Waterworld

Those who know us have heard all about the bathroom nightmares that we've encountered. For the most part, we love our home. Or I should say "love where our home is located but would like to make some rather large renovations in the near future" (Hello Chittenden loan department?). As luck would have it, we've encountered dueling leaky bathroom issues. Downstairs kitchen bath with shower (yes, we know that's weird) had some leaky grout and rotten drywall--out of commission for about 2 months. Very shortly after we learned of this problem, we noticed some peeling paint in the kitchen ceiling, curiously enough below the upstairs tub. We find out that the upstairs grout is also shot and is as porous as a sponge. We proceeded to shower with the shower head handle as close to our bodies as possible, which in the middle of the winter tends to be rather chilling. Downstairs shower door arrives, hurrah for us! Grout is applied upstairs, we're back in business with both, right? Well, there appears to be additional leaking from the hot water handle upstairs, call the plumber. Also, the new not-cheap shower door (downstairs for those keeping track)is leaking near the bottom. Our 3rd option for cleansing ourselves is pictured below....I'll add a pic of my bath later..

I have a confession and I hope this will serve notice to other parents out there who feel like something is wrong with them, because it's completely natural (I hope). It is this: We feel a giddy-like sensation when both kids are sleeping soundly, either for naps or the evening. Early on, I didn't feel like I could release this information for fear of social services taking umbridge with this attitude. Jennie and I would confide in each other and question our fitness to be parents.
"What does it say about us that we look forward to nap and bedtimes with the same fervor as kids on christmas morning?"
Luckily, we had the same feelings so we didn't have to sheepishly admit to such truths. Lately, I'm hearing similiar themes from other parents with young children.
"I try to not to wish my life away but......"
"I got em both in bed by 7:30, it was heavenly."
"He was driving me crazy, so we started the bedtime routine early."
Guilt is a powerful and awful emotion and is not enjoyed by many. It's important to consider the facts. We have high standards for our parenting experience, whether it be enriched playgroups, organic foods, limited TV (limited meaning zero for Jennie), etc. We could spend 24 hours a day trying to live up to these expectations, without even considering work, sleep and other household duties. Perhaps it should be stated as such: Parenting is extremely hard. That's not to say that we don't enjoy it or love our children very much. In fact, I think it's hard BECAUSE we love them dearly to set such expectations. These quotes illustrate my point:
"I feel like a lousy mother, I haven't read many books to our 6 month old. I hope I haven't irreparably harmed her development."
"He's only had yogurt, fruit and some whole grains today, we're not doing a good job with vegetables."
I think you get the point. So let's take it easy on ourselves. If they're happy, healthy and mostly alive, pat yourself on the back because you're doing a good job. Besides, if we were perfect, therapists in 20-30 years would lose a lot of business.

Here's a recent pic of my brood.


See on the playground.