Housewives

Well, I've been a housewife for about 3 weeks now. Househusband, to be exact, but who's splitting hairs when you don't have to work? I guess the main point to make is that I identify a bit with the common housewife now, especially those staying home with kids while their spouse is away. Everybody thinks they know the positives to staying at home, and while there are definitely some, there are some negatives as well.

1. Guilt. You feel guilty not being at work. I know there's a reason I don't have a job right now, but it doesn't help assuage the feeling of guilt. Part of the reason for staying home is so Mandy will have flexibility with her schedule for the next couple months. Opening a new store isn't easy, and she may have some early mornings and late nights, hopefully I can help her out by being there for her and the kids.

2. It's not as free of a schedule as you think. Once my wife leaves around 7:45, I get up and get Lexi ready for school. I then take her out to the bus stop at 8:30. She gets home at 3:45, which is definitely a nice chunk of time, but somehow as soon as noon hits, you start thinking about how quickly the afternoon will pass, and every idea of something you wanted to get done dissolves with the idea that there's not enough time before you have to march back out to the bus stop.

3. Is Noah enjoying his alone time with Dad? He told M. the other day that he was, and he definitely gets time for video games and tv, but is he getting enough growth out of this? He doesn't interact with other kids like he does at daycare, and while I try to get out and visit places, he gets bored easily with running errands.

4. I do like being here when Lexi gets home. We often read as soon as she gets home, or we go to the park, where I can let the kids play. Sometimes the playground is full of other kids, and it's a nice opportunity for my own kids to be around children they don't know. It's fun to watch them be hesitant at first, then open up and start playing with others. Until they start telling the other kids they should come home with us, because we have cookies and games. I tried to tell Lexi that that was kind of creepy, but she didn't get it.

5. I have a ton of things to do, but never seem to get anything done. Today I cleaned the house. We're having M's co-workers over on Wed. for a barbecue, and hey, what else was I doing all day anyway? I had her make me a list of projects, and this should give me something good to work on.