A few mommy thoughts...

When school starts, and Fall begins, that is when my life turns a little crazy.  It didn't used to be that way.  But I guess that's what happens when you now have more than 1 child in elementary school.  Thus, no blogging.  Well, at least not as much as I'd like.  But here are my mommy thoughts for today.

Be a disciplinarian....to yourself.
  Ya, I said it.  For me, I have found that I really have to be tough on myself to get some things accomplished.  You would think that I would've learned this after being a mom for now almost 8 years. (Yep, 8 years next week!)  I have had to tell myself NO to certain things, in order to get the dishes done, or laundry done or floors vacuumed.  And if you want to know, honestly...I need to be harder on me.

Bathing 1 kid at a time...brilliant.
  We have become big fans of bathing multiple children at once, to save time and water.  However, tonight I had an epiphony. While I was bathing my 9 month old ALL BY HERSELF, I actually enjoyed it.  I think I could probably count on one hand how many baths she has had by herself so this is a rarity.  I usually do NOT look forward to bath time, but tonight I almost didn't want it to end.  But, I realized she was getting a little cold, and raisin-y, so it ended.  Maybe I should be a little more relaxed in my bathing rituals, and enjoy bathtime with each child, individually.  Luckily with a up-coming little man of almost 8 years, the number of kids I actually have to bathe is shrinking. :)

I may be a mom, but I'm still...me.
  As I was carrying my sweet baby out of the bathroom all wrapped up in a cute towel, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.  For some reason I just had the thought..."Hey--there's the girl that used to be..."  I realized, I'm me. And I ALWAYS will be.  I'm still that girl who played ball in High School, who sang in the H.S. choir, who dressed in certain clothes because they were "cool", who tried to curl her hair to get the cute boy down yonder to notice her, and so many other things.  I think I get stuck in the mind-set that my name is: MOM, my occupation: MOM, my daily activities include: MOMMY STUFF, at night I: cook dinner, and fold laundry.   Girls---Don't forget who you are.  It's what has helped you get on this road to become SuperMom.

SuperMom SPOTLIGHT!

Yep--another SuperMom in the spotlight!

This time I am just so grateful for those moms who are always showing that they LOVE being a mom. 

So, my spotlight is my good friend from back-in-the-day, Caroline.  I always knew growing up, that she would make the BEST mom.  She is the 2nd oldest, but the oldest girl, of 8 kids and she never got impatient with her younger siblings.  She just loved on them all the time.  I can still picture her pinching the cheeks of the youngest 2.  When she became a mother, I just knew those kids were going to get loved like crazy!  And...I was correct.  I don't have the joy of living by her, but I keep up with her life via cyber-space.  I love looking at her posts and seeing how she adores her children.  She finds joy in every little moment.  I am amazed at how she finds even the littlest things to admire about her children.  I can just picture her face as she writes each post...it has the biggest, most beautiful smile, filled with sincere love and gratitude for her sweet boys.  Thanks for your example, Caroline.  I can only hope that I can have, and show as much love for my kids, as you do yours.  You are amazing!

Today, I am a FABULOUS MOTHER!

Today I...

...did not push the snooze button 4 times.

...did not give my 2nd grader a breakfast of a pop-tart and applesauce cup.

...did not tell my 2nd grader 3 times, "Hurry up! You're going to be late!"

...did not tell a partial-truth to my 2nd grader so he'd eat the school lunch so I didn't have to make one.

...did not let my 2 year old wake up and go right downstairs to watch a movie.

...did not wait until 10:54 to change my 2 year old's diaper for the first time of the day.

...did not put extra sugar on my 5 year old's cereal so she'd eat it.

...did not let my 5 year old watch Spongebob and Rugrats on my bed.

...put away all the stuff that we unpacked from the car last night, after our Labor Day weekend fun.

...emptied all of the suitcases we took and put all the clothes in their proper, sorted, hampers.

...did not get on the computer until my house was spic & span, all the dishes were put away and the laundry was all done.


Like, I said; Today, I am a Fabulous Mother.







And by the way, in my house, TODAY IS OPPOSITE DAY.

Success is...

...Getting more baby food to stay in the mouth, than gets spat back out.



