For "Non-Working" SAHM Mothers Everywhere

This strip is for all you "non-working" SAHM.  Enjoy!

I always said that comics imitate real life.  On the For Better or Worse site, the illustrator discusses what the strip is about.

Lynn's Notes:

When the kids were small, the work involved often filled a day. By suppertime when laundry, cleaning, shopping and meals were done, I wondered where the time had gone. It wasn't until the dishes were done and the kids in bed that I could sit down - without guilt - and enjoy the paper.

It's amazing how "invisible" a housekeeper's job is! For those who share the home and enjoy the fruits of "Mom's labor" things like clean clothes folded neatly in drawers, a tidy, sanitary refrigerator, vacuumed rugs, washed floors, swept and organized closets, prepared meals, answered mail, full toilet roll holders and all the other myriad details that go into running a home seem to occur like magic. If you don't see or take part in the process, you just accept it and expect it all to be done for you. In fact, unless something is NOT done, you don't notice it at all!

This revelation came to me when I hired a housekeeper. My sweet lady would come one day every week. I'd leave things for Janet to do. After awhile, dusting and ironing and clean floors just "happened". Recycling was done, mats were shaken and shelves were wiped clean...and if I wasn't there to have a coffee with her and see her work for myself - I took my clean house for granted!

Being a "housewife" is a full time job. Add parenting to this and you have an all- encompassing career - for which many of us apologize! I was lucky enough to have a job that allowed me to work at home. I had two jobs! Strips like this one were done to support all the smart, productive and caring moms I knew who were struggling to stay sane. These comic strip complaints also made me less resentful of my own responsibilities. It felt amazingly good to confide my feelings to an unseen community of friends...millions of them!!!

What Kim's Up To

When it gets too quiet, you have to wonder what they are up to.

And by "they", I mean "me."  And usually it's no good.  And now you don't have to wonder any longer.  This is what I'm up to when I'm left alone.

Technically speaking, it wasn't me who tied Stewie to the tennis director's cart.  So, therefore, I'm innocent.  And faces of the very, very guilty are being hide to protect their alibi and excuses.  ;)

I'm pretty sure that the tennis director hates us.  Either that or he is just resigned to the fact that we're like 12 year old children and deals with it the best way he can.

By drinking.  Heavily.  Each and every night. 

At least, that's probably what he "should" be doing.  Because we've driven him there.  :p

What Shane's Up To

When it gets too quiet, you have to wonder what they are up to.

Well.  Now you don't have to wonder any longer.  This is what Shane's up to when he's left alone.

Science fair projects with pencils and a bag of water.

And still more science fair projects.  With toothpicks.

I'd like to be in his brain for just one day.  :)

Guns and Boys

I hate guns. 

I hate violent video games that depict a bunch of shoot-em-up action.

We don't let the boys watch violent movies.  It's just not necessary.

But they are boys and boys do what boys will do and there's not too much you can do about it.

They make guns out of everything.  To you, it may be a picture frame holder.  To them, it's a gun.

To you, it's just your fingers.  To them, it's a gun.

And the noises are crazy.  Pew!  Pew!  Pew!

So I hate guns.  I guess you can see what my opinion counts for.  Check out what I found in one of their rooms.

That's right.  A double barrel shot gun.

Complete with a movable chamber for the bullet.

I didn't find any bullets but I assume that they made some and just lost them.

I don't know for sure who made this but it sure looks like Shane's handywork.

And before I get hate comments from  the NRA, please hold your fire.  (LOL)  I support the right to bear arms. 

I also support my right as a parent to not allow my children around guns or to watch shows or play games that have a lot of gun violence in them.

And you see how far that got me, don't you?  Meh

What Owen's Up To

When it gets too quiet, you have to wonder what they are up to. 

Well.  Now you don't have to wonder any longer.  This is what Owen's up to when he's left alone.

That's right.  He drew a mustashio and sideburns on his face.

With a sharpie.

:-|

Owen's Goals

I am a firm believer in having goals.  Both short term and long term.  So when I pulled this piece of paper out of Owen's backpack, my heart went pitter-patter.  I love that he has goals.

He's very specific about what his goals are and what he wants to accomplish.

His short term goal is to get all of his spelling words right.  (With right being corrected to be, well, right.)

And his long term goal is, not surprisingly, to become an NFL player, which he changed from a five year goal to a 15 year goal. 

At least he's realistic about the time-frame.  ;)

:heart:

What Shane's Addicted To

Everyone loves a cup of hot chocolate.  Especially Shane.  He's an addict.  :heart:

How An 8 Year Old Dresses Himself

A while back, I blogged about how a four year old dresses themselves.

Everything all backwards.  But that's okay.  Because the clothes were clean and she dressed herself so I didn't have to do it for her.

Well, today's post brings you how an eight year old dresses himself.  Not much different than the four year old really.  And yes.  That's the heel of his sock.  On his ankle.  Just where it should be.  :rolleyes:

And there's really no need to comb your hair either.  That's way overrated.

Are you feeling better about your Owen yet, Jen?  :p  If not, keep check back on the blog.  There will be more of these posts in the future, I guarantee!

I think that next year I'll do a blog "365 days of dressing with boys" and photograph what they wear every day for a year.

