Mom Confessions

This weekend, a friend of mine who has two babies almost the same ages as Cole and Annie, sent me a text asking me if I was able to get anything done around the house without putting the TV on.  My response: heck no...not when they are both awake!  Seriously, though, if anyone has a two-and-a-half year old and almost one year old that are able to happily entertain themselves for any period of time without someone getting hurt, please let me know your secrets!  This reminded me of one of the main reasons I wanted to start a blog: to be real with other moms.

In our age of social media, most people just post the "pretty" stuff...which I think is fine.  I don't think social media is the place to post about fights with your husband or vent about issues with your kids.  However; with all these pretty posts, it is easy to compare yourself and think you are not measuring up as a mom.  I have a mom friend who has triplet two year olds and runs not one but TWO businesses out of her house.  Seriously, what a rock star. Meanwhile, I am proud of myself I make it to Publix and back with my two without a major meltdown.

Heres the thing: when it comes down to it, we are all doing our very best, and no one is perfect.  I know I am just figuring it out as I go and praying for grace through all of my mistakes. I may post the sweet pictures of Cole loving on Annie, but I spend half of the day trying to keep him from punching her. So here are my "mom confessions" of the day.  My hope in sharing them is that my mama friends can relate and maybe feel a little better about any of their not-so-pretty or perfect moments.

1. I pack healthy stuff in Cole's preschool lunches that I KNOW he won't eat, just so his teachers won't judge me.  The kid hasn't eaten a sandwich a day in his life, but you better believe I am making PBJ and turkey sandwiches to send in his lunchbox.  Then I am all like, "That's so weird he only ate the goldfish snack and didn't touch the sandwich or broccoli..." In case anyone is wondering, it actually IS possible to survive off of carbs, fruit and orange juice.  Cole is living proof. Who needs protein and vegetables, anyway?

2. A friend of mine shared that her pediatrician told her timeout should last at least 15 minutes (in kids that aren't phased by timeout), and I have secretly been LOVING it. Not that I am thrilled about whatever Cole does to earn a timeout, but I can clean almost the entire house in those 15 minutes he is stuck in the pack-n-play.  He hit Annie before school today, and I was able to pack his lunch, clean the kitchen and load the car. Oh, and maybe he learned his lesson...

3. Cole asks for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes by name.  This means he probably watches way too much TV.  We literally have 65 episodes on the DVR, and this morning he actually said, "Mommy, I want to watch Mickey's Mousekedoer Adventure."

4. I re-washed the same load of laundry 3 times over the past couple days, because I didn't put it in the dryer fast enough.  This is a very common occurrence in our house....that or mildewy smelling clothes (sorry Phil!)

5. This is such a stereotypical SAHM thing to say, but I wear yoga pants 95 percent of the time.  It was actually my goal to get "dressed" more often in 2016, but it hasn't happened yet.  I did splurge on some Lululemon pants and super cute tops from "Seriously Happy Tees", so at least I don't look like a total bum when I go to pick Cole up from school.

6. My child is literally the world's worst sharer, and it kills me.  All two year olds are bad at sharing...I know that is what you are thinking, but I am telling you, Cole is the WORST.  He went through a phase where the first thing he would say in the morning is, "I will not share my toys today."  My husband said the other day that his determination about it is almost impressive...at least we know the kid will accomplish whatever he sets his mind to in this life!  I know Cole is his own person and has a sweet little heart underneath that non-sharing exterior, and (I hope) that he will learn the value of sharing by the time he's 30. I still hate to admit this as a mom, though, because being nice and kind is at the very top of my list of things I want to teach my kids.

7. My kids eat this frozen pizza for dinner a minimum of two nights a week.  It says all natural on the box, which makes me feel slightly better, and they freaking LOVE it, so this meal shortcut won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

8. Cole went through a short (luckily) phase where he was saying, "Oh s***" in the correct context, and he totally got it from me.  The first time it happened, he was running in the house and ran into me and fell, and what do you know, that little voice yelled, "Oh s***" clear as day. I was hoping I heard him wrong, but the next night when he was building blocks with Daddy and he accidentally knocked them over, there it was again. I don't have a potty mouth, but that is my go-to phrase from time to time.  Lesson learned.

9. I was making a grocery list out loud last week, and Cole chimed in, "milk, orange juice, water, WINE, cereal and waffles."  Enough said.

10. I LOVE that my kids can't tell time yet....I put them down at 6:20 p.m. one night last week, and they didn't know the difference (so there is one good thing about it getting dark at 5!)  When Daddy works late, bedtimes get earlier and earlier.  Oh, and I usually pour a glass of wine the second they go down. So Cole was totally right about that grocery list...

So, there you have it.  While I love being a mom to these two precious babies, I do NOT have it all figured out.  Not even close.  My kids watch too much TV and eat frozen pizza for dinner way more often than I would like to admit, and I am just over here drinking wine in my mildewy smelling yoga pants at 6:20 p.m. I thank Jesus up above that he loves me and my kids through all the craziness and shows me grace through my (many) mistakes. As moms, we are all trying our hardest to do what is best for our babies, and the best thing we can do for each other is be REAL and supportive. Oh, and for those moms out there that get dressed every day, and never turn on the TV and cook all organic food, please, teach me your ways...and I promise to only secretly hate you a little bit. ;)