Bedtime Routine for multiple kids sharing a room!

It has been important to me to get my boys on a bedtime routine that works for us while sharing a bedroom. They currently have the largest room in the house. It's a HUGE room! We would have used it as a master bedroom, but the closet was small and no master bathroom. By them sharing a bedroom this frees up a room to use as a playroom. I was determined I needed a playroom in our new house because I didn't like all the toys in the living room. 

I wrote a post here about hiring a sleep coach. One of the best things I did! This helped get us on a good bedtime routine. When I was first working with Cash to go to sleep we had a quick routine. I would hold him for a minute, lay him in his bed and leave the room. After 6 weeks of him putting himself to sleep I decided it was time for both boys to go to sleep at the same time.

This is the bedtime routine that works for us. 

6:30-6:45 pm Bath time and pajamas

6:45-7:30 pm Snack time, vitamins and a show

7:30-8:00 pm We read a story, I rock Cash for a few minutes, G lays in his bed, then I rock                          G for a few minutes after Cash is laying in his bed. G recently told me he likes                        it when I rock him too. Hey I am going to do this for as long as possible. 

8:00-8:15 pm I sit in G's bed while they fall asleep. Sometimes this only takes 5 min and                              others 15 min. I enjoy this time sitting in there with them!

The boys each sleeps about 11 hours a night. Cash then naps for 2-3 hours each afternoon. This schedule works great for us. Both boys put themselves to sleep quietly. Cash doesn't even cry at this point. After I rock him, I lay him in his bed with his blanket and pillow. Once in awhile he was jabber, but for the most part he lays and is asleep within a couple minutes. I have sat with G as he goes to sleep since he started climbing out of his crib at 19 months old. I've thought maybe I should stop, but you know what he will be 10 before I know it and won't want me sitting with him. I am just going to soak up this time and enjoy it. 

Kids thrive on routines! This routine has helped us set the expectation for our kids and makes night time much smoother. What is your bedtime routine?

Refined sugars and your body!

When I started my weight loss journey almost 10 years ago sugar was one thing that really was eye opening. When I was doing the HCG diet I really had to pay attention to ingredients in things. Then when I started eating paleo again back to the sugar watching. 

Have you ever looked at the grams of sugar in that Starbucks drink? What about in the ketchup, crackers, lunch meat, or the processed foods you are eating? Start looking at ingredients on the things you are eating and see how many of them have sugar added to them. 

Here is a list of refined sugar. 

• white flour.
• evaporated cane juice.
• instant starches.
• corn syrup.
• high fructose corn syrup.
• brown sugar (made by adding molasses back into refined white sugar)
• fructose.
• processed artificial sweeteners

Here is what the Cancer Center had to stay in 2016:

"The body breaks down refined sugar rapidly, causing insulin and blood sugar levels to skyrocket. Because refined sugar is digested quickly, you don't feel full after you're done eating, no matter how many calories you consumed. The fiber in fruit slows down metabolism, as fruit in the gut expands to make you feel full".

Refined sugars may increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. They're also linked to a higher likelihood of depression, dementia, liver disease, and certain types of cancer.

In the brain, excess sugar impairs both our cognitive skills and our self-control. For many people, having a little sugar stimulates a craving for more. Sugar has drug-like effects in the reward center of the brain. Scientists have proposed that sweet foods—along with salty and fatty foods—can produce addiction-like effects in the human brain, driving the loss of self-control, overeating, and subsequent weight gain.

The NIH did a study in mice modeling autoimmune issues gave them sugary water and saw the diseases worsen by activating inflammatory immune cells. The findings suggest that a low-sugar diet may help prevent or treat autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease and multiple sclerosis.

Sugar stimulates the production of free fatty acids in the liver. When the body digests these free fatty acids, the resulting compounds can trigger inflammatory processes. Different kinds of sugar may contribute more or less to inflammation.

If you have any type of autoimmune diseases sugar is not your friend whatsoever! I can really tell a difference when I eliminate sugar from my diet. My inflammation really seems to decrease and my I don't crave sugar either. When I am eating sugar on a daily basis my craving for sugar is insane! I also feel my entire body become inflamed in a short amount of time. 

It blows my mind how people do not pay attention to the amount of sugar they are putting in their bodies every single day. I keep seeing all these people making coffees on social media adding tablespoons upon tablespoons of sugar to their coffee. People do you know what this is doing to your body? You are poisoning your body on a daily basis adding all that sugar. 

