Hearts-at-Home

The Hearts-at-Home Organization recently had a big conference in the Great Lakes Region. Guess what? I missed it. I only found about it after the fact, when it was featured in our local paper. I would have gone, if I knew about it sooner.

The organization's goal is to encourage, educate, and equip women "in the profession of motherhood". I'm mighty curious about this last part. They seek to professionalize motherhood. How exactly does one do that? I don't think it's enough to give us SAHMs fancy titles such as "Chief Domestic Officer" or "Executive Home Manager". There's got to be much more than that. I've never been comfortable giving myself these fancy job titles anyhow. I'm a mom. A stay-at-home mom. There is no shame in it that it needs to be hidden behind long-winded job descriptions.

But I don't think this is simply what Hearts-at-Home does. They don't gloss over the reality that a stay-at-home mom, well, stays at home. But they want women to realize that it's a career choice, a professional undertaking. Read the excerpt from their website:

We know that being a mom is a wonderfully rewarding job. Seeing those first steps, snuggling on the couch in the afternoon, catching the excitement when they come home from school are just some of the benefits of being home. We also know, though, that being home can be a lonely job. It can also be a thankless job. And in our society today it is not often considered a "real" job.

Hearts at Home desires to change that. We want moms to understand their God-given value and the important role they play in society. We also want to give them a much-deserved pat on the back. Most of all, we want moms to think of being home as a career choice. Our desire is to professionalize mothering!

They have another conference in a couple of weeks, in Minnesota. And they have a few more next year to watch out for!

Toddlerspeak

At a year-and-a-half, J has built up his vocabulary quite welll. As of last count, he knows more than 100 words. For most of them, only those who interact with him often can understand what he's saying. It's amusing to discover how he interprets the words he hears.

Here are his versions of some (English) words:

bear - 'bey'
lion - 'lahlin'
penguin - 'gengwin'
tiger - 'tahygoo'
bird - 'bood'
Elmo - 'mo'
Ernie - 'ehneeh'
Bert - 'boot'
airplane - 'peyn'
JayJay the jetplane - 'dey dey peyn'
Sully - 'lali'
open the door - 'open dol'
blue - 'boo'
red - 'ed'
Blue's Clues - 'kloo kloo'
Geppetto - 'peeto'
Pinocchio - 'kyo'
Stromboli - 'bobi'
flower - 'fafoo'
castle - 'kakoo'
crackers - 'kakoos'
Quasimodo - 'quackin dodo'
the end - 'ee en'

Mom@Home Quote of the Week: The Bravest Battle

"The bravest battle that ever was fought;
Shall I tell you where and when?
On the maps of the world you will find it not;
It was fought by the mothers of men."

Joaquin Miller (pseudonym of Cincinnatus Hiner Miller)

Source: http://www.worldofquotes.com

Encouraging Play

I had this pre-motherhood idea that kids instinctively know how to play. Give them some blocks and they'll know that they're supposed to stack it. Cars are for rolling around and bears are for hugging.

I'm realizing that, among the many things kids need to be taught, they need to be shown how to play. Specifically, how to play with specific items. In addition to saying that it's play time, I've had to get down on the floor with my son numerous times to show him what exactly he can do with his toys.

For example, he has a set of Tiny Tuff cars with ramps that have to be assembled. I realize he doesn't yet have the capacity to assemble it by himself. But even after assembly is complete and in order to encourage him to play, I've had to show him that he can roll the cars up and down the ramps. Afterwards, he's usually happy to play by himself.

In a daycare setting, this type of interaction between a child and a caregiver is not particularly necessary to encourage play time. Kids learn mostly by the examples of other kids. For stay-at-home parents, we are the examples for everything, including playing.

Maybe this is why some kids prefer to plop in front of the TV than to play with their toys. Is it possible that they simply don't know what to do with toy cars, wagons and blocks? Encouraging them to explore and use their imagination takes some awareness and effort. Let's show our kids how to have fun!

When Tiredness Overwhelms Me

I've had a bout of fatigue last weekend. Physical. Emotional. Intellectual. I was tired. Tired of doing laundry. Tired of cooking. Tired of cleaning out the bathrooms. Tired of being by myself. Tired of brain cell death.

I bawled my eyes out to my hubby. I complained. I whined. Then I slept by myself in the extra room. Fitfully, then restfully.

Sweet hubby left me alone to recover. Then gave me a vacation of a weekend. He cooked. Cleaned. Took over completely. I vegged out. I did the minimum that I could. Deliberately. I was on STRIKE.

Until Monday.

Monday was a transition day. It was a day to get my groove back. This is my job. But I get tired of it occasionally. Like career women, I too need a vacation. We're all taking one, soon.

It's a high-stress, highly-demanding career, being a stay-at-home parent. Did I know it was going to be like this? No. I thought I'd sail along, fit the shoes perfectly, and never feel grouchy about all the things I left behind.

Do I regret it? No. It's tiring, frustrating, downright irritating at times. But it's a job that fills my heart with warmth and joy like no other can. That's it. That's my reward. Hours of fun, of playing peek-a-boo, of hiding and watching while a little person goes around calling "Mommy? Where? Where?", of getting a huge smile and a diving hug when I come out of hiding. Laughter. Hugs. Spontaneous kisses. Thank you's for spoonfuls of pudding.

It's a roller-coaster ride. I'd get on it all over again.