Those Special Moments in a Mom's Life

I recently came across a blog post by a fellow Mom. She talked about things that people just don't understand unless they are Moms. And it really had me laughing. It brought back memories of raising my own children and the way things changed with that. She made a list of 15 Things People Don't Know About Mom Life. The following ones resonated with me.

1. Kids grow fingernails overnight. I feel like they must be sneaking the biotin vitamins from the bathroom or something. Hair and fingernails are constantly needing trimming! 

2. Bath time is a must. Not just so they can get clean, but so that we have a moment to breathe. It is a containment zone. For a least a few minutes, you can maybe clean something or sit down. But this only works when they are old enough to supervise their own bath! 

4. Their spit is whatever. I can't ever forget the look on my husbands face when I shrugged and popped the dirty pacifier in my mouth to clean it off before giving it to our 4th kid. I think he was secretly gagging. But that's just how this goes. They want to share something they are eating or drinking with you, you kinda just go with it. Daddy just doesn't have it in him to be that sharing. 

5. We become butt sniffers. I laughed so hard at this one! It is way too true. We catch a whiff of something and the first reaction we have is to lift the butt to our face to smell. Once they reach the running around age, we graduate to pulling the diaper/undies away to look in at the butt. I would love to hear what some of you non-parents think about this approach! 

6. Personal space? What's that?! We don't seem to notice when this truly begins. We just know that eventually our lap and either seat next to us becomes prize real estate. Fights and arguments break out as to who deserves or who's turn it is to see as close as humanly possible to Mom. Thankfully, they will also do that with Dad. So there is more spaces to go around. Going to the bathroom is now a show, as everyone needs something the moment I duck in one. I've just about given up on shutting the door at all.

8. Hot coffee, or even meals, are a thing of the past. I am now starting to remember what hot meals are like. And once the kids are tucked in, hot chamomile tea is my comfort. But in the beginning, by the time everyone is settled and you are able to stay sitting longer than the span of a single bite, your meal has cooled considerably. 

9. The Mom bun. She prefers the bun. I have a low pony tail. It is basically whatever fast, simple style you can do that keeps the hair out the way and free from grasping fingers. I think my last kid made the low pony tail a must. I don't know what her deal is, but ever since babyhood, she has had a thing for sniffing my hair. Yes, you read that right. She smells my HAIR. Grabs a nice handful and breathes it in. Don't know why. Reminds me of that guy on the Charlie's Angel movie...

And since the scent of Mommy has been so important for her, we actually use my used pillow case to cover her pillow so that she sleeps better.

10. It can be so lonely, despite not being alone. I'm surrounded all day, every day by at least one. And yet, the feeling of loneliness hits hard quite often. It is simply not the same thing as having adult interactions. Conversating with others that are on your level. You start to miss it greatly. I talk to my husband, usually when we do our devotions. Sometimes for 2 hours before I realize it. 

11. That moment when the kids are asleep and the house is clean-ish. It's one of those rare Ahhhh moments. If we had background music to life, it would be an angelic choir. It won't last long, so you savor it before you sleep. But to get there, you have to quickly run through a clean up as soon as they all lay down! 

12. When they are playing nicely, you don't disturb them! Especially right now, when we are locked up at home due to covid-19 closures. Every couple of minutes, I have either someone wanting to tattle on their sibling or someone yelling at the other for something ridiculous. So when they are playing in unison and enjoying each others company, I say nothing. I don't care if I have chores for them to do. I don't care about the toys in the living room. It's bliss for a little while. 

13. We don't always pick what our kids wear. So when you see my kids walking through the store in mismatched clothing or my daughter wearing her tall boots with shorts - just smile and nod. Keep walking, pal. I don't always pick out their clothes. As a matter of a fact, the only time I do is for special family gatherings. When I know we have pictures to take. Aside from that, they all pick their own outfits. Even the 3 year old. Now, I will, however, tell my 7 year old when something is too short to change. My girls aren't allowed to look like skanks in my household. 

15. That moment when the baby falls asleep on you and you commit to not moving. The world is peaceful when the baby sleeps. So you tell yourself that nothing needs doing bad enough to risk waking the child. And you will sit rigidly still, until 1 of 2 things happens. 1. the baby wakes up. Or 2. you fall asleep and slump in the chair with the kid. Done them both! 

