Parenting Paradox?!

So, apparently, this evening I "undermined" my hubby's parenting. No need to get into the minor details, but there is need to discuss such a thing.

Who does the majority of parenting in your home? Discipline? General upkeep? Is discipline the only form of parenting?

In my home, I'm the one who spends the vast majority of the time with the chillins. This is, as I am told,

"because of my schedule".

Um hmmmmmm.

I get them dressed in the morning, fed, out the door. Drive for the 35 minutes to get them to the sitter. Pick them up after work. Get them home. Entertain them until supper. Feed them supper... you know, the usual. Weekends usually see me spending at least half of Saturday with them, while hubs does stuff around the yard and so on. Sunday he has his usual golf game. So, me and the kiddies again.

Now, don't get me wrong... I don't begrudge any of this; I love my children dearly. But, sometimes being with them 24/7 can get a little hard on the head, you know. And, it may make me a little cranky. So be it.

So, where do the parenting rules come in? Where do they fit in such a scenario? Yes, we both should have a say in what's right and wrong; punishable vs. nonsense. Do we agree on all accounts? Nope. Do I grin and bear it sometimes? Yep. Do I bite my tongue? Yep! (ow)

So, where does this go from here?

Is there a winner? Does one parent have more clout than the other? If one parent spends considerably more time with the chillins, does that person have more clout? If so, where does the other parent fit in?

I know this should be equal; but according to tonight's discussions (or lack thereof) it is not.
Insight, anyone?

Um, it's kinda about covering your ass...

Well, there's one reason for this post.... staffroom conversations.
Sometimes they're good. Sometimes they're pure poison. This morning's was good (and it involves moms!).

It had to do with clothes. Mom clothes.
Don't fret...
It wasn't about the dreaded mom jeans... or granny drawers. Instead it was about their antecedents!

Jeans
Once you become a mom, unless you've got some fine genes (hardy har har, no pun intended) in your make up, we're thinking that the extra "skinnage" we tend to acquire is something that can't be officially avoided nor ignored. (Yes, yes, yes, we try... we try to exercise, eat right, nip, tuck, blast it away, but for most of us, it's still there... and so is the chocolate cake on the kitchen cupboard and the gooey alfredo pasta on the restaurant menu!)

Our collective solution: Reitmans Comfort Fit pants! All 5 of us who were discussing clothes in the staff room this morning had on Comfort Fit pants! (It's casual day; we all had jeans on.) I swear by them. I wore Comfort Fit dress pants through my whole pregnancy. Saved a fortune. Now? They hide the rolls. They nip & tuck without surgery. They are stylin! We love them. We recommend them. We think you need to experience them.

Drathais / Drawers / Skivvies / Underwear / Panties (I HATE that word)
Gone are the days of thongs, lacy little numbers, and all those other adventurous items I wore down there at one time. I've inherited my grandmother's arse. It's not a minor item. And post-pregnancy I'm all about comfort. I searched and searched for the perfect underwear that:

• were comfortable
• created no lines in dress pants
• wouldn't ride up, over or around any undesirable areas

It's been a long and arduous journey, but I've found them!
Womens Denver Hayes PERFECT FIT PANTY 2-Pack Briefs
Get your arse to Mark's Work Wearhouse NOW!
They are amazing. I've turned half the female staff onto these perfectly fitting, covering gems.
3 of the 5 of us in the staffroom today are wearing them.
The only thing that would make these better was if they came in a nude/neutral colour.
I love them. Long time.


So there you go. Our arses are comfortably covered.
We care about your arse, too. Give them a try!

Note: I've received no renumeration from the above mentioned companies, nor do I work for them or am associated with them in anyway (except for regularly shopping there!). However, should representatives wish to offer me free merchandise for singing their praises... my arse would love it!

Wordless Wednesday

Sigh... And suddenly everything is ok... Breathe it in.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

Starting another motherly chapter...

Two more sleeps.
Two more sleeps, Mamaidh!

In just two more sleeps, my daughter will be going to school for her grade primary orientation day. Wow! Can we just stop time for a while, please?!?!

I've been giving the whole "first year at school" thing an awful lot of thought lately... but not just because my little girl will be starting school.... more so because I'm a teacher.  And... I'll be teaching my own daughter for a half hour each day come the fall.

My inner debate surrounds which hat will I be wearing in the classroom with my own flesh and blood in front of me? Teacher hat? Parent hat? Do I choose? Do I have to choose?

Not only does this scenario have me reflecting upon my own teaching, but it really has me analyzing, surmising, scrutinizing the teaching other teachers do. And parents, too.

• Do I want my daughter to be experiencing such-and-such with Ms. So&So?
• How will she get along in Mr.A&B's class? What if she doesn't?
• What if a teacher... my co-worker/colleague... treats her unfairly?

These are the questions I have with her preparing to start her school journey, and I know all the stakeholders involved. I know the processes. I know the school, the parents, the students, their backgrounds... every single one of them!

I can only imagine what it must be like for mother's to send their children to larger schools where they don't know those people who are going to shape their children's futures. Wow. I'd be a wreck!
(And as it is, I'm already hyper analyzing all aspects of my teaching, decorum, etc!)

And, so... I guess, another chapter begins... whether I like it or not.
I'm sure you can imagine there will be more posts about this in the fall!

Of all the things I am...

I am...

a daughter
a big sister
a wife
a teacher
a friend
a piano player
a shopper
a make-up addict
a beer lover
a tweeter
a researcher
an organizer
a stepdancer
a professional development geek
a red wine drinker
a hockey fan
an easy going, fun loving girl


but before any of those I am something special...

I am a mother.

Those people I mentioned above are now smaller parts of me; pieces of me that have taken a backseat.
For now, I hold the most important occupation, passion, love:

I am a mother.

There is no greater love.
No greater responsibility.
No greater challenge.

But it's part of me I'd never change; never look back upon with regrets; never complain about; never expect anyone else to understand, because no one can ever be a mom to my two children like I am.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day.

I am so proud to be a mom, so humbled, that even writing that brings tears to my eyes and a slight lump in my throat. While tomorrow will undoubtedly bring gifts, I'm afraid I've already received the greatest gifts of all.

Happy Mother's Day!