...My 2 year old waking up with a dry diaper, or at least dry enough that it doesn't leak all over when he sits on the couch to watch morning cartoons.



...My 5 year old going to potty on her own accord, even if she has just a "little bit" of an accident.



...My 7 year old reading a story to the 5 and 2 year old so I can do something else productive.


Success is nice.......wish I saw it a little more.

Super-mom Glimpse...

I had a little super-mom glimpse this week.



I was the "single mother" of 8 KIDS for 48 hours this week.



Hubby gone to scout camp, watching 3 nieces and a nephew while my sister and her hubby visited south of us.  (What makes this even more amazing is that 6 out of the 8 were ages 7 and younger!)

The fact that I survived, and I never blew up once, or had a mental breakdown, proves that I had a super-mom moment.

Of course that all went out the door when the visitors did.  Now I'm back to my old bad habits.  But, glimpses can lead to another short episode!  One can hope!

Being a mom...

This morning I happened to catch a segment on Good Morning America about women who are mothers who get together with other moms and their kids for play dates.  I was thinking this was very normal, and what a great idea.  But here's the twist.  The mother's drink alcohol during their playdates. Sometimes they even meet up with their friends and their kids at bars/pubs.  One woman made the comment that being a mom is hard...DUH...and that having a drink with friends during playdates, helps to take the edge off the overwhelming feelings of motherhood.

I am a mother of 4 who has chosen NOT to drink alcohol.  So, I tried to decide, what do I need to take the "edge off" being a busy mommy.  Here's my list.

JAMBA JUICE

If Jamba's had alcohol...I'd be an alcholic.

But, luckily, they don't...and they are cool, refreshing, and somewhat healthy.

RUNNING

I was a runner in High School, and I've tried to keep up with it, whenever I find time.

I have however learned that in order for it to be thereputic, I have to do it by myself, or with a good friend.

No kids, no husband.

CHOCOLATE

This is my drug. I can't live without it.

And I love that it comes in so many varieties.

FRIENDS

I wish I had a good pic of all my gal-pals.  I have a lot of ladies who help me through so much.

So, no pic, but maybe some names.

Nicolle, Amanda, Jen, 

Whitnie, Tori, Britt, Melissa,

Kelli, Staci, Tiffany, Ami,

Shirlaine, Caroline, Katie B.,

Katie K., Michelle, Lori,

Robyn, Cyndy, Jessica,

Chelsea, and holy cow

the list goes on and on.

If you read this, consider your name on the list.

We survive the great calling of motherhood with the help of each other and wonderful examples of motherhood around us each day.  Yes it is hard...But dang it, it's SO worth it.

Time for another...SUPERMOM SPOTLIGHT!

I have been getting into this line of cleaning stuff, that is good for the environment and super good at cleaning the tough stuff. I had a party for it the other night and I had a realization...I am NOT a fan of deep down cleaning.  I like to do the bare minimum, just enough to keep us all healthy, and not have food on my floor every day, all day. (It is there sometimes...I have 4 kids, how could it not be!) But, one of my party attenders is an AMAZING cleaner.  Her house is so clean, always, and she does a great job of making her home so lovely.  So, I wanted to spotlight her today. My sister in law Michelle is a super-mom! She thinks her house is dirty, when it is so clear that it is not.  She cleans for a living, and still does a great job on her own home.  I wish I could be more like her with her desire to make things clean and beautiful.  Thanks for your example Michelle!  I love ya!

(It comes to me that another spotlight of mine is to a lady who cleans like a mad-woman.  Can you tell I particularly look up to those ladies who keep their homes so spotless?  That is because I, obviously, DO NOT!  That my friends, is why I want to be like them.)

Like a moth to a flame...

Here is what a wonderful mother I am.


The last few days we have been working tirelessly outside in our yard, getting ready for, and then putting in sod. (For this I am more grateful than you will ever know!)  So, I haven't been able to do any computer time, or much of what really interests me.  I decided today, that I could spend some time on the computer and enjoy just a little ME time.  Well, I can take as much 'me' time as I want, but my children are always around. While I was downstairs on the computer I heard my kids begin to quarrel and fight, screaming and playing around.  I was tired of it, and tired of yelling to knock it off. I thought for a moment, walked into the family room and just turned on the t.v.  I didn't say anything, I didn't call my kids down, I just went right back into the computer room.   Within 2 minutes--all 3 of my fighting children were downstairs, quiet, and zoned out on the the t.v.    

