OK why did no one tell me that this stay at home mom thing is freaking HARD?!?
I dont know how anyone does it. i really dont.
I am truly tired and exhausted by it all.
My husband started a school workshop that takes place every single night SUN- THU (sun in Israel is the start of the workweek.. i don’t think I will be able to get used to that) from 4pm-10pm which means he leaves at like 3:30pm every day. Which means I have the pleasure of keeping the ladies occupied during those times. Who but the crew from Yo Gabba Gabba can keep 2.5 year olds occupied for more than 2 minutes in a row? I mean maybe if I had a Technicolor, psychedelic background when i spoke, the girls would listen to me more? Or maybe just a fuzzy hat?
So this will be our schedule until the middle of OCTOBER. Hold me.
I just dont think I will make it.
The good thing about living here in this particular house is that my sister-in-law has a house out back with her twins as well.
Yes, my husband’s older brother has twins.
Born 5 months after our own.
Everyone happens to think that twins run in our family.
Well, they do now!
The dynamics between them are so interesting to watch…
They dont get that they are cousins, and they are all around the same age, and yet its apparent that my girls are older (even though my niece is taller than my daughters!)
It;s great that they have one another to play with.. it does make it much easier (until they start fighting that is)..
***
My batteries are running out a bit these days. I think that only now.. just about 2 months later, I am starting to really feel the effects of the move.
I am not sad in any way, and I don’t think that I made the wrong decision whatsoever.
This decision was pretty much made for us, but I am A-OK with it. It’s funny how when people ask me how I am doing and I respond positively, it’s like they don’t believe me. People expect me to be shell-shocked, but I am not really.
I mean, yes moving from the states to the middle east is VERY DIFfERENT to say the least.
People here can be abrasive, rude and pretty much tell it like it is (even if you didn’t ask them to)
And some very random things are super expensive.. for example why does deodorant cost $10.00 (US Dollars) here? It’s a little much if you ask me.
Cars are also INSANELY EXPENSIVE.
we bought a car 2 weeks ago.. that was made in 1994. My sister-in-law who babysits my girls was born in 1994.
And get this, no POWER WINDOWS.
You have to roll it down the old fashion way.
Also? If I want the air conditioning to work I need to give the vent a good punch to the face.
I am not joking.
I literally have to put my standards aside for a while… otherwise, I will be miserable.
But the up side of having a junky car? I am finally learning to drive on the highway.
I have NEVER driven on the highway in the 5 years since I’ve had my license. I always drove in my city.. but now, unless I want to stay in my farm town.. I MUST drive on the highway.. and I am! Which to me is A BIG DEAL. I just need to not focus on any big trucks driving next to me and I will be ok. I hope.
Anywho regarding the first half of this post, I need suggestions! What to do with 2 toddlers and 1 mommy every afternoon.. I am slowly losing my mind, or whatever is left of it.. I need ideas people!
Oh, and send deodorant!
rachel said
Your sister in law is 16? Oy.
Re: deodorant…what I did was when ANYONE I knew was coming to Israel (or friends of people I knew) I’d have them send a little care package (ie. My birth control pills and soap, toothpaste, etc). It helped and it didn’t take up that much space!
I hope you are less stressed soon…2 little girls are fun but wow is that a ton of work!
geminigirl64 said
yes, I have a 16 yr old sister in law.. it works out well when i need a babysitter that lives downstairs and i can pay her in pennies.
Mara said
I have been at home with kids for six years, no one knows who much work it is until they have to do it! To keep my little ones busy we do things like play-doh, finger painting, coloring,etc. My kids love to cook also. Sometimes if I am out of ideas I give them a bath. For an hour….not kidding, they love bathtime. Walks are a good way to tire them out too! I can’t believe that deodorant is so expensive, that is insane!!!
geminigirl64 said
I wish I had a bath tub! we only have showers in this house. boo! I am thinking of buying a plastic bathtub to put in the yard to entertain the troops.
Katy said
Best thing to do with toddlers is keep them busy. I suggest a schedule everyday or even a sandbox If you can buy them out there with the play sand it is hours of fun and you dont need to really watch them. My son loves him. But you arent the only parent with a toddler going crazy Mine drives me nuts as well and he is 4. Just hang in there it gets easier. But schedules help breakfast time certain activity lunch another activity. Scavenger hunts in the back yards Imaginations are endless. at this age.treasure hunts you name it the simplest weirdest thing to us is an adventure to them. Is there a pond or anything out there? kids love to fish Good luckk
Katrina {mama2addie} said
Wow! Do you want me to send you a care package?! I totally will! $10 is INSANE!