I :heart: boys.  They rock!

The Monkey Suit, Part IXV

My kids rarely have to dress up.  So when they do, I make sure to get pictures of them.  Much to their dismay.

But they hate to "dress up" and can only be presentable for so long.  And then they're done. 

And this is what happens when little boys are made to wear monkey suits:

I WILL GET THIS STOOPID VEST OFF!

All the while, still holding conversations.

Oh well.  It's not like I'm any different.  When I was putting on a pair of pantyhoses, Owen came up and pulled on them and said "what are these?"

And he meant it.

Because I don't like wearing monkey suits either.

But I told him to stop pulling on my hoses because I definitely didn't have another pair to wear if he ripped them. 

Because I hate wearing monkey suits too.  ;)

His Team

Somewhere along the way in the last two weeks, Owen determined that the Packers were "his" team.  Well.  His team for the Super Bowl.  I don't think that they've replaced the Redskins.  Yet anyway.

I'm not sure how it came about but I suspect that he decided to root for them since every kid on his school bus and the two principals and many teachers at his school are Steelers fans.

And it *is* in his nature to go against the grain.  This will serve him well in life.  It will drive *me* to the brink of sanity by the time I get him raised and out the door.

He didn't have a jersey to wear last night for the Super Bowl so he made his own.

Using the correct colored marker, of course.

And when I got on my computer later that night, I found where he had Googled to make sure that he got Rodgers number correct.  

He was, to say the least, really excited when the Packers won the Super Bowl.  It was "his team" after all.

When Ken came to bed after the game, he told me that Owen was looking forward to riding the bus today unlike the last few days.  Apparently he had made a bet with the ENTIRE school bus that the Packers would win the Super Bowl.

Yeah.  That sounds about right.  :rolleyes:

Ken told him that a bigger man wouldn't say anything.

Owen responded that he was just a little boy.  LOL.

And, of course, he had to wear his ghetto jersey to school.  :D

Which he is going to make his friend Jimmy wear because they had a bet that if the Steelers won, Owen would have to wear Jimmy's Roethlisberger jersey.

And if the Packers won, Jimmy would have to wear whatever Owen could come up with.

And that's what Owen came up with.  :twisted:

As he left to get on the bus, he said "I hope that Jimmy doesn't wear this to Art thinking that it's an art shirt."  LOL

He looked pretty smug getting on the school bus.  :p

Whitey

I love tennis.

Oh yeah.  I do!

I'm so fortunate to have found a great group of ladies to play with.  I was playing yesterday with some ladies (heh...I called you ladies) from my USTA team.  Four of us were on the court together.  Two on each side of the net taking turns warming up our serves. 

Just as I went to hit my serve, I heard my friend Jessica say rather loudly "Let's see what ya got, Whitey."

I thought to myself "WTF?  I know I'm lilly white but damn.  That's kind of rude."  And then I shanked my serve into the net.

I started to turn and look back at Jess and I heard her say "Whitey, you're no good for me."  Which really made me all kinds of sad.  :(

As I looked at her, I realized that she was talking to the racquet that she was demo'ing.

 
Which is a problem too, by the way, the fact that a) she names her racquet and b) she talks to her racquet.  Loudly.

But, at least *I* wasn't the Whitey that she was referring to.

And then we laughed about it for the next five minutes, causing us to lose the first two points in the first game because we couldn't get ourselves together.  At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  ;)

LOL.  That's good stuff.

Go Packers!

I usually drive Owen to school in the morning.  It's easier because 1) we can leave later and 2) I'm usually going out anyway so it's more convenient.  So I asked him if he preferred for me to drive him or to take the cheese wagon.

Without hesitating, he said "I would definitely rather you take me." 

I was so happy to hear that.  I asked him is that because he loves hanging out with me.  :heart:

Without hesitating, he said "NO.  I hate the bus because they're all Steelers fans mom.  Ugh.  I can't stand it."

Well.  Burst my bubble.  :(

He's only concerned about the Stoopid Bowl.  :p

Then he came home from school with this written on his jeans.

:-|

And on his good jeans, no less. :rolleyes:

:p

Go Packers!  (For Owen.  Cause I don't care.  LOL.)

How Owen Spends A Snow Day

Are you surprised?

He has snow bibs and boots.  And gloves.  But those would take too long to put on.

He obviously doesn't care if he's cold.  Check out the knees on his jeans. 

And yes.  That is his best friend.  Only he's crazy enough to be out in the snow playing football with Owen.

Comic Strip of the Day

I love comic strips!

In particular, I love For Better or Worse.  And the Sunday strip this week was just so...perfect.  I'm pretty sure that the creator of the strip has been spying on our house.

Not that *I* would ever do anything like Elly did!  (And yes.  Elly and I are on a first name basis.)

And by "never do that" I mean that I would never get caught!  She's an amateur.  ;)

Oh come on.  You know that you can relate to this strip...whether you're hiding from your kids or your spouse...or your dog.  No one wants to share their favorite treat.  Or to wait until after dinner to eat that treat. Even though they are so mean and made their kids wait.

So, where exactly is your favorite hiding spot?  

I'm not telling you mine.  Because Shane reads the blog and then he would know where to find me.

*If* I hid from them eating treats that is.  :p