Oh housewife mode, how I love and hate you

Because I'm too lazy to make this four different posts, I will just give it four different titles:

Dealing with Kids

The boys' summer started two weeks ago, but after non-stop volunteering, VBS, and training the last two weeks, it didn't REALLY start until this Monday. Yesterday was spent with me COMPLETELY exasperated at their arguing and antics even while having lunch with a friend, and pleading for help from my sister who gave me the following advice:

Methods for Dealing with Later Elementary and Middle School Age Kids, Specifically Boys

Consequences:

Pushups (10 for Shawners, 20 for Justinbustin) - pull over and have them get out and do if need be

Holding hands

10 Things I appreciate about you (can't do anything until you state those 10 things to the other person)

Rewards:

Pool at end of day

Movie night at end of day

Store

Treat (once a day) when they've been good and we are getting one any way

Volunteer opportunities:

Church - call for specific jobs

I already used the pulling over to have them do pushups (oh so good for getting the energy out of boys), movie night at the end of day (if they were good the rest of the day and SHOCKINGLY they were - even after a morning of pulling my hair out and making me want to scream fighting). Today the goal is being good til' 5pm with the goal of having a movie night. We've already biked to the business center and played two games of pool. They've built a fort in their room. We have four and a half hours left.

On Being a Housewife

As far as the housewife mode, this is the extent of Brando's and my texts to each other this morning:

Me: Falling into depression because I have nothing going on this week. I'm so predictable.

Him: Then go do something. Ride bikes, go to a park, walk town lake with the boys.

Me: Too much work, too hot, and too dirty.

Him: Clean the house, do laundry, clean the boys room.

Me: Too demeaning, too boring, and too many fights.

Him: Research how to market photography on social networks, research how to buy investment real-estate commercial or residential. Figure what you want to do with school.

Me: Hmmm, interesting, lots of work but fun if I can keep it organized, and getting there.

Him: I'm insulted that you find caring for our living space demeaning by the way.

Me: I'm insulted that is all I'm good for.

Him: It's not.

Me: It's the second assumed thing that I'm good for.

Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert Book Review and Thoughts

So yeah. I've been reading Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert and just finished it today. I LOVED it, absolutely loved it. Gilbert fully explored all my own confusions and hangups about marriage and family life by exploring her own confusions and hangups, researching them, interviewing people about them, poring over studies (or more correctly, a study) about them, and drawing her own conclusions. The ending was a neat and tidy, almost quick, wrap up, but after her thorough exploration of all of her confusions it was exactly what was needed. I'm still wrapping my brain around her conclusion myself, but it may have just been the conclusion I needed to quell my own misgivings about this institution of marriage. Maybe marriage, the union of two beings, is something WE created, not the church, the state, the country, or society created, as Gilbert realizes in the end (leading up to this, you would never see this coming, so sorry if I spoiled the ending for you, but honestly, I think knowing that would've helped my own snarky attitude toward my marriage as I read through the book).