10 Things...

I've seen a few lists like this on other blogs or in magazines, but I wanted to share my own. So here are my 10 Things I Didn't Know Until I Became a Mom:

1. The true meaning of sleep deprivation. Sure I had late nights in college or busy days in my pre-kids career, but nothing compares to the lack of sleep that hits you the moment you bring your little bundle of joy home from the hospital. And I'm pretty sure when they are teenagers it is worse, not better.

2. Band-Aids really do fix anything. Whether my kids have a real or imaginary boo-boo, a band-aid will instantly make it better. Even quicker response time if the band-aid has a superhero or smiling cat on it.

3. No matter have many toys you have, they will fight over the same one. We have a house full of toys, a garage that is a gym/playroom and a yard full of fun, but they will fight like crazy over one stupid balloon.

4. You will do and say the craziest things. It is not unusual for me to have a lengthy conversation about which dinosaurs could fit in our house, dance to the "Hot Dog" song, or cut food into shapes in hopes that my kids will eat it. I sometimes stop and think about the words coming out of my mouth and wonder "what the hell am I talking about?!" Oh yes, I was discussing the fact that there is a pretend monster in the kitchen.

5. The 3 P's - Pee, Poop and Puke. First, these things will barely faze you when they come from your own child (other peoples still gets me). The other thing that is interesting about The 3 P's is that you will talk about them with your husband and friends. From day one, you will discuss at length the color, consistency and quantity of the The 3 P's.

6. You will experience Mom Guilt. Whether you work full time, part time or stay at home, you will feel mom guilt. "Am I working too much and not spending enough time with my kids?" "Am I with my kids too much and not teaching them to be independent?" Whatever the situation, you will have a certain amount of guilt. Let's let it go ladies!!

7. A sleeping child's face is heavenly. It doesn't matter if you are religious or not, when you gaze at your child's face when they are asleep you will sense a higher power. The peaceful look on their innocent little faces is breathtaking. But be sure to tip-toe away quietly -- if you wake a child unexpectedly you will experience an entirely different higher power.

8. You will be that mom. You know you did it before having kids...you judged the mom in the store with the screaming kids. I try like mad to avoid public tantrums, but they happen. So try not to judge, just walk on without a second glance. That's what you'll want when you are in her shoes.

9. You will break the rules. I laugh at those pre-kids couples who give me parenting advice. "Uh-huh, hold on just a sec so I can videotape you so when you have kids I can make you eat your words." Don't ever say you won't let your baby use a pacifier or go to sleep with a bottle; don't ever say you will not let your kids eat in the car or have McDonalds. And telling me I should be more flexible - ha, you have no idea how much a decent routine helps my kids sleep better (see #1).

10. The meaning of unconditional love. Of course I loved before kids - I am married and have a great family after all - but the love I feel for my kids is POWERFUL. I'm talking, I will lift a car off my child, throw myself in front of a speeding train type love. It's the love that really is "to the moon and back."

Not Me Monday

It was not me who may have slightly exaggerated the severity of my cold for an extra day this weekend to get sympathy/special treatment from my hubs. I would never do that because that is devious and untruthful. Nope, I would not make sure to blow my nose when he was in earshot for full effect. I'm way to mature for that.

It was not me who then was miraculously better come Sunday when the weather hit 78 degrees and lunch in Newport Beach was calling my name. No way would I do that. Who does that sort of thing??? Not me!

It is not me who thinks leg warmers on my daughter are ridiculously adorable. Those are just silly scraps of material on her ankles. Why would I bother with those?



It was most certainly not me who had my friend and her little boy over today and then proceeded to make white sangria at 1pm in the afternoon. And since I was in good company, there was no way two moms thought having our boys play in the bounce house in the blazing sun with their shirts off and no sunscreen was a good idea. That is bordering on reckless behavior so I would NEVER do that.



Oh, and it is not me who is going to log off here in a minute and turn on The Bachelor. It is a waste of my precious time to watch immature girls throw themselves at an almost stranger. I would never get sucked in to a stupid show like that.

Find out what other people are not doing at:

A Packed Lunch

Have you heard about Bento boxes? Or Laptop lunches? Well, if you have you probably have a toddler, if not, you have no idea what I'm talking about and think I'm feeding my kid a computer. The idea behind Bento boxes is having an eco-friendly reusable packed lunch box for kids (no tossing 3 ziplock baggies a day). And since most kids are finicky and don't like food to touch, everything has a separate place. Cute, but those darn things are pricey. To save myself over $20 (for each kid!) I headed to Big Lots and bought two containers that have three sections each, plus a place for a fork and knife. Then I stopped at the $1 store and grabbed some "food" stickers. Daniel went crazy covering his container in stickers, leaving a couple for Lauren's. Today we tried out our laptop lunches at the park and I think they worked great. And with the money I saved, I can buy myself a "treat."

DIY Valentine's Decor

Before kids (or BK as I call it) I decorated for Christmas, but that was where my holiday cheer ended. Now that I have kids I decorate for holidays I barely acknowledged BK. Every year I add a little bit to my collection, and this year I'm trying out some cheap and easy DIY decorating. Here are some of my new Valentine's Day creations:

Framed Hearts
Old frames in a box in the office = free
Two sheets of scrapbook paper = $1.18
Three heart "thingy's" = $1.50 (they were already on clearance)



Fabric Heart Garland
Spool of red ribbon = $2.99
Scrap fabric at home = free (well, sort of)
One piece of remnant fabric = $.72



Cheap, easy, cute! Time to start thinking of St. Patrick's Day...

My Hair is So Daniel

I have a friend in my mom's group whose twins are also in Daniel's preschool class. Today she shared a funny story with me that I can't stop giggling about. Here is her note:

So I was brushing Charlie's hair this morning and it was looking nice and he says, "My hair is so Daniel." Then, I brushed Amelia's hair and she said, "Now, my hair is so Daniel!" Then, I asked Tom (her husband) about this, since he drops them off at preschool in the morning and he probably sees Daniel on a more regular basis. His comment was Daniel's hair is always well coiffed. So there you go, we've come up with a new term. When your hair is brushed nicely it's very "Daniel"!

Buddies

A couple months after I had Daniel I realized I was bored. I didn't think I would be as a stay-at-home mom, but I was. My sister encouraged me to join a local moms group. I did - in fact I joined three before I met a group where I "clicked" with the other moms. Now, more than three years later I can honestly say some of the girls in the moms group are some of my closest friends. We get together for playdates and the all important moms nights outs! The group is as much for me as for my kids. Here are my kids and some of their buddies...

Daniel and his buddy Dylan - a couple of super heroes


Lauren giving her buddy Pierce a kiss


Daniel and buddies on a backyard tree swing


Lauren and her buddy Elyse, who always sweetly calls Lauren "Princess Lauren"


I'm thankful for the new friends I've made, for their support and insights. Their parenting advice and their encouragement that yes, we have all had those mommy moments and it's OK!