SuperMom's Ramblings: Laundry, Shopping, Dishes...Oh My!

Most of you only know me as "SuperMom"... what is behind the name, how did I get that name and what do I do to live up to that name.

Well, saddle up ladies... for the ride through a day in the life of SuperMom!!!

First, I am by no means a perfect mother, I do not claim to be but I will gladly accept the name given to me by my husband and kids: SuperMom.

How did this name come to be? ell, honestly, it started with my awesome husband. He would brag about how I homeschool our kids, chase toddle twin boys and am crafty. He'd tell friends and strangers alike about me and tell them that I was a super wife and mom.

My kids then begin to call me "The SuperMom who could not keep up her kitchen", later they shortened it to just SuperMom... which is nice, seeming how trying to call out "SuperMom who can't keep up her kitchen" is a little long winded!

I try my best to live up to that name that I feel honored to have. I try to keep up with my kitchen, though washing dishes for 7 people is hard especially when we homeschool so 6 of us eat all three meals plus two snacks at home each day. Figuring it, I wash about 130 plates or bowls a week... sometimes running the dishwasher twice a day!

I make sure that my kids get the perfect twin beds that coordinate with the toddler beds that the twins just grew into. I searched hard and long online to make sure we got the right price and the right color, style and quality! I searched many online stores and recently just learned about one that I sadly did not search and boy am I sure sad I missed the prices from CSNstores.com.

I try my best to cook healthy meals. Again relying on the wonderful world wide web to help me find new recipes to try with the stuff hidden in the back of the pantry that is about to expire! My favorite site being allrecipes.com.

I make sure that the kids not only have clean laundry, but that they are learning to DO their own laundry! (Yes! My 3 year old twins help sort, wash and put away their own laundry... I do not think of it as child abuse, I think of it as responsible parenting as it is my job to prepare them to one day leave the nest!)

I have taught my 8 year old how to plan a menu for the week and to make a grocery list of needed items. My 7 year old daughter can measure and prepare her own mac  cheese (though I cook the noodles) and my 5 year old son feeds our pet parakeets all by himself!

Why do I do what I do? Why do I teach my kids at such a young age? Why do I give them chores that I can easily do myself? Because I know that I will not be around to take care of them for forever! I will go to heaven at some point, whether that be tomorrow or in 50 years- but whenever it is, my kids will know how to do somethings all for themselves. I could easily wash the kitchen table, sweep the kitchen floor, empty the dishwasher, do all the laundry in the house... but what does that teach me kids? What will they grow up seeing and learning? What example is that to my boys? Go get a wife, she'll do it all... NO! Even my boys are learning how to care for a house, by doing and by example. My husband has taken on the bathrooms each week and he washes all of our clothes. My boys see that their dad isn't afraid to help around the house, that it is not 'just a women's job'. 

I have given my kids age-approtiate chores that they can accomplish easily without help. This helps them to not only be independent, but it builds self-esteem. They know that they can accomplish a task and though some days they really don't feel like doing their chores (just like us as adults having our days of not wanting to work) they can feel good that they are:

1. helping Mom around the house. They are carrying some of the load of having a big family.
2. big kids. They are able and capable of doing 'big kid' chores.
3. learning. They will understand how a household works and that for a house to run smoothly and for mom to not be suer stressed out, everyone needs to do their part.

I think that as "SuperMom" my job is more than just doing, doing, doing... it is about loving, teaching and raising kids that will be ready to raise families of their own someday. Though it may be years and years away (try 15 years AT LEAST!) a habit taught young will stick with them for years to come!