Fri, Sep 2, 20058:38 AMThere is a reason why you shouldn’t change a diaper in a sleep state: you may wake up with a puddle in your bed. Puddle. Pond. Small lake. Whatever.
Kevin and I have been married for 1008 days. That sounds like a really long time. We still have a lot to learn, but the journey is getting funner and funner (I know, not really a word, but it should be)
Aviana is doing new stuff everyday it seems like, and let me tell ya, making mental notes just doesn’t cut it like it used to. I need to keep a notebook handy for when she does something adorable, I’ll remember to write it in her journal.
Yesterday she helped me hang clothes on the line. She would squat over the big basket of clothes, then stand up with an article of clothing in her hand and give it to me. I was amazed!
She says “uh-oh” now and has said “Opa” three times. She signs even more words- someone at the grocery asked if she was deaf because they saw us signing to each other. She has taken one step while standing alone several different times. Best of all, she hasn’t had any temper tantrums for the WHOLE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER! Yay!
Sat, Sep 3, 20051:15 PMAviana has taken 3-4 steps several times today!
Another new thing- I put lotion on her cute little bod, and now she can’t get enough of it! She is imitating the sound the lotion makes coming out of the bottle (it’s almost empty)and keeps asking me to put some more on her arm. It’s quite cute- and it keeps her entertained and off of the keyboard, so that is good for me as well.
Thu, Sep 15, 20057:18 AMAn Encouragement to Moms
There are so many so-called menial tasks that I do throughout the day, for no reward other than a personal sense of pride on a job well done. I often don’t have any tangible evidence other than a toddler’s toothy grin that I am doing well. No more do I get a review from my supervisor or a note from a student.
The meals I prepare are quickly devoured (unless no one liked it- then the leftovers might linger for weeks), the house that I clean is rapidly
messy, the diapers I change are soiled right away and the toys I just put away are soon strewn about the living room. I don’t know about you all, but I often wonder, is it worth it?
So when I read the following in Power of a Positive Mom by Karol Ladd I wanted to share with you this information on a mother’s worth:
A study recently conducted by Edelman Fiancial
Servicestried to identify the many occupations a
typical mother might be said to hold over the course of a year. The researchers also examined salary data supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, trade groups and human resource and staffing firms. Putting all the information together, Edelman estimated that a mother’s worth is approximately $507,000 per year!
Here is a breakdown of the various tasks typically performed by a mother and the corresponding median salaries:
Animal Caretaker $17,500
Executive Chef $40,000
Computer Systems Analyst $44,000
Financial Manager $39,000
Food/Beverage Service Worker $20,000
General Office Clerk $19,000
Registerd Nurse $35,000
Management Analyst $41,000
Childcare Worker $13,000
Housekeeper $9,000
Psychologist $29,000
Bus Driver $32,400
Elementary School Principal $58,600
Dietitian/Nutritionist $41,600
Property Manager $22,600
Social Worker $30,000
Recreation Worker $15,500
The Edelman study suggested that since a mother wears many hats and is on duty twenty-four hours a day, she deserves full-time, annual salary for all seventeen positions. And since the retirement, health, and insurance benefits that workers in these positions typically receive were not factored in, the figures should actually be much higher!
Source: www.ricedleman.com
(As an aside, I think it’s sad to note that the housekeeper and childcare worker are the lowest paid on the list! We pay our childcare workers in this country less than our animal caretakers! What does that say about our priorities as a nation? More than three quarters of our nation’s children spend a majority of their day with someone OTHER than a parent, yet in a confidential postal survey of 450 infant mental health professionals in 56 countries, who were Members of the World Association for Infant Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, the experts OVERWHELMINGLY recommend that the maternal parent stay with their children AT LEAST through the first three years of life.)
It also helps me to think about the things we do as moms that are truly priceless as we nurture our minis into helpful, faithful, compassionate adults. For example, we are giving them a safe place to turn and unwind, willing arms to snuggle in, the same story and song every night to establish the security of routine,
the expansion of their worlds through language, words, thoughts,and imagination. The most worthy thing we do as moms is help our children see the depth and breadth of the love of Christ in our homes, so they will choose to walk with Him by our example. That certainly doesn’t come with a price tag.
Hope that makes it a bit easier to pick up the toys (again) and do the laundry (again) and wipe up the spilled juice (yet again)! (I know that I feel better just for having written it ;))