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  So nice to have them quiet and sitting still.  Thanks t.v.  You're a great babysitter.

Where oh where has my Super-Mom gone?

Oh where, oh where can she be?
Yes, I have been missing in action it seems, for the last month and a half.  Here's the good news...In my quest for becoming a super-mom, I have made a few goals. One of which is to spend less time on the computer and more time cleaning my house, or spending time with my kids, or something of that nature.  So, that means I'm succeeding, right????
As super mom during the summer, I am trying to do a good job of keeping my kids busy.  Here are some of our current doings.

~In order to try and keep our house somewhat clean, and not having MOM being the only housekeeper, we have created "the chore chart", complete with cup and sticks.  The two older kids have 3-4 regular chores that have to be done each and every day.  Then, every morning they choose a popsicle stick that has a different chore on it. Those chores include things like, vacuuming, (I get to choose which room) dusting, washing windows, cleaning a toilet, etc.  I must say that this has worked pretty well so far.  My kids are young enough that doing the popsicle stick thing is still cool.  And it's nice to have some variety in our chores.  I never allow them to have the same "stick" chore 2 days in a row.

~Tumbling.  This is a tradition in our family.  The kids have done this 3-week, twice a week, tumbling session every summer since my 7 year old was 3.  This is my 2 year-old's first year.  He does the Mom and Tot class with me.  It's so fun to see them doing these kinds of things.  They all love the trampoline, and hanging from the bar.  It is also good to have them all active.  The only crazy part is...we're there from 9-noon on those days.  NUTS!...but worth it.

~Family reunions...One down, 2 to go.  We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, family reunions! I think they are a lost art. (Maybe not an art, but they certainly don't happen like they used to.)

~Park days.  We are so lucky to live really close to a park, so we are now frequenting it at least once a week.  We have set up a park day with friends in our neighborhood, so kids & moms can enjoy some time together, out of the house.

~Crazy enough, we have NOT had any water days yet.  I am a total wuss when it comes to water stuff.  I have told my kids it has to be above 80 degrees for us to get out the water stuff, and so far, we've only had 1 day that hot.  And, we didn't have time to do water, so we are looking forward to water activities in the near future.

So, that is what I am up to.  I will try to make posting a more regular activity.  I'll also try to take pictures of some of the fun things we do.  And I am recruiting you for your help...question to you--
What do you do in the summer time?

Question...

...so what do you do with an BRAND NEW ROLL OF TOILET PAPER that your kid accidentally drops in the toilet? (Why was the toilet paper roll NOT on the roller, you may ask. Good question. Obviously Mom is the only one in this house who knows how to put it on, so unless I do it, it doesn't get on the roller. Ya, they can get it out of the closet, but not put on the rod.)  Here's what really stinks about this whole situation...IT'S THE 2ND ROLL THIS HAS HAPPENED TO!  And as a fabulous super mom--I didn't even yell...very much...or very loud. :)

A visit from the first of many...

...SUPER VILLANS!!!
Ya, I'm having one of those days.  Instead of having a "wanna-be SuperMom" at our house today, the evil, SuperVillan, MESSY MOMMA, has found her way to our location.  The kitchen's a mess, the front room is a mess, the bathroom is a mess, the basement is a mess...you get the picture. We were on spring break last week and I have NOT caught up.  I still want to be on spring break.  In fact, I bet the only thing that is clean right now is what's in the dishwasher.  And even then, that means there are CLEAN DISHES THAT NEED PUTTING AWAY!  Arrrg. 
Maybe sometime soon Messy Momma will find some other house to bug and there will be a grand return of SuperMom--(the wanna-be version of course.) It better be quick tho. My mother-in-law will be here on Saturday! (hee hee!)

Just like the kids...

