakfast.
28. Yell from kitchen to E that she MUST hurry up!!!
29. E screams back: I am hurrying up!!
30. Me: No you are not! (while checking to see if windows are closed - afraid neighbors might be calling CPS!)
31. E: Yes I am!
32. Me: sigh
33. E finally sits at the table and eats breakfast at turtle-pace.
34. Z goes upstairs to brush teeth and comb hair.
35. Tell E to eat faster.
36. E looks at me like: do I know you?
37. Find Z on the couch reading a book.
38. Tell Z to put on shoes.
39. Tell E to eat faster.
40. E is finally done.
41. E goes upstairs at turtle pace.
42. Put dog outside.
43. 15 minutes later, standing at the front door to leave.
44. Cat wants to come in to eat.
45. S****T
46. Tell kids to get in the car.
47. Feed cat.
48. Get myself in the car.
49. E sits in car seat still unbuckled.
50. Tell E to buckle up.
51. Z forgot her book.
52. Get back out of the car, in the house, grab book.
53. Get back out, lock front door.
54. Get back in car.
55. Drive to school.
56. Drop off kids.
57. Finally on the road for work – blood pressure through the roof....mentally preparing for a 1.5 hour horror commute – aargh!!!
58. Get to work at 8.30am.
59. Walk into my office.
60. Want to go to sleep.
Yep – and we will do it all over again tomorrow!
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