So tell me. What parenting moments snuck up on you and changed you without the realization hitting you? Leave me a comment below!

Creativity Blooms During Covid-19!

I'm so ready to be free again. For the bookstore to open. The library to reopen... We are missing Free Comic Book Day this year, people! Do you know how hard that is for us nerds? Star Wars Day is canceled. Besides posting a meme... UGH! Yes, that is my response to this craziness. 

And so...

To Pinterest I have gone in search of things to occupy the hours. Especially for the kiddos. No school, can't contact their friends, and no yard to play in. There is a pool at their Nona's house, but it's not like we can go there often. Dad works and has school. Mom can't drive them. Well, she could, but not with full confidence of safety. Sooooo.... Yeah. Pinterest ideas! 

We started time capsule booklets thanks to their teachers sending them out. Don't think anyone has finished theirs yet. They kinda disappeared after a couple days. But it was fun watching them get started at least. 

I tried doing a scavenger hunt. My daughter finished hers the same day I gave it to them. The boys took about 3 days? It was so easy too. They took photos of things they found with their school iPads, just like they do for school assignments. Their heart just wasn't into it like my daughters was. She wanted grand prize!

Now on to the next project. I saw this idea a long while back and decided to expand the options to make it more fun. But I used the principle idea to get started. Let's see how well this goes! Plus, I'm hoping that they can earn prizes from doing a great job. No half-hearted tries here. 

For those of you who want to try it as well, I've typed up the prompts so all you have to do is copy and paste into a Word page to print. Don't forget to write out the letter with the instructions. Or print our the one I've typed out for you. Good luck surviving the boredom! 

Bag 1:                               Bag 2:                                   Bag 3:

Take a photo                      of a zombie                          riding a dinosaur.

Make a movie                   of a mermaid                       baking a cake.

Write a story                     of a grandma                        flying in space.

Draw a picture                  of your parents                     riding a unicorn.

Create a dance                  of an uncle                            playing a game.

                                          of an aunt                             building a fort.

                                          of a sibling                           having a pillow fight.

                                          of a space man                     getting married.

                                          of a game character             fighting a bear.

                                                                                       dancing with cats.

Dear children,
I have a very important assignment for you. As you can see, I have 3 bags. 

• Take a slip of paper from Bag 1 for your assignment.
• Take a slip of paper from Bag 2 for the subject of your assignment.
• Take a slip of paper from Bag 3 for the scene of your assignment. 

NO redraws! You keep the first 3 slips of papers you get! You can help each other if you like, but I expect to have your completed assignments by 7PM tonight. 

 Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor! 

You can always add your own! Make it uniquely fun for your own children. Change when it is due to when you get home from work or the next morning. Or do it as a couple with your spouse even! Hmm... I bet this would be better than the time my husband and I started writing a book together... Either way, I'd love to hear your ideas! So leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. What prompts would you add?

Who Says Social Distancing Has to be Boring??

Just because we are stuck at home, doesn't mean that we can't still have fun. And affordably so. If you haven't already, maybe you should be considering getting a pool! After all, the warmer weather is coming and nothing else is accessible. There are many options to choose from, but the one I want you to consider would be Bestway's Coleman Swim Vista Pool. 

*Disclaimer: I was sent this product in exchange for my honest review and hosting a virtual party. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. All opinions are strictly my own.*

Bestway is the name for pools and outdoor fun. The one that we received is available at Walmart, check here. However, they have plenty of options from Amazon, Walmart, and these other retailers that might be closer to you. This one comes with the filter pump, a safety ladder and the cover to keep debris out. I love the vista, or porthole, option that allows swimmers to see out and be seen! It adds a fun feature to it. It is 18' in diameter and 48 inches deep. Right now, it is selling for $398. Vacations may be out the window, so now is the time to consider investing in fun at home. I have 4 kids who are going absolutely stir crazy! Being able to at least swim and cookout will alleviate some of that monotony. Added bonus? I plan to make sure this is the year that they learn how to swim!

Things you need to know. 

First and most importantly, this bundle comes delivered. You can't just pick it up in the store. It comes on a pallet-type device. Ours was delivered through FedEx. The bundle weighed 250lbs. So be sure to have help if you need to move it around after delivery. In addition you have to prep the yard before setting up if you want this pool to last and be at optimal condition for enjoyment. What does that mean?

