Well, ladies, morning sickness (actually all day sickness) has officially set in, as has a serious case of tiredness. (Actually, I’m fine if I get ten uninterrupted hours of sleep each night. You can all fall off your chairs laughing as soon as you remember that I have a 4 1/2 year old, a three year old, and a fourteen month old. So, yeah, the ten hour thing doesn’t always work so well.) Plus, now that my daughter is turning five this year, I’m thinking that homeschooling needs to be a little less relaxed, and that takes time out of my already drained days.
So I’m looking for ways to streamline my life, and I’m wondering, what did/do you do when you’re expecting. Where did/do you cut? What are your favorite tricks? What cleaning/cooking/laundry shortcuts work best for you? (If you’ve never had a baby, then what did your mom do, or your friends?)
September 18th, 2008 at 1:05 am
My oldest was five when I was pregnant with my youngest (who’s now 17 months), and at first I was determined that Kindergarten MUST happen. But I was SO sick, it was just ridiculous to try. I decided that with all of the one on one instruction she would be getting, nothing would be lost by delaying a few months. So we put school on hold until my second trimester:)
She’s totally on schedule for school now, so it was a good decision for us.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:13 am
I ordered my groceries online and sometimes when I felt overwhelmed I dropped my laundry off at the laundromat for their wash n’ fold service. Lots of days I just don’t make our bed…I push bathing myself and the kids to once or twice a week. I make crockpot dinners or slow oven roasts. That’s all I’ve got off the top of my head. I’m sorry you feel icky! I hope things get easier soon. Give the little one a pat for me!
September 18th, 2008 at 8:12 am
We did the once a month cooking when I was expecting. It was so much easier to just get a cassarole out of the the freezer! (Of course that one day a month was a bit hectic…family and ladies from church would come over to help.)
That was so long ago…my ‘baby’ is going to be 17 on Tuesday…
September 18th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
If blocking out memories is a good indicator of how bad it was, I officially have no memories of it. (Just kidding)
First, don’t beat yourself up about not starting school yet. Somehow, I don’t think his Harvard scholarship will be dependent on whether you started official school at 5 or 5.3.
Don’t try once a month cooking until the 2nd or 3rd semester. I can’t imagine being around food that much at this stage. Do you have one of those places that makes the meals for you and you just go pick them up? I can’t remember the name of the place, but they are awesome. I did that after this baby (who is 3), and I would definitely do it again.
We ate a lot of preservative-laden foods and convenience foods during the first trimester.
Survive. Lay on the couch. Ask for help from hubby and others. There’s no reason why they can’t help out for a few weeks. You’ll be up and zooming around soon. Is there anyone in your church who could help? Sometimes I have even hired help. I figure if hubby and friends are too busy to help and I’m busy growing a baby and that’s all my body can do, then the Lord’s money needs to be spent this way.
I think people, in general, do not understand, especially if they haven’t had debilitating sickness during pregnancy. Once they find out how bad it is, they will often come to your rescue. When I had a shower, I asked for cash, since I was going to hire a maid to help me.
Cut down on anything other than survival. It will be over soon.
September 19th, 2008 at 2:48 am
Actually, I had only one episode of nausea while I was pregnant - and it lasted all of 30 minutes…do you hate me now? My girlfriend has lived through 6 pregnancies and only recommends eating small, frequent meals and plenty of rest. Resting comes in the form of sitting while doing school with the kids, sitting to fold laundry and her husband even bought her a stool that was high enough she could sit for dishes, as well. What a guy, eh!
Sorry to hear you feeling ‘bleah’, hold your head up - you’ll make it through.
September 19th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I felt sorry for myself a lot and kept working whenever I could and wasn’t actively throwing up. This…I do not recommend, but it leaves me without a lot of bright ideas about what did work. I hired my enterprising older kids to help with folding laundry and tending the baby; they loved it! We ate a lot of super easy meals and more convenience food than normal. It’s okay; the kids won’t all get cancer overnight or develop rickets from pancakes, soup, or macaroni for evening meals now and then. I learned that if I nibbled crackers incessantly to keep something in my stomach it would keep me from throwing up. The down side is sugar on the teeth and more weight to lose after the baby arrives, but there are some prices to pay for survival. Survival is key!! Your oldest daughter knows more than most kids do by the time they’ve finished kindergarten, so if you can’t start for a while…she’ll do just fine anyway! Don’t iron anything you don’t have to. If you can afford to hire help, even once a week for cleaning and laundry, do it! If your dear hubby can shop for you, let him. Accept any help you’re offered and be thankful for friends. And, I’ll be praying for you!
September 21st, 2008 at 7:12 am
You do not have to be structured about your homeschooling yet. Read books, take walks, draw pictures. . . low impact activities - that is what you and your children need. It’s a great time to train your 4 1/2 year old and even your 3 year old to be a little more independant . . .help pick up their toys, play with each other etc.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Oh dear…so sad to hear you are experiencing morning sickness now. I pray it will go by quickly for you and that you will be able to get all the rest you need during this time! The biggest tip I would say is to still stay relaxed in your homeschooling. Besides the fact that your daughter is just turning 5, but also b/c of the state you are in. That’s one wonderful perk of homeschooling, those seasons of times where we do need to be more relaxed due to other circumstances in our lives!
Anyways, wanted to let you know that you have really encouraged & challenged me through my growth as a wife and mother, which is why I tagged you on my blog.
Its okay with my if you do not do it but I am one to “follow the rules” with things like this and it asked for tag 6 people…which you are one!
Thank you again for your posts, and I hope you have a wonderful week!…
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Are you alive? We’re all praying for you.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
You are all so sweet! Thank you for the encouragement. I’m still alive, mostly.
I’ve just had limited computer access the past few days. I hope to get back to my usual online activity in a couple more.
September 26th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Last pregnancy when I was feeling really poorly, we eased up on the homeschool a little, spent lots of time reading, drawing, colouring, playing and cuddling up, my elder child did a lot more independent work. I also started doing the 3 week cleaning programme on http://myblessedhome.blogspot.com/2006/04/3-week-cleaning.html#article which kept the house clean but didn’t involve as much work when I was feeling lousy.
Hope you start to feel better soon.