Please tell me...

Your oldest child constantly yells at your youngest child.

Your youngest child constantly teases your oldest child.

Your 8 year old can stomp up stairs so loud that part of the ceiling chips off with every given tantrum.

Tears flow every day from all your children, for no apparent reason, and from no real water source.

"I'm hungry" is whined in your ear every 45 minutes.

"Get away from me" is shouted even more frequently than "I'm hungry."

No one answers when you ask them repeatedly to feed the dog, let the dog in, let the dog out or leave the dog alone.

Amusement is only had when screaming and chasing the cat around the house.

Your basement/playroom/living room/kitchen/multiple bedrooms/garage and yard area contain nothing but piles of plastic toys and little, clear wrappers from juice box straws.

Because if you can tell me all of these things, then I'll know I'm not alone in this insane parenting world, and I would greatly appreciate that right now.

Stay At Home Parents are My Heroes

Hey brave soul – yeah, you. Over there. I want to say good work. Congrats. You are my hero. Seriously.

Our family vacation officially kicked off on December 24th, although my husband had the days leading up to that day off so some would argue we were already in vacation mode. Over the next 11 days, we would be all together. All the time. Ok, most of the time. Ok, almost all together because the kids did go to their after school program mid-week last week so I could clean out their playroom without interruption. And my husband did work the week after Christmas.

OK! What do you want from me? I did the stay at home thing with my daughter for 14 months after she was born. It was great. We napped. Constantly. She barely moved and would snuggle with me whenever the moment presented itself. Now, she talks back and never stops. And needs to be entertained every minute of the day when she’s at home. Laying a blanket down on the floor surrounded by stuffed animals doesn’t count as entertainment anymore.

I made a conscious decision to return to work. Ok, I had to go back to work in order to maintain a lifestyle that fits my life (I loves me some Ann Taylor Loft) and in the process I got used to some alone time. Some down time. Some quiet time.

Christmas vacation had none little of that. And the more I got to thinking, the more I realized some Mom’s or Dad’s never have those moments. Some parents not only spend all day with their children, but some do it alone. All the time. Without the loving spouse to back them up when the need arises.

My husband worked weekend nights for 3 years and I remember the trips with the kids to anywhere-I-could-find so he could sleep during the day to prepare for his shift. I was exhausted by the time the weekend was over.

So, to the stay at home parents who rule this planet, great work. I respect you more than you know. And for us who work full-time and start another shift at night when the troops come home. You ain’t so bad yourself!