Sunday, July 3, 2011
Don’t get me wrong, being a mother is fulfilling, precious and delightful -- it’s also ridiculously exhausting
I have been a mother for three years now, and despite my daughter's evolution from a tiny infant to active preschooler, I've noticed a common thread throughout the process. It has nothing to do with her. It's within myself that I find this perpetual condition. Ever since the miraculous night when I brought this precious baby girl into the world, I have been incessantly tired. It’s not just a yawn here and there. It’s more like the kind of exhaustion where if I close my eyes for just a second, no matter where I'm at, I would fall into a long, hard snoozefest. When Kailee was born, I chose to be a stay-at-home mom. My life as a new mother was filled with exquisite tenderness but also exhaustion. All day, every day, it was go, go, go, and we …
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The snow, the ice, the wind; when does it ever end? Read on to see how one Cranberry-area mom deals with the doldrums of winter.
I walked into my bedroom the other day and found my teenage stepchildren teaching my 3-year-old daughter how to dive off the bed and into a pile of blankets and pillows -- backwards. I came in just before my daughter Kailee attempted to dive off my rather tall California King -- again. She had a devilish grin on her face as if to say, “This. Is. Awesome.” That look quickly dissipated the moment a high-pitched gasp flew out of my mouth. Three pairs of big, blue, eyes -- all from their father's genes -- guiltily looked up at me. I reminded the older two that being bored doesn’t necessarily mean find the most exhilarating thing to do in the house -- especially with their baby sister. But, I must admit, it looked fun. And I had to give them …
Sunday, February 20, 2011
We almost made it through flu season without a bout of illness…almost.
The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the days are getting longer. “Spring is coming,” I said to myself as I got ready for work one particularly lovely morning this week. This winter wasn’t nearly as bad as last year's, but nonetheless my family and I are ready to see the trees and flowers bloom. As I am sure most people in Cranberry Township are these days, we are growing weary of being stuck indoors and wincing from the freezing wind chills. As I got ready that morning, something else ran through my mind besides the tantalizing realization that it was time to add to my spring wardrobe -- we had made it through winter without any major illnesses. Sure we had a few cases of the sniffles this year, but nothing too bad. Last year was…
Monday, February 7, 2011
A lot of things change when you become a mother, especially in the workplace.
This past week, some coworkers invited me out to lunch after work. My immediate response was “No.” It wasn’t because I didn’t like these people, or had something against eating good food or having conversations with other adults I like and respect. I didn’t want to go to lunch because my daughter was in daycare, and I wasn’t going to leave her there any longer than I had to. I don’t regret my decision, but it definitely made me think how different my work life is now that I am a mother. I am a hard worker. I have a strong work ethic that I possessed even when I was younger. I seldom called in sick. Maybe I've been late once -- or several times -- but never sick. I made sure I did my job well, and I stayed until it was complete. Nowadays …
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Life will always get stressful, but somehow, you have to put it into perspective.
Wrap, shop, bake, go! This Christmas, I felt as if I had a drill sergeant standing behind me shouting that never ending command. My to-do list seemed to get longer and longer in the days leading up to Christmas and the stress was mounting. I lay awake at night thinking of what needed to get done, praying I'm still on budget and seething about why my husband can never help me. The more I thought, the more the knots in my shoulders tightened and the more my headache pounded against my temples. Caught in the middle of all this was my poor daughter, who had no clue why mommy was getting her up an extra hour early and taking her to grandma's house instead of to the daycare she loves (Her daycare is closed for the next 10 days for the holidays…
Jamie Kunchick
9:23 pm on Sunday, July 3, 2011
Correction: I have given birth to only 1 child but I am so fortunate to be the full time mother to my 2 teenage step kids. They are amazing and I am so lucky to be apart of their lives. I love you guys! more ›