lowering expectations

This is Zach. And Katie. And the ever present pile of laundry on my love seat.

Zach is 5 months younger than Katie. I started watching him a few months ago when his mom went back to work.

Let me back up.

For the last several years, I have been saying that I would like to find someone to babysit to make a little extra cash. Dave has always been a little unsure. He didn't want just anyone coming in and messing with our family dynamics. But I still have mentioned it and we've discussed the possibility off and on.

Several months back, Zach's dad, who is Dave's classmate, mentioned that he and his pregnant-with-their-first wife were looking into day cares for when she went back to work. It was tricking though, because she works irregular hours and with rotations starting, they would need someone that could potentially watch him very early in the morning.

Dave said, "Hey, Erin could do it."

And short story long, here we are. I watch him 3 days a week until about 1:30.

The first few days were a little interesting. I realized that with two babies in the house, I wasn't getting much done and it was a little frustrating.

So I lowered my expectations. Instead of getting frustrated with not being able to do anything. I just planned on it. I changed my mentality: "This is my job, and it's okay if I don't wash dishes while I am working."

Now that we are in the routine of things, it is working out quite well. I am often pleasantly surprised at how much I do get done, as opposed to being frustrated, and I have become really good friends with Zach's family. The kids do great with him around, even Katie.

It seems paradoxical that lowering expectations brings so much peace of mind. But I think as mothers we set the standard unrealistically high for ourselves. We expect our houses to be clean, our children to be perfectly behaved and dressed, our house to be full of Pinterest projects and gourmet meals. Plus we need to have a creative side job and our kids need to know how to read by 3. That is exhausting just thinking about it!

So, I will tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to feed my children every day. I will read and sing to them each night. And we'll spend some time outside everyday, because I need that for my sanity. After that, I'll probably wash dishes and laundry, though I make no guarantees about getting it put away in a timely manner.

If I can do those things, I think I'll be meeting expectations. Anything else is a bonus.