Back in the days before CJ (BCJ), Jay and I had a lifestyle that was pretty good by most accounts. We had blooming careers, a nice little house, time to work out and entertain and travel, a bit of extra money and lots of great friends.
So one day we said to each other, HEY, wouldn’t it be great to give all this up for red screaming creature that saps our sleep, strength and sanity? Wouldn’t it be great NOT to have any money, trash our house, lose our friends, and maybe our minds? And hey Jen, you’d sure look great with a spare tire and some extra MEAT on that caboose.
Riiiight.
For the record that is NOT the conversation we had. It went more like this,
“Oh, wouldn’t it be great to have a baby?”
“I can just imagine us all sitting round the table laughing and talking…”
“Wouldn’t it be fun if we had kids here with us right now?”
The simple fact of the matter is, we had CJ because of the potential for family fun. For another person to contribute to the love and laughter in our household. For someone to hang out with, to give us a different perspective, to help us see holidays and zoos and playgrounds and even our families in a fresh new light.
Spending time together as a family… doing fun things… this is what it’s all about. This is why we went down this road.
Because everything else IS awfully hard. The finances ARE tight. The house IS trashed. And my stomach… well let’s just say that “flat” is a distant memory.
And so we make a point to have the good times. To create the fun. To do the bonding.
Here are just a few of the ways that we keep our family flourishing.
- Family outings. The zoo, playground, wading pool, Target, and yes occasionally even Krispy Kreme.
- DANCE PARTY MARATHON. Turn on loud music like Will Smith or the Spice Girls or anything with a THUMPING beat and get down tonight.
- Eat dinner together. This is when CJ says the best, most hilarious things. I LOVE eating dinner together. Except when I don’t… when it doesn’t go well and we spend the whole time yelling things like SIT DOWN CJ! or DON’T YOU DARE THROW THAT SPOONFUL OF RICE! OK, YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE YOUNG MAN!
This post is brought to you in conjunction with Parent Bloggers Network & EA’s Wii-Boogie, a family gaming experience. Shake it. Sing it. Create it.
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xo Jen
August 10, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Family dinner is so important to me. I am especially trying to make a habit of it while my kids are still young, because I know when they’re teens they’ll want to be off with their friends in the evenings and I want them to know that dinner time is a special family time.
We also have a weekly family night where we do something all together, make cookies, go bowling, etc.
August 10, 2007 at 6:08 pm
It’s like you took a snapshot of my life…Kids are wonderful, but I had no idea how much work I was going to do….I have never been so exhausted!
August 10, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Dance Party Marathon is one of my favorite family activities too!
Made even better now that we have a danceable radio station (92.5), would you say?
Carrie
August 10, 2007 at 7:10 pm
Those family times are just special. Aside from the fun that we have, these events make family bonding stronger.
August 10, 2007 at 8:51 pm
OMG you are SO my kinda mom! And blogger. Bookmarking you right now. Right. Now!
August 10, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Target outings and dancing are big in my house also! The fun factor was also our #1 motivator for having kids.
August 11, 2007 at 8:01 am
Did you get a wii. Carter and I just watched about 10 videos of that Wii Boogie… that looks like a lot of fun.
August 11, 2007 at 8:49 am
Sounds like all of the same reasons we got a dog. For the potential of a great family pet who will make life fun and love us and bring us great times.
Unfortunately, we had to return the dog to the breeder because the hassle and heartache and problems outweighed the few good times.
The kids….I’m still trying to figure out how to return them to the breeder! ;)
August 11, 2007 at 11:33 am
Gosh? You actually planned your munchins?
Our experience:
“Is that one pink line or two?”
“eh, two.”
“Well, the test says wait 5 minutes. Maybe the second pink line will go away!?”
So,so naive we were eleven year ago next week. Six months pregnant while we graduated from college. Who knew what we were in for?!
It’s been crazy being the most fertile couple in the world–no matter vasectomy–and I wouldn’t change one second of it for the world.
Being a Mommy rocks. You just got to find your rhythm.
August 11, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Dance Party Marathon — what a cool idea!
Amen on all of the other stuff.
August 11, 2007 at 12:45 pm
YESYESYESYES!! We finally are getting out to the trails and forcing (um, letting) them experience the fun of outdoors, family time, etc. And it’s a lot of trouble even to do those things (stroller? Bottles? Diapers? Food? Fark) but we tell each other it’s worth it. This is what it’s all about.
Well, that and the hokey pokey. But, you know…
August 11, 2007 at 3:28 pm
We like to get Jiggy With It too!
August 11, 2007 at 5:30 pm
OH yeah, the dance parties we have had!! I love when my 10 year old son says, “Hey mom, have you ever heard that song Turn the Beat Around?!” MMMMMMyeessss.
August 11, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Oh boy do I hear ya…dinner at our house, however, is much less eating and much more painting with tofu, yogurt, and throwing shredded cheese in my face while laughing at my cookie-crusted shirt.
And then there’s my kids…lol
August 12, 2007 at 10:12 am
May I suggest tacos for family dinner? The assembling process provides for great bonding moments. As in when the cheese and tomatoes bond to your floor.
(I’ve been craving a donut ever since your Krispy Kreme post. sigh…)
August 12, 2007 at 2:34 pm
We thought all the same things as you.
Kids = FUN
It is.
It’s exhausting, frustrating, hilarious, scary, financially crippling, messy, heart breaking and fun.
Must do the cake for breakfast thing sometime.
We don’t do Krispy Kremes here, but E and M love Jammie Dodgers.
August 12, 2007 at 3:49 pm
That’s good, having babies is a very important thing. I read that in some countries most women don’t have babies these days because it’s too much sacrifice. Their parents want them to carry on the family genes, but they wouldn’t do it for anything. They think motherhood is a rotten deal. It must be frustrating for the parents.
August 12, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Our family really enjoys those family outings. It’s the talk of the week whenever there is a plan of going out and see new places.
We like our visits to be random for it to be more exciting.
August 13, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Great post. I second that emotion, not to mention the stomach, which has a way of speaking for itself.
August 14, 2007 at 9:32 am
No matter what you do, you are never prepared for kids! But, it’s so worth it.