–
I have have a 2 year old as well. I’m not home with her all day during the week, but on the weekends I am usually solo since my hubs works. Some of our favorite activites are:
Coloring
Play-doh (I make my own…super-easy!)
Finger painting
Crafts (I raid the dollar store and have found all sorts of fun things to glue on paper)
Playing dress-up (I hit up the thrift stores and found a ton of fun things for super-cheap)
Going for a walk or going to play at a nearby fountain
Baking (she loves to help me make cookies, cakes, etc., but it’s hard on the ole figure if we do it too often)
Reading
I also signed up on productiveparenting.com and I get daily emails with activity ideas that are geared towards my daughter’s age group.
Another favorite site for ideas is http://www.notimeforflashcards.com
Good luck!
geminigirl64 said
Ooh! those websites seems great! thanks for the tip!
Lisa said
Yep, being a stay at home mom is exhausting, but it can also be so amazing. My daughter, Maya, is about the same as your girls. She is harder to entertain these days. Somethings that she loves to do include coloring, baking cookies, going to the park (always a favorite), and playing with her toys (especially if I play with her). She also, surprisingly loves to run errands with me, the girl loves to shop. It’s good that there are kids your girls’ age for them to play with, I’m sure that helps a lot.
I’m glad to hear things are going well for you.
geminigirl64 said
you would think that they play together since they have a built in playmate- but no dice. they usually fight hard when they are together…. i wish my girls loved to shop. Maybe when they get older…
heather... said
you know I’ll send you deodorant. Tell me what else you need. HA HA! The care package tide has turned!!!
geminigirl64 said
I am not above asking you to send me deodorant. Esp since the one I use is NOT SOLD in Israel. I use Mitchum gel for MEN. Yes, I am not ashamed. Women deodorants do not work on my non dainty self. love you.
LGS said
Have you ever heard of drysol? It’s expensive but not $10 a stick expensive, since it lasts a long time. It’s made for people who have perspiration issues but, really, who doesn’t? My pharmacist friend recommended it when I was in 3 wedding parties during the hottest summer on record (can someone say ‘boob sweat’?!?) but I still use it every now and then. You put it on at night and wash it off in the morning. And you only need to use it one or 2 times a week. I’m not sure how healthy it is to actually force your pores to close but I haven’t died from it. Yet.
As for entertaining the girls this single girl has no advice to offer, I’m sorry. I’d suggest buttering up the tub and leaving them in there for a while but since you don’t have a tub I guess that idea is out. (don’t phone Child Services, I’m kidding… kind of) I’m sure in no time you’ll have it all figured out and be in a good routine. Until then… stay strong, healthy and happy! *hugs*
Bella said
What is the girls’ schedule for the rest of the day? Do they go to a gan or something? My first piece of advice is to drop the nap if they’re still taking one and start the bedtime thing at 6:30. Sounds nuts but once you’re in that schedule you get a nice quiet evening to yourself! My boys who just turned three go to a program from 9-1 and then we’re pretty much home. We blow bubbles and play in the yard, go to the library, playdoh and color. And yes. watch dvd’s too! But that early bedtime thing… the best!
Janet said
seriously, throw a butt load of ice in a big pot and send them outside!! fun way past the ice melting!!!!!!
KJ and the kids said
staying home sucks ass girl. I’ve been saying it for the last 2-3 years.
sucks ass.
ass.
I think you need to just realize that without deoderant and airconditioning…things are gonna get ugly girl. WHOOO damn
lots of luck to you !
sherene said
Hello GG!
My 5 years old son wear me out all the time..so to minimize the level of my stress, I try to shoo him away by:
Opening the TV, play educational kids show like Dora, Dino’s and some others..
Bring out his coloring books.
Or better yet open this site http://www.starfall.com. Its a very good site intended for learning kids.
Try it, they might find it amusing especially the site.
I can feel all your sentiments.
We mothers are heroes.
Terri said
Oh my.. it’s the same in Turkey, ridiculous things are SO expensive. We have actually talked about filling our suitcases full of Johnsons Baby Oil and selling it on the street.. it is outrageously expensive.. Haven’t checked deodorant prices though.. I will next time we go. lol
Oh and the car situation, yeah it shocks me to no end how different that is! But we have excellent public transportation so it’s not like owning a car is a must the way it is in the states. Maybe that’s the difference? It’s more of a luxury item in the Middle East in general.. I love reading your posts cause I’m in the for the same things in a couple years! Hang in there!
