Eat, Sleep, Live

... or, Why Edward Cullen Has Captured the Hearts of Women Everywhere (And Earned the Cursings of Their Husbands).

"He's ridiculously fast and his hands are as cold as ice."  His heart doesn't beat and let's face it, the whole blood feasting thing is kind of gross if you really think about it.

He lives the life of a teenager despite his 1901 birth year, and is in love with arguably the most whiny and annoying 17 year old emo girl I've never had the pleasure of not meeting.  But childbearing women everywhere are head over heels in love with him.  There are shirts, bags, and even a whole website devoted to "Twilight moms".   Just Google Twilight Mom.  You'll be as shocked as I was.

Ignoring the whole Mrs. Robinson thing for a minute (and the fact that it's pretty disturbing that middle aged women argue over Team Edward vs. Team Jacob - need I remind you ladies of Mary Kay Letourneau... no?), what is it that makes Edward Cullen - AKA the Twilight "heartthrob" so attractive?

No ladies, it isn't the fact that he has a hypnotizing voice or sparkles in the sunlight.

The attraction to one Edward Cullen has to do with the fact that he is completely self sufficient and has no annoying habits (unless you count the whole blood thing) to push us over the edge.

Let me explain.

1.  No Sleeping  Believe it or not, this is a big deal.  No sleeping means no snoring.  It also means that if you wanted to sleep in one Saturday morning, there wouldn't be an argument over who has to get up with the kiddos before the sun rises.  He's always rested so there's no good reason to for him to sit around watching football (or golf...) as a means to "recoup" for the next week.  While you're resting comfortably and the kiddos are asleep, he can be helping with the Mount St. Laundry cleanup or getting that pesky toilet to stop running. 

2.  Diet Okay, so the whole blood drinking thing is pretty gross - and I think I've made it pretty clear where I stand on this subject.  All nasty factors aside however, his choice of food does make for a surprisingly agreeable mate.  He has to catch it, prep it, and eat it on his own.  He cleans up after himself.  There's no whining about the lack of choices in the fridge.  No arguing over what's for dinner.  I mean, really, can you imagine what it would be like to NEVER have to debate over where to go out to eat again?  I don't know about you, but this would be a little slice of Heaven on Earth for me!

3.  Nature vs. Nurture  In case you haven't read the books or seen the movie (or have been completely living under a rock), Edward Cullen is completely head over heels in love with the lovely yet whiny and accident prone Bella.  While most of us can't grasp why SHE is THE ONE, what we can get is the fact that by the very virtue of what he is (hello, a VAMPIRE), every move he makes and every word he says is intended to romance and "woo".  And let's face it, when you have a child - whether it has two legs or four, and if it's a three year old or a thirty year old - and when you're pulled in three thousand different directions at any point during the day, who doesn't want to be woo'd???  And if you say "not me", I'm calling your bluff.  Edward doesn't think about what he's getting in return.  Sure, it could be argued that what he wants in return for his seemingly selfless affections is a chance to capture his prey (shudder), but remember - the Cullens are vegetarians.  All he wants to do is look out for his precious (albeit annoying) Bella.

I'm sure by now, many of you are thinking that I've put way too much thought into this.  Let me assure you that this is not the case.  I think it's really very simple.  In a world when women - wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends - are being pulled in a million different directions by all the roles we constantly juggle, the idea of a completely self sufficient man who never tires, never eats, and only lives to take care of his one true love is really kind of sweet. 

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

Is it bedtime yet?

When Hubs is out of town, my kids go to bed impossibly early. And by impossibly early, I mean as early as possible without their little bodies confusing night sleep with nap sleep.

Around here, that has been known to be as early as 6:30 some nights (6:15 if we're really honest about things).

It's not that I don't love my children. It's that I love them more when I am given the opportunity to have a little bit of quiet time to myself to get things done and relax a little bit.

Hubs has been on the road for about 5 weeks. He worked one of those Saturdays in between and will be working this Saturday before heading back out for his 6th week.

I am so, so, so thankful for his job.

But to be perfectly frank, on day 4 of his 5th week of travel, I really wish I had a little more support. Reading about my friends who have mom's helpers so they can go to the store and they have one or two children kind of makes me want to puke/cry/scream. No offense. It just does. That little green-eyed jealousy mom-monster comes out. I don't have anyone who can invite us over for dinner when he's gone or who offer to watch the kids so I can have an afternoon break.

Boo hoo.

I have a certain sick sense of pride about being able to be she-woman-super-mom and do things with so much independence. But I'm not going to lie. It does get really, really hard.

So by my calculations, it's about 5:25. I have about 30 minutes until the bedtime routines can begin. And since Little Einsteins is over and my chef, Papa John, just delivered dinner, it's about time for me to begin our evening rituals.

Until next time...

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

Thoughts of Thankfulness

I love Saturdays. My husband is a truly wonderful man. He allows me to sleep in on the weekends without so much as a sigh in complaint. I look forward to Saturdays more than nearly anything else. From the time he gets up until I finally roll out of bed, I know that I don't have a thing to worry about. I'll usually nurse lil bit, and then I know that I've got four solid hours of sleep that I'm off duty. I put in my earplugs, pull down my eyemask, and let myself fall into a few hours of stress free rest.

Being a stay at home mom is a LOT of work. I'm on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even when I'm asleep, I have one eye open in case one of my babies needs me. I wake at the slightest stir and am always on call and ready to go. It's a huge responsibility, and I absolutely love it. That being said, I take the time when I know that I don't have to worry very seriously and I am very, very appreciative of it. Anyone who has ever been responsible for the care of another living being knows what an enormous, blessed job it can be. I've earned every one of my smile wrinkles and gray hairs. I know that not a moment goes by when I'm not on call.

I love my family. I adore my husband. My children leave me breathless with joy. I am truly one of the most blessed women in the world.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama