Hello everyone. I just thought I would introduce myself and see if anyone had any ideas for me on something. First, let me give a bit of a background. I'm 37 and I am almost 5 months pregnant. This pregnancy came as a big a surprise. After the period of adjustment we are thrilled. I've been married to a wonderful man who is 13 years older than I. He has two grown children from a previous marriage, a girl (whom we have no contact with - long story - but trust me it's for my family's safety that we have no contact with her) who is 31 and a son who is 29. I have a 17 year old daughter from a previous marriage. We also have a 5 year old little girl together and we are pregnant again. This time with a little boy. My first boy! I know it sounds crazy with all the age differences but it all seems to work out for the most part (minus the 31 year old daughter). In my little world, I'm faced with some challenging issues. I'm trying to figure out how to juggle it all. There are times that I get overwhelmed with it all. My 17 year old will be graduating high school at the begining of June. We are in the process of trying to get her enrolled in college in another city. She will be moving in with her father whom she has not lived with - so that in itself is going to be interesting. When she does leave, I will have to deal with that. I know she is going in the right direction and am very proud of her but at the same time, it is so hard to let go. But on the positive side, I am going to have my hands full with my then 6 year old and soon with the baby. I felt like I was starting over when I got pregnant with my almost 6 year old and had thought she was my last. I had several complications with her. In and out of the hospital due to false labor due to a condition that caused me to make too much amniotic fluid. She had an ocean to swim in - nice for her but not so for me. So far no complications with this one and hopefully that will continue to be the case. I also was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what I can do to help keep my little girl busy through the summer. I work full time on the computer so I'm not able to take her places and to spend every waking second with her. Mind you she is always supervised and does well playing on her own but she does get bored. So I'm trying to come up with ideas for her to do while I am working. I usually have put her in day care throughout the summer to help occupy her time but this year we can't afford to do that. So it's going to be interesting to say the least working full time and being 7-9 months pregnant. So any ideas, would be very much appreciated - not just on keeping my child occupied throughout the summer but also how to keep myself from getting overwhelmed. As for my little girl for the summer, I thought of having a box of toys, books, coloring books etc that are new to her to every now and then give her things out of to do for awhile. You know how kids are when they get something new. Holds their attention a little bit longer. Well, I know I've written a book here and I apologize but as you can see I have a lot going on and it can get a little overwhelmed. I feel somewhat alone in the respect that since I work out of the house I am isoloated from other adults. So that is why I am kind of reaching out here hoping that I will be able to establish some support and have some sort of communication with other adults. Thanks for reading and again, sorry for the length. :)
Do you know anyone you can have playgroups with her? Or even a mother's day out program for a few days a week, a lot of churches have those available, even for people who do not attend those churches.
Good luck!
I'm assuming you can get out and about with your daughter, you just need something more "fun" for her to do?
The local rec centers have summer camps that are fun and she might enjoy. When my daughter was younger she did a babysitter camp, cooking camp and there are tons to choose from.
Also, I know Plano ISD has a summer program that has fun stuff. We used to have 1 educational camp and 1 fun camp to attend in the summer. She was at school from about 8-noonish. She was ablt to do the computer programs they do at school, drama, cooking, arts and more fun things. Check out the summer school at Plano ISD.
We are not tight into a church group, attend all the time and involved in groups with the church but my daughter did enjoy vacation bible school when it was offered. Sometimes she would do it at 1 or more churches during the summer.
Employ a young girl who wants to become a babysitter to be a mom's helper to your daughter. Sitter can gain experience, your daughter can gain an older friend to could be a sitter or mentor someday.
There are fees for these activities but I would think they are nominal compared to day care.
Good luck.
First, I encourage you to, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." 1 Peter 5:7
Also, if you are not already attending an adult Bible fellowship (or Sunday school) at a local church, I would recommend you start. Share your needs and watch your class shower you with support and prayer.
Finally, check out www.troubledwith.com where you'll find "credible advice and practical solutions for today's problems … and hope for tomorrow."
Praying God will fill you with His peace and love.
From the standpoint of keeping your younger daughter occupied while you work, I think the mother's helper idea is a good one and wouldn't cost nearly as much as a day care. Maybe a reliable teenager who can come over a couple of hours every day and then take your daughter to the park, etc. This will give balance to the activities she'll be doing in the house when you're working on the computer.
I, too am I mom who works from home full time and spend most of that on the computer. I have three daughters ages 14, 10 and my littlest is 2. They are all very busy . . . my eldest with orchestra, drama, art class; my 10 year old with soccer and choir, and my little one is busy just being 2 and learning about everything! I take a class with her one night a week at The Little Gym so that gives us some one on one bonding time.
No, it is definitely not easy balancing it all and I'd be a liar if I said I had it all figured out. My husband and I joke that we waste valuable hours each night just sleeping. All I can say is being more organized has helped keep us on track. Several months back I invested in a couple of dry erase monthly calendars which hang in my kitchen. Each family member is color coded -- so everything red is my eldest daughter, purple is my 10 year old, I'm green, etc. This is the at a glance calendar of what we've got going on. Some weeks are more hectic than others, but I'm better prepared for them because of that calendar!
And my husband is a real partner in all of this. He also happens to work from home. He is responsible for cooking dinner, while I've got clean up duty. And every other Saturday I clean the house so he takes our little one out of the house (the older girls are able to fend for themselves). So I find that our whole crazy life is managed better because we help each other out.
Good luck . . . you'll do fine!