If I am going to use sugar or give my kids sugar I like to use maple syrup or honey. They are a natural sugar that your body can process. I would like to challenge you to pay attention to the amount of refined sugars you are consuming on a daily basis. Try cutting them out and see how you feel. Also think about what your kids are eating and how much refined sugars they are eating. Mamas we need to consider what our kids tiny bodies are consuming and setting them up for a healthy adults. Our world is consumed with autoimmune diseases, cancers, heart disease, high cholesterol and so much more. Refined sugars are related to so many of these diseases!

I really feel I need to share more about living healthy, multiple sclerosis and easy ways to help people live a healthier lifestyle. I feel this is part of my calling as a person and mother. I can only control what my children eat, but I can help other mothers make better choices for their kids if they want the help. 

Budget Friendly Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Mother's Day is right around the corner and I am sure some of us could use some budget friendly ideas. To be honest I am so sad about not getting a school made mother's day gift from school this year. I cherish all those gifts made at school! 

George has been asking me what color and kind of flowers I want. He said we are going to need to buy you some flowers soon. I am guessing him and Art have been having some conversations about mother's day. I told him I would like pink tulips. He asked you don't want pink roses? lol

I am not really a flower type person. They are just going to die, so how about getting me something off my Amazon wish list, another pair of the Birkenstock plastic knock off sandals from Target, or a day of no cooking. I told Art not to get me anything this year. I have everything I want or need. 

Here are some ideas that you could share if someone asks what you want. 

Color Street 

I absolutely love Color Street. I can put a set of nail stripes on and they will last me 10-14 days. However I did learn they will not last if you decide to play Lego's and start pulling them apart. I have a couple chips on 2 nails from my Lego building! It was worth it! My favorite color is Swiss & Tell a white color! It's my go to that I wear almost every day. 

Target Plastic Sandals

I bought these sandals to be my "slippers" around the house. I am going to buy a second pair to wear outside of the house. They are soooo comfy! I wanted to buy the Birkenstock plastic sandals, but they are $45 for plastic. I happen to find these at Target for $15. My cousin then told me she bought hers when sandals were 20% plus her 5% Target Card discount, which made them around $9. 

They come in black, silver and white. I have the white ones. I think I will buy another pair of the white. Hey I can bleach them if they get too dirty right. lol

Tie Dyed Tank Top

Tie dye is all the rage right now. I like the colorful subtle tie dye. I do not like the really bold red, blue, yellow, green colors. 

Camo Leggings

I have a pair of the Colorfulkoala black leggings that are AMAZING! I love them! I would like the black and green camo ones. These are the most comfortable leggings! I love that they are high waisted and 7/8 length. I have the hardest time with regular leggings being too long on me. I do not want to be bothered folding them under, so they aren't bunchy. These are perfect and hit right at my ankle. 

Mother's Necklaces

I buy my mother's necklaces from either Mac & Mia or The Silver Wren. Both of these small shops are on Etsy. I have numerous necklaces from each of them and they are amazing quality. I do not take my necklaces off for showers and they have not tarnished. You could not go wrong with either small shop for yourself or a gift. I have sent these necklaces for gifts too! 

Go Ask Your Dad Tshirt

I think every mom needs this tee for mother's day!!!! 

Comfy Pajamas

My mom bought me these pajamas for Christmas. They are so soft, comfy and perfect for hot Texan weather. I have been wearing these a lot of mornings during this pandemic. They are just perfect to lounge in! 

Sleep Eye Mask

If you are going to get some comfy pajamas a sleep eye mask would be perfect to go along with them! This pink silk eye mask is perfect for a mother's day nap! Naps are one of my favorite thing thing on Sunday. 

Do you have a wish list for mother's day? What is one of your favorite gifts you have received in the past? You still have plenty of time to order the perfect gift for that special person who deserves to be celebrated! 

Toys my Boys are Loving Right Now!

I am so thankful for our big back yard and the fact this pandemic hit during the best weather in Southern Texas! I can’t imagine this hitting in July. We would be stuck in the house all day!

I thought I would share some of the toys my boys are playing the most with right now. My oldest is 5 1/2 and the youngest is 20 months. These toys are great for both ages.

Duplos

G got this Duplo Set when he was around a year old for Christmas. This is the exact set we have, but doesn’t seem to be available on Amazon. There are lots of other sets to choose from - 1 / 2 / 3

G still plays with these all the time! Cash loves them too. They like to build towers, stacking them on top of each other, build a sky scraper and they ask me to build the exact items on the box!  One evening I took this entire box and dumped them in the bathtub with the boys. They LOVED it!!! The legos got a good wash and the boys had a blast!

Picasso Tiles

My boys LOVE these! They are a magnetic tile that stick together. I should buy 1 more set because there is a lot of fighting over them. G loves to make buildings for his star war characters and dinosaurs.

