Thursday, June 08, 2006

Likes and dislikes

My life is so wonderful and I have no room to complain, but I somehow still manage to find things to complain about. :) Today I have been thinking about things that I really enjoy and things that I can't stand to do.

I LOVE being a mom. I was not one of those girls who always aspired to being a stay-at-home. I wanted to be a dentist since the 5th grade. But as I got older and matured, and listened to my church leaders, I felt that I should at least try staying-at-home since I have the opportunity to do so. I was completely surprised at what I discovered. It is so fun! I love playing in the backyard, going to the park, reading books to my two cuties, just talking to them and trying to figure them out, watching them learn and grow. It is so much better and more rewarding than what I'd envisioned before I was a mom.

Of course it's not ALL fun. I don't enjoy bathing my kids, watching Whitney go through two surgeries and continued eye problems, getting mad at them when they don't listen, potty training (which we haven't even started with Whitney yet, but I don't look forward to that whole process).

Now, the other part of my job as a stay-at-home mom is to run this household--keep food in the cupboards, cook, manage the budget, clean, etc. I don't like this part of my job description as much. I like having a clean house, but I don't like to clean. I almost wish it bothered me more when the house was dirty, so I would be more motivated to do something about it. I do like vacuuming and laundry. I hate cleaning bathrooms (SO thankful Andrew and the kids are in charge of that one!) and doing dishes. Yuck! I like grocery shopping, but don't like putting the groceries away when I get home. I don't really enjoy cooking, but I don't mind it, either. I am all about simple when it comes to cooking. I don't regularly make anything that takes more than 30 minutes of my time in the kitchen. I do enjoy managing our finances, though sometimes I wonder if I mess up too much.

I keep hoping that my attitude toward some of these housekeeping chores will change--the same way that my attitude toward mothering did. I mean, I know they're important. It's much easier to feel the Spirit in your home if it's clean. That's true! But, so far no luck. So I guess I'll just keep trudging along and doing it because I know I SHOULD do it and not necessarily because I WANT to do it.

What are your likes and dislikes about your job? Have they changed over the years? Have you ever TRIED to change your attitude about something and been successful? If so, how did you do it?

4 comments:

Laurie said...

Great post Andi. I love hearing about what you like about being a mom and what you don't like about cleaning. I did not know that someone could enjoy laundry, so that was good to know! I'll have to remember that and try to learn to like it a little more myself. I'll come back to answer your questions. I'm getting too sleepy!

Jayne said...

Andrea, I agree with Laurie - I LOVE reading about how other stay-at-home Moms run their homes and families.

I love going places with my kids: the park, the zoo, the movies. I like to play outside in the yard.

I enjoy organizing closets, cupboards, drawers. I'm always trying to improve the flow of the daily flotsam and jetsam(keys, mail, backpacks).

To a fault, I can ignore a sink full of dirty dishes, clean laundry that isn't put away, dust, unmade beds and toys strewn everywhere.

I'm a great office manager: bills are paid on time, checkbook is balanced, thank you cards get mailed, permission slips get signed & returned on time.

I'm a decent cook & I like to cook but I'm lousy meal planner and I hate grocery shopping.

I try to keep my front yard well kept & presentable.

Now that I have a teen and a pre-teen I really think about how to set up my home so that they will want to have their friends come over.


Neither my husband nor I are neat by nature. Fortunately we love to entertain because if we didn't I wonder if we'd EVER clean up!

Laurie said...

Wow. I'm much like Jayne in my likes and dislikes around the house. I find that the best way to start liking something I dislike more is to find a way to make it fun or do it enough to enjoy the benefit so that I realize it's worth it to do. It also helps to realize the bigger picture and think about those I love when doing something I dislike b/c usually it benefits others.

Thanks for your great comment on my blog today, my friend!! Have a wonderful weekend.

Anonymous said...

I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and I've loved all three months of it. Jack's clothes are still so cute and little that I enjoy putting them away and organizing his drawers. I also like organizing cupboards and closets and improve the daily flow of everything, like Jayne. Dave hates it when I move stuff around though, so I try not to do it too much. The number one household chore I put off as much as possible is making the bed. Unless someone is coming over and will possibly see our room, I don't see the point of it. It's just going to get messy again! I don't think I've ever made a bed since I was a little girl unless my mom forced me or people were visiting. Isn't that awful?