my mid-30's wishlist

I turned 34 this year. Looking back at my life, I can say that there are still so many things that I wish to do but have not found the time. You see, I'm a working mom. I have two gorgeous little boys aged 4 and 2. My husband also works. The only time we have for our kids are after office hours and during weekends. I have a helper but she's just part-time. When we come home from work, we take over since she goes home, too. Sunday is her day off. I hardly have time for myself. Motherhood is such a challenging vocation. I would not label it as a "job" since the reward I get is beyond financial gain. When I was still single, there are two things that I love to do, read books and do some crafts.

I love to read books. When I was in grade school, I started with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series. I was such a bookworm, that I would read Nancy Drew in class, cover it with the current subject's book, and pretend that I was listening to the lessons at hand. Good thing the teacher owned the Nancy Drew book I was reading, so I didn't get into trouble. Then, I went on to read Agatha Christie and Sidney Sheldon in high school. In college, my favorite author was Robert Ludlum. I love mystery books. I get thrilled when their books are turned into movies. There might be deviations from the book, but I don't mind. When I started working, I was into the Harry Potter series. Nope, it's not just for kids. It's my favorite. There are still other books that I would love to read. But, time is not on my side. You see, when I read a book, I want the time for myself alone. I want to be in the book, to jump into the pages and be engulfed in the excitement of it all. But, with two active boys who constantly fight for my attention, no time for my books.

I love doing crafts, like cross stitching, making things out of scraps, and many little kikay things. But, alas, there's a cross stitch project that is half done and gathering dust. My scrapbook project for our wedding album, and for each of my kids is still in the gathering stage, as in gathering only the photos and acecessories but not organizing it into a scrapbook. So many projects, so little time.

I love to cook, too. I'm a big fan of Lifestyle Network. I'm a closet Martha Stewart. I wish I was a stay at home mom but I can't afford it. Even with both me and my husband working, the budget still gets busted. Again, time is precious. So here is my mid-30's wish list:

1. Have time alone with my husband;

2. Read all the books I want;

3. Do all the crafts that I love to do;

4. Cook ala Martha Stewart style; and

5. Travel around the world.

Am I being selfish? I hope not. Calling all seasoned mothers out there, please help me. What should I do to maximize my time, especially between personal and family time? I want to bond with my family every chance I get. But, I also want some time for myself? This is what my husband says when he sees that I'm in the verge of losing my patience, "Sweety, the kids will grow up someday. And when they do, we will have time for ourselves." Such a sweet husband. Well, maybe i'll just wait for that time and hope my wishes do come true.

life's endless extra challenges

Sunday is considered a rest day...for even God rested on that day.

For me, Sunday is my workday at home. You see, I'm a working mom with two energetic boys, aged 4 years and 1 year 7 months. I have a yaya for my youngest son. She's a stay-out yaya. She works from Monday to Saturday. When we arrive from work, that's the time she goes home. When she does go home, my dear son cries. How come he's having separation anxiety for her and not for me? It's because I'm on my way to work when he wakes up in the morning. Sigh...

What is my typical Sunday like? I wake up early, around 7 am, even though I still want to sleep late. I clean the sala, sweep the floors, wash the dishes, cook breakfast, prepare the kids' clothes and vitamins, eat breakfast, feed them breakfast when they wake up, bathe them, then I take a bath. Then I prepare them to attend the 10:30 am mass. I'm only half concentrating during the Mass because the kids run around the church. It's my yaya's day off, so it's my turn. In the afternoon, I put my youngest son to sleep on the 'duyan'. When he's asleep, then I can dose off, too. But not to deep, because he might fall from his hammock.

Where's my husband when all these are happening? My husband helps me do the chores at home. But, during Sunday he wakes up late since it's the only day he can do so. He goes to work from Monday to Saturday, and has to wake up early. I don't want to bother him for I know it's the only day he can sleep longer. The other things is, he's having contact dermatitis lately. So there are chores which he cannot do, like washing the dishes, pealing the condiments, bathe the kids. So the bulk of the work rest on me.

I'm not complaining, I'm just ventilating...Hahaha, is there a difference? There may be other working mothers out there who are experiencing the same. I hope you can share your experiences with me. Somehow, it would make the load lighter.

I thank God because He has given me a day to spend with my family, serving them, laughing with them, playing with them, or just spending some quiet time. One whole day...just the four of us. Others may not be as fortunate. So, I'm not complaining. I'm very thankful for life's endless extra challenges...