Grab a shovel and get to leveling the yard where you want the pool. I suggest, not under the trees!

We also laid out sand to soften it and built a sort of sandbox to contain it. Later on, my mother in law plans to add a deck. We want to enjoy our time with this pool as long as possible. Altogether it took us about 5 hours to get the truck, sand and paving stones we used, lay everything out and set up the pool. So plan for a day to put in the work. Then comes filling the pool with water. If you are like us and using a regular water hose, plan on 12 hours filling time. 

Let the party start! 

Then the magic happens and everything is alright again. The kids have had their first time in the pool and it was awesome! While swimming, the grill was going so that lunch would be ready when they got out.

What do you think? Is a pool an option in your life right now? Why haven't you invested yet if it is? What is the coolest part of this? Let me know in the comments below!

Let's Pass Time with a Time Capsule!

This time is unprecedented for all of us. Kids are pardoned from attending school after Spring Break. Social Distancing isn't just in person, but also for idiot drivers who think they have to maintain 2 car links distance and even social networking! All joking aside, we have never had to deal with such a thing as a pandemic and being forced to Shelter in Place indefinitely. For introverts, this is heavenly. For those of us who like people watching or are extroverts, this is torture. Or even for those of us who actually like being around extended family. So what can we do? How do we pass the time? How about memorializing this time in our lives for future reference? I'm being serious for once. My kids' teachers sent this project over and it has not only given them something fun to do together for a change, but they look forward to seeing how things change in the years to come.

Here is the link to print out the pages: 

https://s3.letsembark.ca/long-creations/2020-COVID-19-Time-Capsule-EN-US.pdf

You may have to copy and paste it into your browser. My children started theirs tonight. They are interviewing parents and siblings alike. Putting in things about themselves that they can look back on. All About Me, My Feelings, My Community, What I'm Doing to Keep Busy, everyone's handprints, Special Occasions and how/if they were celebrated, Letter to Myself, Interviews with Family and finally, a Letter From Your Household. They have asked me to write to them on this last one. I started the letter to my daughter tonight. I reminded her of the craziness and fun times. But most importantly, that we cannot be held my fear. God in control and is working all this for His good. We might not understand it, but we can't let ourselves stress over it. We can't let it anger us. Do you know how many angry people there are out there? Angry that they have to deal with other people. Especially people who aren't following the rules. Instead of responding with kindness and grace, most people during this time will lash out. Maybe not out loud, but in their heads. It really bugs me when I hear about instances like that. After all, we are all people. We are guilty of something or other every day. Not everyone sees this as such a big threat as everyone else. Here is a reminder: Not everyone who coughs or sneezes has the cootie. Ever think about that? Some of us are dying of allergies. And soon, the summer cold season will bloom. Just remember, this isn't forever. Eventually we will have to be a part of some group again. School. Work. Family get togethers. We might not like it, but we do it. Why? Because it is a part of life. Humans are social creatures. Mostly. Let's show a little kindness and yes, respect. And let us enjoy the time together at home as best we can in the meantime! 

What are we doing? 

 
We have been writing friends and family. My kids are practicing letter writing as well as being conversant with others. The old fashioned way! They write about the books we are reading online. About good things that happen to us. Spreading a little joy to others. I downloaded a free puzzle game to my laptop by Microsoft. The kids like working on it with me. We haven't found any good puzzles in the stores. They get wiped out almost as soon as they are stocked. The kids also take turns helping me with crossword puzzles. My oldest daughter especially loves those. Every once in a while I print coloring pages for them to do. Some of these, they are sending in their letters. Since I recently had surgery and am still recovering, they have been helpful with doing more chores around the house. Part of the incentive for them is the special things they can buy from Chore Store... and the other part is not having to get in trouble because they let Mom do everything herself.

 

They even surprised me by pulling out the Tinkering Labs kits and building new creations! If you need a refresher on what that is, check out my blog review. 

Bonus question! 

What do you plan on doing when all this craziness blows over?? 

Leave me a comment below! I genuinely want to know. 

My husband and I have a fun family vacation planned. Just us and the kids and at least a week away from home. Crazy, right? We have been stuck in our house for who knows how long with the kids. You would think we are ready for time away from them. But truth be told, this has been such an eye opener for us. And the things we want to do will be a blast for every one of us. So stay tuned in the months to come!