Tuesday, August 21, 2012

20 Questions: Amanda







Today's guest, Amanda, is answering our 20 Questions!
 

1. Tell us a little about who makes your house a home.
Harrison: my awesome husband. Is a police officer in Las Vegas. His favorite hobbies outside of spending time with the family are hunting and playing basketball.

Myself: I'm a stay-at-home mom to 3 little ones who keep me very busy.

Hudson: he is 4 1/2 an awesome son and great big brother! He loves going to the park.

Aislynn: 2 1/2 her nickname is Franny because we joke that she is so crazy busy and acts frantic all of the time.

Kinsley: 10 months and getting too big too fast! She is almost walking and such a joy to have around!



2. What's a typical day in your household like?
We live a very scheduled, but chaotic life. Breakfast first, then we either run errands, have a play date, or go to the gym. After that it's lunch and nap time, which is when I catch up on cleaning and prep for dinner. I always make sure to have dinner on the table when my husband gets home, so we can spend the evening time as a family and we either play at home with the kids or go to the gym if I didn't make it in the morning. And then you know, add in the millions of things a mom has to do during the day in there somewhere. 

3. What are your plans for your child's education?
If we are in Vegas I'm going to do the k-12 online home school program. If we are in Michigan they will be in public schools. I plan to give them just enough of a push to get them where they want/need to go and encourage them along the way.

4. What's the most challenging thing about being a mom?
Being "on call" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

5. What's the most rewarding thing about being a mom?
Watching my kids growing up together and having fun and of course the "i love you mommy."

6. How are household chores divided up in your family?
With my husbands demanding and stressful job I pretty much do all of the chores at our house. I do love to get the kids involved with me too to teach them how to pitch in and help the family... and it keeps them out of trouble. My husband does notice when I get to the point where I'm having a hard time balancing things and pitches in.

7. What's your most embarrassing mom moment?
We were at a nice restaurant with all three kids (doesnt happen often) and a very large man sat down at a table next to us. My son was 3 at the time and loudly said, "that's a whole lotta man right there isnt it daddy!?" sooo embarrassing! 

8. How do you find a balance between your commitments and family time?
My family always comes first and if I feel like we are getting to a point where we are getting too involved in outside activities I start cutting back where I can and it is usually enough to get us back on track.

9. Who (or what) has influenced your parenting style the most?
This is a hard one. I would say I get a lot of my parenting advice from my mom, but my husband and I do sit up a lot of nights discussing an issue or issues that we are having with the kids and how we are going to parent to try to fix it. It usually involves me praying and reading books and talking to friends and getting the right information to handle whatever situation it may be. So I'm kind of forming my own style as I go.

10. Since becoming a mom how have your friendships changed? Did make new friends, strengthen friendships, lose friends?
I have less time for my friends that's for sure. I moved at the same time that I was becoming a mom, so some friends I didn't stay in touch with because of the move, but most of the new friends I made were moms because I knew I needed to surround myself with good moms. I do have my besties that I will always stay in touch with, but most of my friends are married with kids and get it, so we don't feel too guilty when we go a month without talking and we get it when we get the "i need to vent" call even when it's been a month since we talked last... that's when you know who your true friends are. 

11. How do you fit in time for your romantic relationship?
We have a rule that the kids are in bed at 8 because we need time as a couple. Yeah, some nights we are too tired to hang out and go right to bed, but we really try to watch a show together or rent a movie. I am usually pregnant or nursing, so we don't go out on dates often, but we do order in and have movie nights after the kids are in bed. 

12. What's one piece of advice you have for future/new moms?
Realize that sleep is over-rated and that they are only small for a short time, so enjoy every day with them.

13. What's the best piece of advice you were given about raising children?
 Let the house get messy and enjoy your kids because they grow up too fast.

14. How do you handle childcare?
I am a stay-at-home mom and I am very blessed in that I only have to use child care when I go to church, mops, or the gym. I always make sure to tell my kids ahead of time what is going on and that I will be back to pick them up, so they are prepared and don't have too much anxiety. I never did like the whole leaving them without saying good-bye and then them realizing that you aren't there and having a major anxiety attack. They do have some days where they don't want to be left and cry, but I go back and peek 5-10 minutes later to make sure they're ok. Some days I have just as much anxiety about leaving them as they do about staying, but I think it's good for us all to have that separation once in a while.

15. Do you take time for yourself sans kids?
The only time I take for myself is usually in the evening after the kids are in bed and I do my daily devotional and bible reading to wind down. Once in a while I do make it a point to do lunch with my girlfriends to chat and catch up without kids.

16. What was the toughest adjustment going from 1 to 2 or 2 to 3 kids? If you only have one child what was the biggest adjustment after baby was born?
Going from 2 to 3 was the hardest adjustment for me. My son had just started preschool, my second child was in the "trying twos", and of course the lack of sleep gets greater after each child, so It was quite the adjustment for me. One of my friends says, "I'm glad God gives us at least 9 months in between pregnancies, so we can adjust." I always thought that was a good way to look at it. Everything comes around with time.

17. Finish this sentence, Before having kids, I wish I would have known...
how much my mom really loved me and wanted what was best for me. It's easy to get mad at your parents when they are being hard on you, but once you have kids you realize how much a mom really loves a child.

18. Has your relationship with food changed?
My relationship with food is the same i would say. The only difference is i don't have time to cook and sit and enjoy it like i used to, but i've always been a sweet tooth and i've always loved to eat!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
19. How is discipline handled in your family?
I am the primary disciplinarian because I stay home. If we every disagree on a parenting style we talk about it later and figure out what we are going to do, but we usually discipline the same. We are big on time out and explaining exactly what was done wrong and what should be done next time. I try to keep the kids busy at all times because they are usually only naughty when they get bored and I'd rather spend the day playing with them and having fun than having to correct them all day because they're bored.

20. If you could change one thing about your current set-up, what would it be?
Well, we are in the process of possibly moving across the country right now, so we are living with my parents until our house sells, so I would change the "living on the fly and with the parents" because it's a bit stressful with 3 little ones, but over all I feel very blessed to be where I am right now.

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