Christina

I Am The One Who…

read by Christina:

I am the one who…puts everything before me.

I am the one who…gets up at 6:30 every morning.

I am the one who…gives four baths every other night.

I am the one who…cleans a two story house every day.

I am the one who…does two loads of laundry every day.

I am the one who…cooks three meals a day for six people or more.

I am the one who…listens to the stories my kids tell.“Mommy my tooth falled out”.

I am the one who…plays wacky games with my kids even when people look at me funny. 

“Simon says touch your head and your belly”.

I am the one who…takes the kids to the doctor when they need to go. Hailey fights with me the whole time.

I am the one who…has four kids and a husband who rely on me every day to get everything done.

I am the one who…goes to school four days a week.

I am the one who…is always listening to music, country, hip hop and rap.

I am the one who...would like to be dancing in the rain.

I am the one who…is pursuing her dreams of completing high school.

I am the one who…dreams about being a marine biologist.

I am the one who…seems normal on the outside.

I am the one who…is screaming for help on the inside.

I am the one who…sits in a quiet corner in a room full of people.

I am the one who…lets everyone vent to me about their problems.

I am the one who…looks at the sky thinking about the limits it can set and let it guide my 

mind to the rest of my life.

I am the one who…is dreaming of being happy.

“ I Am The One Who” poem is written by Christina Frost.   In the poem she talks about her life as a mother of four young children and a husband.  She discusses the struggles of everyday life and how she manages by listening to music.  The poem also talks about her dreams and what she wants to be when she grows up.

A Day in The Life of Parenting Four Kids

read by Christina:

As my alarm goes off every morning at 6:30am, I think to myself, “Can I just sleep for twenty more minutes?”  I hear my two year old so scream, “Mommy” from his crib.  I make my way out of my warm, sage green flannel sheets slowly hoping he will soothe himself back to sleep.  As I’m walking into his room I get this strong smell of poop.  I think to myself, “You are so much like your father”.  We make our way downstairs to change his Shaw’s diaper, and little did I notice that he had pooped all over himself and now  all over my arm and shirt.  I think, “Great, another load of laundry to do today.” I get him changed and wake my other three kids and make breakfast.  Dylan and Hailey are asking for  pancakes, Madison is asking for cereal, and David just keeps saying,  “Eat Mommy eat.” I finally decide to give them some Kix Cereal for breakfast. Of course Madison throws  a huge temper-tantrum, kicking, screaming, crying, hitting her siblings, and telling me “NO” because that’s not the kind of cereal she wanted.  Finally, she gets over her hysterical temper-tantrum and starts eating her cereal. By this time Dylan, Hailey and David are already dressed.  Madison is throwing another tantrum because she wants to wear the pink dress she wore the day before.  I finally bribe her into wearing a pink plaid dress instead of the dirty pink one with some pink camouflage Band-Aids.

The next task is making everyone’s lunch to their satisfaction.  Dylan’s snack is already in his backpack so he is ready to go out and wait for the bus at 7:50am. Hailey whines because she wants tuna fish.  David wants fluff and peanut butter.  I get their lunches made the way they like. Everyone has strong needs.  Dylan gets out the door just in time to catch the bus.  It’s  eight a.m. and by this time I am praying the white  van gets here soon so I can clean the lower level of my house,  or at least spot clean it before I have to go to school at 8:30. 

I’m exhausted but somehow manage to get through the day without falling asleep during class.  I get home at 2:30pm, that leaves me about forty minutes to clean a little more and think about what we are having for dinner.  I turn the music as loud as I can stand and start cleaning.  I generally forget to take any meat out in the morning so the decision of “What to make for dinner is?” is usually answered at the last minute. It’s usually a hot water thaw type of thing with one or more of my friends over.  By the time dinner is done, I get the dishes put in the dishwasher and I notice the huge mess in the living room. Toys, cushion, blankets, toilet paper and whatever else my kids can manage to get their hands on is everywhere.  Next is the chore of giving all four kids baths or showers.  By the time I get everyone washed and in their pajamas, it’s about eight pm and that means bedtime.