I learned a little something today.  I looked at the big pile of dishes and the empty dishwasher and wanted to walk right past, so I could blog. (I really have a lot of catching up to do!) But, something inside me said, "NO! YOU NEED TO DO THE DISHES AND MAKE THE KITCHEN LOOK NICE AGAIN!"  I decided I did really need to do the dishes and blogging would just have to wait.  So, here's my super mom moment...I DID THE DISHES! But, here's the kicker...I did just what I try to do with my kids when they want to do something.  If you do the work first, you can do something fun after it's done. I promised myself that if I did the dishes, I could blog a little. YEAH ME! Now you all know I did the dishes, because I am now putting up a post.  I still will have to wait to update my family blog, which will take a lot longer, but at least I got to blog a little.  And I decided this is the way motherhood should work.  Give and take...work a little, play a little.  Make sure to take time for yourself to do things you enjoy, or you overwork yourself as a mom and don't see the joy in it.  Here's the goal for the week--do a job that needs doing around the house, then I get to do something I enjoy, like crafting, scrapbooking, or just sitting to read or watch a movie.  I'm going to try it for a week and see if I get more accomplished than normal.  I'll post on the success next Tuesday!

Mommy Spotlight

 I was thinking today of the many mommies I LOVE, and who are fabulous examples to me.  Even before some of us became mothers, they were teaching me great things.  I had a roommate in college who was an absolute wonder at cleaning.  She is amazing. (in more ways that just her cleaning skills, but for this post we'll stick to that.)  She was constantly cleaning our kitchen and making the counters shiney, and putting dishes away that weren't even hers.  It  probably ticked her off more than she really enjoyed it, because she was just cleaning up after the rest of us slackers. Mostly me probably...sorry about that.  But, she did say that she actually liked it, and I think she just found joy in seeing things look nice and clean.  I am NOT a huge fan of doing dishes.  I usually wait until I need something before we unload the dishwasher, and wait until the sink is full for me to load the dishes in the dishwasher.  I realized I am being a horrible example to my kids, and our kitchen always, or 85% of the time, looks crappy.  So, today I made the decision to be better at kitchen cleaning.  I started doing the dishes that were there, helped my 5 year old unload the dishwasher, and cleaned out the sink so that it almost sparkles. (as much as a 34 year old sink can.)  The whole time I was doing this I was thinking about that roommate.  I want to be like her in keeping my kitchen a whole lot cleaner.  So, the Mommy Spotlight today goes to KATIE.  Thanks for being a great example of a super-cleaning mom.  I'm gonna be just like you when I get big.

My semi-creative moment today

So, I thought I'd be a wonderfully, creative mother today.  It was Dr. Seuss' birthday yesterday and my son's school has been doing things to celebrate all week.  Yesterday the mayor came to the school and read Green Eggs and Ham.  When I asked Vance about it, he said it was good.  Then he said, "I'd like to try green eggs and ham someday.  Maybe I would like it."
TODAY WAS THAT DAY!

You can't see it all that good, because my batteries were dead on my camera, so I had to take this one with my phone.  But, I think you get the idea.  And we don't do fried eggs in this house, like the book has, so they are scrambled.  He was pretty excited...and I was proud of myself for doing something "special".

Confessions...

...I yelled at my 5 year old daughter today.  Like REALLY YELLED.  My toddler just stood in amazment and watched.  Luckily my newborn stayed asleep. (That's probably because it is nothing new to her.  She heard it a lot in the womb.)
...I spanked my 5 year old daughter on her fanny today...Not just once.  My hand didn't hurt tho, but her bum did.
...I have not wanted to cook this week.  Our meals have been very un-nutritious, with one fast food night already.

Because of all of this, I have learned a few things.  I made sure to explain to my little girl that I still love her, and not just a little bit...A LOT.  I just wish she would obey.  And, I felt so guilty about not really cooking this week, I did a super yummy crock pot meal for tonight.  Look at me--dinner's already going.  My husband will be so happy!

Success today...