Cash loves when someone builds something to smash it down. A lot of times this causes problems because Cash doesn’t understand G just spent 10 min making his creation perfect. I try to make a few little buildings for Cash to crash, so he leaves brother alone.

A friend bought these for the boys for Christmas. They are played with every single day! I have added to their wish lists the wheels to be able to make cars with the tiles. I should probably add another set of these to the wish list too.

Magformers

Apparently building items are the best Christmas gifts because all of our sets were gifts. lol These are so magnetic and work with the Picasso tiles. Often times we have both sets out to build large creations as G likes to call them.

It’s nice these sets interact with each other, so the kids can create large things.

Nugget Comfort

I heard about the Nugget from a friend who ordered one last year. I wanted to get one for the boys for Christmas. Well everyone else had that same idea. I was able to get ours around February. Another great item I am so happy we have during this time! 

I bought the koala gray color. We keep it in the boys room against the wall when it's not being used. The boys are able to drag it out on their own. They practice their ninja and gym moves on it. We build houses, use it to climb, jump, flips, relax and sleep on. It's actually REALLY comfortable to sleep on. 

If you want a Nugget it's going to be very difficult to get one. They are closed during the pandemic, but you can get on their back order list. I was able to get one by ordering one in December on their back order and we received it about 6 weeks later. They did say it would take up to 14 weeks for delivery, but we got it much faster. They run about $250. I can see us using this for years! This is one of my favorite purchases we have made for the boys in the past year. 

Outdoor Toys

Bubble flash light

The boys love bubbles!!! I found this adorable bubble flash light at Target for Easter. This is a perfect toy for Cash. He can easily use it and loves it. 

Big Wheel

When the grandkids on Art’s side of the family turn 2 Art’s parents buy them all a big wheel  car. G picked out a fire truck. We moved this car across the country and man am I glad we did. We had nooooo yard for this thing in California. He could go in a circle in our back yard or down the sidewalk. It wasn’t used that much.

Well now we have a huge yard! G drives it and Cash rides in it. G has been trying to give Cash driving lessons. It’s rather entertaining to watch.

I feel I’ve been able to teach them a lot of vehicle safety with the fire truck. Why we need to look all around before we back up. Why it’s important to sit down when someone else is driving. How doors are always kept shut when driving. All of these things sound like something a mom is yelling at teenagers. Lord help me!!!

Solo Cups

Veronika from Veronika’s Blushing posted on Instagram her kids playing with solo cups and building towers. I ordered a big bag from Amazon for around $7. The kids love to stack them up and crash them down with super hero’s or drive their cars into them.

One night I built a tower around the coffee table for them to wake up too. They love finding things I’ve built them the next morning. 

What have you been doing to keep your kids entertained during this pandemic? Are there certain toys your kids have played with for years? 

Motherhood!

A little over a year ago my friend Chelsea asked if I would take some pictures with G for a mother's day promotion she was doing. Free pictures...of course I will do it! I was 5 months pregnant at the time with Cash. She wanted me to wear white or light colors. What you don't see in these pictures are the numerous dresses I ordered and outfits I tried. I ended up just using stuff I had. I used a belly band to wear my regular white pants. I never imagined how much I would cherish and how special these pictures would end up being to me. 

These pictures are some of my very favorite pictures of G and me! When I see them I just smile even a year later. They were laid back, we had fun in the flowers. At one point G wasn't sure he wanted to take anymore pictures, so we just started goofing around. 

These pictures are motherhood to me! When I look at them this is how I feel about being a mom. I struggled for so long to just become a mom, then it happened and the amount of love you can have for one person is crazy. I didn't worry if I could love a second child. I knew that love would come. It's amazing the type of love you have for your first and then a whole different type of love comes for your second. Your heart grows again with each child. You develop different types of love for each of them. 

I spent 6 years struggling to have a baby. It was a loooong 6 years! It was exciting, but scary when I would get pregnant. Excited that maybe this was the time, but terrified I would see blood. Even when I was pregnant with G I felt this one was going to make it, but I still worried in the back of my mind a lot. It took us awhile to decide on a second child. I didn't expect to deal with loss again. I had 2 miscarriages after G. I was told G was a miracle and I would most likely never have another child. That was heartbreaking to me. I spent almost a month mourning the loss and the fact I wouldn't have another baby. I felt like cancer once again was robbing me. Then I got pregnant....I didn't tell Art for a few days. I cried when I saw that positive test because I had just went through a miscarriage and I was told I would just keep having them. I wasn't sure I could handle it emotionally or physically. 

