So, today I had a big realization. And it was epically big. And shameful.
I am such a snobby judger.
Sure, apparently some things I am very open-minded about. Breast vs. Bottle. Co-Sleeping (not my thing, but do whatever you need to to get more sleep!). Parenting styles. You know, all the little things us moms stress about on a daily basis.
And then I read an article linked on Facebook.
It started off talking about judging others. And the first paragraph pissed me off so much, I wouldn't read farther (where she apparently talked about how you shouldn't judge others). It made me so angry. How dare she judge my decision to formula feed when she had no idea of my health needs? How could a person be so nasty!
And, that would be a big freaking arrow pointing right at me. Judgy McJudgerson.
I make snap judgments all the time. All the freakin' time. I assume I know what other drivers are thinking, or why my neighbor upstairs has to use the darned vaccuum cleaner on her hardwood floors (I love you still, Sarah!), or why people would go to Walmart vs. the infinitely cleaner Target, or why people drink themselves into oblivion, etc. I could totally go on, but you are already getting an idea of what a crappy person I am, so I don't need to go any further.
So, there I was, judging this writer, and not giving her the time to hear her whole story out. And I judged her on the first paragraph alone. I was pretty sickened by my behavior. I couldn't even read the rest of the comments because I was so ashamed.
What have I learned from this?
1. Give people some time to get their words out before making up your mind about them. Sometimes, things don't start out too well, but they can get better. Not all relationships are going to start out as great as they did with your husband!
2. When making a snap judgment, figure out if it is based on facts, not just stereotypes, past experiences can created a bad judgment situation.
3. Just because a situation looks crappy or easily judged on the surface, that's not always the case. Not everyone who is poor is unhappy and miserable, not everyone who is rich is happy and successful.
And I'll have to keep practicing these mantras every day. Because if I'm not being fair to all the people around me, I am sure as heck not being fair to myself.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
So... Wow, January.
Literally the day I made my last post, we realized my brand new laptop had a major sound issue. I spent a couple hours on customer support and it was unfixable. So it went back to HP, and we *just* received this one a couple days ago. It was, to say the least, a tad bit annoying. Any way!
So the weather has been crazy here, as well as our lives. We did New Year's Eve with two other families. Everyone went back to their respective homes at 9pm. We're big partiers! Then, the following week, I got sick. And then Claire got sick. And our refrigerator/freezer went out right after we bought a load of groceries. I got up at 2:45 in the morning to clean out the broken fridge and freezer and stayed up watching Glee and Portlandia. I thoroughly enjoyed at least part of that. But I got no sleep, and that was the day C started really getting sick with my cold. Claire's already crappy sleep got even crappier. The next day - Friday - I finally couldn't take it anymore. Claire was running a fever, puked everywhere, and I was feeling terrible. I called Bryce and made him come home from work and provide some relief. What a crappy week that was.
I talked to my mom this weekend and she decided she was buying a house - not on a dirt road, and within city limits. Wow! I think it's awesome! Finally out of the boondocks (relatively). I'm so proud of them! So, Claire and I are going to Florida next week so I can help my mom with choosing a house. Pretty cool, right? Except I had to find a cheap flight. I was so excited to find Spirit had super cheap fares and flew out of the nearest airport (O'Hare). So, I went through the booking process. Ugh! I was so angry and annoyed by the time I finished, that I almost didn't go with them. They were still marginally cheaper than even Southwest, so I did it. But really? I had to pay to even choose the cheapest seats so I could ensure that I sit next to my 2 year old. And their bag fees were ridiculous. Who makes you pay for a carryon? Oh, that's right. Spirit. I fly a lot, and I found the Spirit website misleading at the very least. So, even though I grudgingly went with them because I am flying last minute, I will not use them in the future. Oh, and $111.00 in fees on a $136.00 trip? I call bullshit. Sorry. (This is not including the BS baggage and carryon fees)
We bought a Sleep Buddy for Claire. It hasn't arrived yet, but I am eagerly awaiting its arrival. Sleep has become such a trial for us, that it makes me doubt that we'll ever have any more kids. She is a mess if we try to take out the nap, she's a mess if we put her down at bedtime. She literally takes hours to go down. I am at my wits' end, really. I'm hoping the Sleep Buddy does the trick. It basically is a programmable light that turns on when they are supposed to be in bed - and stay there - until it turns off in the morning. I hope Claire is sold on it. I feel like I've tried everything. This is payback for 2 years of good sleep from her. Ha!
We're considering preschool, but Holy Moly! It's expensive. And our local public school just shuttered it's tuition based preschool program due to growing pains. They needed an extra Kindergarten classroom, so the tuition based program got cut. So, I have to start hunting down an affordable program. Anyone have any ideas?
So the weather has been crazy here, as well as our lives. We did New Year's Eve with two other families. Everyone went back to their respective homes at 9pm. We're big partiers! Then, the following week, I got sick. And then Claire got sick. And our refrigerator/freezer went out right after we bought a load of groceries. I got up at 2:45 in the morning to clean out the broken fridge and freezer and stayed up watching Glee and Portlandia. I thoroughly enjoyed at least part of that. But I got no sleep, and that was the day C started really getting sick with my cold. Claire's already crappy sleep got even crappier. The next day - Friday - I finally couldn't take it anymore. Claire was running a fever, puked everywhere, and I was feeling terrible. I called Bryce and made him come home from work and provide some relief. What a crappy week that was.
I talked to my mom this weekend and she decided she was buying a house - not on a dirt road, and within city limits. Wow! I think it's awesome! Finally out of the boondocks (relatively). I'm so proud of them! So, Claire and I are going to Florida next week so I can help my mom with choosing a house. Pretty cool, right? Except I had to find a cheap flight. I was so excited to find Spirit had super cheap fares and flew out of the nearest airport (O'Hare). So, I went through the booking process. Ugh! I was so angry and annoyed by the time I finished, that I almost didn't go with them. They were still marginally cheaper than even Southwest, so I did it. But really? I had to pay to even choose the cheapest seats so I could ensure that I sit next to my 2 year old. And their bag fees were ridiculous. Who makes you pay for a carryon? Oh, that's right. Spirit. I fly a lot, and I found the Spirit website misleading at the very least. So, even though I grudgingly went with them because I am flying last minute, I will not use them in the future. Oh, and $111.00 in fees on a $136.00 trip? I call bullshit. Sorry. (This is not including the BS baggage and carryon fees)
We bought a Sleep Buddy for Claire. It hasn't arrived yet, but I am eagerly awaiting its arrival. Sleep has become such a trial for us, that it makes me doubt that we'll ever have any more kids. She is a mess if we try to take out the nap, she's a mess if we put her down at bedtime. She literally takes hours to go down. I am at my wits' end, really. I'm hoping the Sleep Buddy does the trick. It basically is a programmable light that turns on when they are supposed to be in bed - and stay there - until it turns off in the morning. I hope Claire is sold on it. I feel like I've tried everything. This is payback for 2 years of good sleep from her. Ha!
We're considering preschool, but Holy Moly! It's expensive. And our local public school just shuttered it's tuition based preschool program due to growing pains. They needed an extra Kindergarten classroom, so the tuition based program got cut. So, I have to start hunting down an affordable program. Anyone have any ideas?
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