Guest Post – What Was I Thinking?

I am excited to present a guest post by Sandie lee, you'll laugh that's a guarantee! It is so nice to hear that others (even who don't have their own kids) are going through the exact same thing as us.  Enjoy the read and if you're interested in becoming a guest blogger contact me, join me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter!

 

Sandie lee has been writing for 18 years and has been published both online and in print.  She is currently working for knowonder magazine doing fun facts for kids.  Check it out at; http://www.knowonder.com.

 

What Was I Thinking? ~ Sandie lee

Pyjamas and slippers, bed-head and no makeup, this is how I show up for work.　 As horrifying as that may sound to you, it’s normal for me – I work from home and it isn’t always this glamorous (yes it gets worse).

With the economy the way it is more and more folks are working from home to supplement the family income.　 As great as it is to be with the kids in their formable years it can also be a constant juggling act – meal prep, runny noses, toys that clatter, the constant chatter, diapers, dinosaurs…

…ahhh naptime (and I do mean me).

Personally, I don’t have any kids…well not my own anyway. I agreed to look after my niece’s children when she went back to work (what was I thinking?). I guess it was my biological clock taking one last maternal gasp before it shut down permanently. And of course, I couldn’t say no to my favourite niece, plus, she was such a joy as a child how bad could her kids be…right? WRONG so very, very WRONG!

My day starts when my niece drops the little monkeys off bright and early with excuses (lies) spouting forth like a verbal geyser…“I have to be there early…lots of work…my boss is a tyrant…big, impor…ttdal the rest is unintelligible as she’s already in the car a block away. I don’t even have a chance for my morning pick-me-up – ahhh…I miss the days of getting dressed-up (out of my pj’s) doing my hair (combing), putting on makeup (washing my face), and the quiet car ride to the local coffee shop for a mocha-latte-extra-foam (where I’m sure my niece is breathing a sign of relief).

Now all the foam I see is Hubby’s shaving cream slathered all over the toilet and the cat.

The bright side? The kids were quiet for ten minutes and, much to the cat’s dismay, both are considerable cleaner (plus, they have a nice musky aroma).

When you work from home with kids under foot the job never ends – and I don’t mean the paying one.　 I have friends that look forward to work as it means they can escape from the pressures of the house and family, at least for a little while.Hmmm…perhaps I should have listened to them when my niece asked her favourite aunt (aka sucker) to baby-sit.

The kids don’t get that “Auntie’s working,” (and on the verge of a nervous break-down) so multi-tasking is the one skill I have become an expert at.　 I can cook a meal, answer emails, clean up a mess, wipe a nose, comb hair, feed the cat, grab the phone and separate squabbling siblings without breaking a sweat (good thing as showering isn’t high on the priority list).

However, my own personal appearance isn’t the only thing that suffers.　 My house is a disaster – beds are unmade, dirty dishes stack up until we’re down to the picnic-ware, cat hair bounces by like tumble weed in the desert (hmmm, perhaps we should have shaved him when he was lathered up).

Would I have it any other way? YES! YES! YES! Did I mention YES!!　 But at least at the end of the day when I’m dishevelled, desperate, run out of diapers and about-to-put-the-kids-on-the-curb, my favourite (soon-to-be loathed) niece shows up to take the little “darlings” home.

However, hope springs eternally and tomorrow is another day….I wonder if I have time to move?