Terri said
I forgot to add I have a wonderful Ebook with activities for 2-3 year olds if you like I can email it to you, just lmk!
Sandra said
Being a SAHM is the hardest thing to do and I’m a weakling so I didn’t do it! My two girls are 22 months apart. I tried most of the things your other commenters tried. Water is a huge time sucker if you can utilize it. Sprinklers, baby pool. Buckets and cups are a must when playing with water. Can you find a used playset for toddlers? We had one and they loved it. Playing with the pots and pans and tupperware was a huge hit I recall. Barney too!
Good luck.
Kate said
*laughs* Oh you poor woman. I am a SAHM/ Full time grad student and I only have ONE 2 year old and OMG IT MAKES ME WANT TO ROLL OVER AND DIE!!!! Not really, but he drives me nuts sometimes. I got a roll of butcher paper and put it on the coffee table and set him free with washable crayons. Also, I gave him sidewalk chalk and set him free. And I set up a sprinkler in the backyard and hit up story time at the library. I know it seems like there is no end in sight for that (OCTOBER!!!) but it will end soon
. Having dealt with multiple deployments and having been a TOTAL SAHM until just this year, it can wear on you. Can you get wine over there (I would ask my oma but I think she’s talk to me for hours)??
I’m kidding about the wine. But really. It will get better. Coloring, playdough, tupperware bin in the yard with water…2 year olds are simple minded- sparkles will make them happy! Colors will make them happy! Wooden spoons and mixing bowls: happiness!!
Hang in there sister!
cindy w said
I’m not sure what the weather is like where you are (I’m guessing really hot), but the thing that usually helps keep me sane AND makes my kid happy is to go for a walk. We just wander around our neighborhood and talk about the stuff we see – flowers, trees, rocks, fire hydrants, other houses, whatever. Sometimes we sing songs while we walk. (That was awkward, when a neighbor came out to get his mail and witnessed us belting out “Puff the Magic Dragon”… uh, sorry, dude.) We can’t do it right now because it’s about 100 degrees outside. But if you can pull if off (maybe in the late evening right before bedtime?), that might be a nice way to help them burn off that extra energy and chill out. And it keeps you from getting cabin fever, too.
Kerry said
So all I have to do is get my husband to stay home with the kids for a month or so and he’ll finally realize how hard it is? Unfortunately that is never going to happen so I’ll just have to continue living with his petty criticisms.
Lori said
It IS hard to be a SAHM. I have a hard time talking about that with my working mom friends because they usually get frustrated. I have no doubt it is hard to be a working mom also.
I am delurking to add my ideas to the mix. (I have a 5, 3 1/2 and 17 month old girls.) I have been a SAHM since the beginning. (Found out I was preggo when my husband and I were over-the-road truck drivers.) (Also, I use a lot of parenthesis.) (Apparently.)
My “go to” activity is letting the girls play with a couple Barbie’s or small dolls/figurines in the sink or a bowl of water. It is crazy how long they will happily splash around.
I also bought a pop-up tunnel that I take out a couple times a week. They love crawling through it but also bring their babies inside and play house.
Use a shoe box tupperware container and fill it with rice (or dried beans/peas). Hide little objects it it, like toy car, figurine, measuring spoon, etc.
My girls like puppets too. Sock puppets, brown paper bag puppets, finger puppets. Always good for a laugh.
Watercolor paints? Could be a little messy but usually a hit.
Whenever the girls get cranky (or me, who am I kidding?) we turn on some music and dance it out. This is literally an every day occurance. Works every time!
I can’t think of any more at the moment.
So glad it’s going well. Your girls are adorable!
Lori (aka long-winded lurker) Did I mention I’m a twin?
annsnyc said
Ok hang on…. SO much has happened since I last checked in on you! You’re in the middle east???!!!! Wow! My brother lives there, has for 2 years (Dubai) and his wife still hasn’t adjusted. It’s tough I’ve heard.
But no tougher than being at home with TWO babies.
My hat goes off to you girl.
By Sunday night I am foaming at the mouth to get back to work.
Nice seeing you again..
edenland said
I just read your last two posts in a row ……. OH MY GOD. Your fil … what a prick. Ok I have too much to say, and will email you later tonight. Yes I will.
I LOVE YOU!!!!! XOXOXOXXO