O.K. This might seem like a minor thing to some, but here are 2 big successes for me today.  
#1 -- I actually gave my toddler a good breakfast...and HE ATE IT! Now again this may sound crazy to you, but this is an upgrade for him.  He ate 1/2 a banana and some cheerios in milk. (My oldest doesn't do milk in his cereal, so this is great!)  Usually I hand the kid a pop-tart, or half a piece of toast, so I'm feeling pretty good about myself.
#2 -- I let my kids help me do the dishes today, instead of sitting them in front of the t.v. so I could just do them myself and get it done and over with.  But, today I decided to let them help. And even tho we ended up with water all over the counter, and even some on the floor, it was great.  I actually had fun, and I think my kids did too.
Yay me!  I hope you all find the little success of your day and say --Yay you!

"It's hard to be a mom...isn't it?"

This is the question that my 7 year old asked me this morning.  Let me give you a preface to what brought up this question.  Last night my two boys had fevers, so we sent them to bed on medicine.  My oldest daughter also went to bed with meds because of a cough and constant runny nose.  I knew it would be a rough night. At 2 a.m. my 2 year old woke up crying and was burning hot, so I went to get him medicine again and he gagged  on it, which brought up the recent bottle of milk he drank.  He screamed when I threw him in the tub calling for daddy the whole time.  (Daddy of course, cannot stand the thought of throw-up, so he stayed in bed.)  After rinsing off the toddler, I threw him in bed next to dad so I could deal with the bedding. Rinsed it off...put it in the washing machine...put clean bedding on the crib.  Put the 2 year old back to sleep after finally getting him to take a chewable medicine.  The second I walked back into our bedroom, the newborn wakes up wanting to eat.  After feeding her, I was finally able to lay back down and go to sleep. (Oh, yeah, and while my 2 year old was screaming in the tub, he woke up his 5 year old sister who wanted to see what the hub-ub was all about.  Luckily she went back to bed pretty easily.)  I was awakened again at 6:30 a.m. when that newborn wanted to eat again.  While feeding the little one, the 5 year old came in and got in my bed since, daddy was on his way out the door for work.  I laid back down again still tired, then heard the 2 year old at 7:30 a.m...got him a drink, then laid back down and pushed snooze on the already going off alarm.  I finally sat up when I heard the 7 year old awake.  I asked him to come in so we could check his fever...102.  Lovely. He's not going to school today. So, I'm going back to sleep. Ya right. Everyone started waking up. 7 year old-102 degree fever, 5 year old- runny nose so bad she says a lot of 'b's, 2 year old--crying and back to a 100 degree fever again, newborn--ready to be awake, eat, and please don't put me down!  So, I get breakfast for those who feel good enough to eat, then try to put a load of laundry in.  This is when my 7 year old looks at me and says "It's hard to be a mom...isn't it?"    Yes.  Yes it is.  But, then his next act made it all o.k.  I took the empty hamper downstairs to get the load out of the dryer, to make the switch over.  While I'm carrying the baby and hamper down into the laundry room, my 7 year old grabs his 5 year old sister and says "Come on, let's take this down."  They, together bring the next load down the stairs for me and bring it to the laundry room.  I look at them and he says, "we didn't want you to do ALL the work mom."  How much do I love these kids?  More than they will ever know.  Is it hard being their mom...YES, but it is SOOOOOO worth it.  I wouldn't change today for anything.

'William Tell Overture' Mom

Yet another great MOM song. This hits the nail right on the head!

"To Do List" by Hilary Weeks

I just had to do this. My cousin has this on her blog and I LOVE it! This is honestly what some days feel like. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

What I accomplished today.

I have done 4 loads of laundry.  That's pretty much it.  But, that's 4 loads of clean clothes for my kids, so that I don't have to try and find "clean" pants that I pull out of the dirty hamper, or my daughter won't have to wear "pedal pushers" to school.
I also did my parental duty and dropped off and picked up kids from school.  Count today, as a success. (And it's not even over yet!)

For my benefit...

This blog is really just for my benefit and for my sanity.  I want a place where I can vent, celebrate, and brag about the things I am doing as a mom, wife, and woman.  Then, maybe I'll be so motivated, by knowing that I'll be posting, to do better and BE better.  If others end up looking at it, and commenting, I can also gain motivation from them.  I'm always wanting to be good at things like "Jane" is.  I know...it's not good to compare myself to others, but if it gets my fanny in gear--so be it.