Thursday, October 12, 2006

Feeling like a bad mom

I know I'm not actually a bad mom, but sometimes I feel like a total bum.

Right now, Guthrie is playing Thomas the Tank Engine games on the laptop, while I work at the computer. (Yes, I know blogging isn't really working, but I did have actual work to do, I'm just done now. Just because I SAH doesn't mean I don't have actual work to do on the computer.) Turner is napping.

I've been letting Guthrie play on the computer too much lately, but he hasn't been watching any movies at all, and I do figure the computer is the lesser of two evils, because it's not entirely passive. Yes, he's on a commercial site, and is getting addicted to Thomas (I realized why we were so dead-set against licensed toys walking through Wal-Mart the other day - "Look Mom, there's Thomas! It's Dora! Lightning McQueen!").

The mosquitoes are so bad right now it's miserable to play outside. This September was apparently one of the wettest on record here, and there were several individual rainfalls that set records. And areas were flooded, there is lots and lots of standing water, which of course equals mosquitoes.

Unlike the mosquitoes that I'm used to in Missouri, these things bite all day and night. Doesn't matter when you leave the house, you are going to get eaten. Just walking to and from the van to go to the store I've had 10 bites! It's worse on the boys, too, because Turner obviously can't swat them off, and Guthrie usually doesn't realize they're there, and then he scratches his bites until they bleed!

I don't want to cover them in insect repellant, either, even though I have some Burt's Bees. So, we haven't really been going outside. It's not worth it to come inside covered in bites (and I do mean covered - I've counted 20 or 30 on myself at any given time lately).

I hope this is going to end soon, but it's been really rainy lately, and the forecast is calling for rain just about every day. It's so bad that I've found mosquitoes living, flying around in the house. I sat down to use the bathroom and heard that buzz! I'm certain that's what wakes Turner up from his naps sometimes - there are almost always a couple in the bedroom lately.

Maybe we should cover the whole house in a giant mosquito net?

I'm going to get off the computer and try to steal the laptop away from Guthrie. He really would play on it all day if I let him. We've got to figure out ways to be more "active" while staying inside, or at least not getting eaten alive!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, bugs like that would drive me insane. Yuck!!

I'm amazed that he will use your laptop properly. I can only imagine what Max would do to mine. Eeeeeek.

Judy said...

It's crazy. I was just changing Turner's diaper and had one bite me on the butt - through my PJs! And there is rain in the forecast every day. Everyone here says they've never seen anything like this.

Guthrie does pretty well with computers. He's totally fearless, and has managed to do things I couldn't figure out. Of course, he also destroyed my old computer by putting a penny in one of the card reader slots. :O Now the CPU sits way up on top of my desk where he can't reach it. I also have a wireless mouse and keyboard so I can put them out of reach when I don't want him to play.

And the laptop, although a good fairly new one, is no longer "necessary," and he's really careful with it, so we figure if it buys us a few minutes of sanity, why not.