blogger profile

Renee CK

writer, editor

I'm a fun girl who's on a quest to figure it all out. I'm cynical but living the dream- I'm not sure how that happened exactly. Follow along in my blog for fun, mayhem, and merriment. There's never a dull day!...

READ MORE

The Joy of Moving On

Why I love babyproofing

I just grabbed my morning coffee and an apple. While I was waiting for the java, I flipped on the TV where I watched a report about babyproofing from baby pro Jo Frost, aka, Super Nanny.  They put her with a family with mom, dad, and 7 month old baby and she pointed out the dangers getting down on all fours, looking at things from above, and alerting mom and dad to the problem areas.  Awww.

As I swirled my hazelnut creamer into my burning hazard, I mean coffee mug, I remembered the glorious day that we removed the babyproofing stuff from our home.  My picture frames got to go back on the tables. We pulled out the electric screwdriver and removed all the plastic crap that bit our hands as we slid in one inch to release levers and tabs.  Sure, I still half open some cabinets that get less use out of habit, but as I pull them fully open after my “ahhh” moment, I am as happy as I was when I took my first full breath after delivering my son. 

Many of my friends fell prey to the baby call. The youngest of 2 or 3 gets to kindergarten and suddenly the house is quieter and you’re not as needed.  What’s a mom of child-bearing age to do?  I started scrapbooking...they had another baby.  Yes, that’s 18 more years of love and opening their lives to another family member.  But, my baby is finishing her kindergarten year next week and I’ve found that the time fills itself.  A committee here, a chapter in my book there, and suddenly we’re doing homework while dinner cooks. 

Call me selfish, but I like having some quiet in my life.  I like being able to plate up meals and not have to feed someone else while my meal gets cold.  Sure, those days pass, but mine are gone and I’m okay with that.  My 5 and 8 year olds bring their own challenges.  I still have to cut chicken, pancakes, and make sure my son doesn’t get a pink cup.  But I don’t have to pack half the house to take with me to the grocery store. If a kid forgets a gameboy, they have to suffer the consequences and I can take a pouty faced, crossed arm glare over howling anyday. 

So, for all my friends who jumped back onto the boat or those who are setting sail for the first time (babies are sprouting all around me...I quit drinking the water and went straight to wine!) God bless ya.  I’ll be sitting here working on my book and cooking with my knife block on my kitchen counter.

Enjoy!
Renee