Weeks went by and nothing was happening. I finally went to the doctor and there was this amazing little flutter on the screen. My miracle little Cashy! It shouldn't surprise me that my boys are so strong willed because they have been fighters from the start. 

Motherhood is this dance in life where you are trying to balance so many things. All moms are working moms. The majority of moms keep their families running. Our world would not be running without the women juggling!

What actually is Grace?

I feel this year I have been learning the actual meaning of grace in my life and what the Bible actually teaches. I feel mans teaching has been so wrong over the years. I went to see Jen Hatmaker in February. She talked about the Good Samaritan helping the certain man in Luke 10. One thing that really got to me was how the Bible talked about this certain man. In the Bible it doesn't talk at ALL about what this man had done. It doesn't mention if he was homeless, drug addict, a great man, provoked the thieves etc. It just talks about the people who didn't help him and the one man who did. WOW! To me that was so powerful. There are so many times we don't help people because we don't think they deserve to be helped. I don't think that is what God wants from us. To make a judgment or determination who needs to be helped. Well I helped them one time, they screwed up and they don't deserve to be helped again. Think if God treated us that way? 

God is gracious and loves to give us good gifts. We do not have to strive in life for anything. We do not have to be good enough or do the right thing in order for God to give us grace, the desires of our heart or to be there for us. His grace is undeserving, unwarranted and something we can't earn. His grace is freely given to us. So often I was taught the reasons I went through trials were because I did something to deserve these trials. That I won't see God's grace through trials because I haven't earned his grace. Yikes! This is a horrible teaching and it isn't what the Bible teaches at all. You get to the point you don't want to even try anymore because what's the point. 

Over the years I have been through a lot in my life. I have always seen God take care of me. I have been through a lot of crap in life. There is so much of my life that I have not shared on my blog. I have shared some of the crappy parts here. Growing up my parents didn't shelter us from the trials of life. Instead we all prayed about them as a family and tried to trust God. People can say well children shouldn't experience that stress. I can see that point. I have to say that experiencing the trials life threw at us as a family from a young age has helped me deal with trials as an adult. Some times trials happen because of bad decisions or because there aren't boundaries in place, but that does not mean God's grace isn't there for us!!!!!! Those are lessons you have to learn in life. 

I love the song Reckless Love by Cory Asbury. It really has spoke to me while we have been going through some rough times in life. Sometimes we need to just stop and let God love us. Let Him show us his grace! 

Reckless Love Lyrics

Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me

You have been so, so good to me

Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me

You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me

You have been so, so good to me

When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me

You have been so, so kind to me

And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine

And I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

There's no shadow You won't light up

Mountain You won't climb up

Coming after me

There's no wall You won't kick down

Lie You won't tear down

Coming after me

There's no shadow You won't light up

Mountain You won't climb up

Coming after me

There's no wall You won't kick down

Lie You won't tear down

Coming after me

There's no shadow You won't light up

Mountain You won't climb up

Coming after me

There's no wall You won't kick down

Lie You won't tear down

Coming after me

There's no shadow You won't light up

Mountain You won't climb up

Coming after me

There's no wall You won't kick down

Lie You won't tear down

Coming after me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine

And I couldn't earn it, I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

Songwriters: Caleb Culver / Cory Asbury / Ran Jackson

Miracle!

Last week I announced on social media that we are expecting a baby in July! We are so very excited! 

This baby is a true miracle and our rainbow baby. I haven't shared on my blog about wanting another child or our struggle. We had been told by numerous doctors G was a miracle and we probably never would be able to have another one. I went through a period of where I was grieving. It was a very difficult time for me. I feel I haven't been able to make very many choices when it comes to my health. They have all been made for me over the past 5 years. 

I am so very thankful for little G. He is seriously the brightest miracle in my life! 

I found out I was pregnant right before Thanksgiving. I honestly didn't have much hope this pregnancy would continue.  A lot was going on right then. I had my sister coming to visit. I was going with my mom to Mayo Clinic for some health issues. I just tried to continue with life and I would go to the doctor after to see what was going on with the pregnancy. I didn't tell anyone I was pregnant. I just didn't want people worrying or giving me their opinion on things. This one wasn't planned at all and was a surprise. Yes, Yes, I know where babies come from and how they can happen. lol  I am not going into the details of the 6+ months before, but there wasn't much hope. 

We waited awhile to tell family and even longer to tell our friends. 

G felt he had to tell everyone! He was with us at a doctor appointments when the doctor was talking about the baby and we could hear the heartbeat. G says momma open your mouf let me see that baby? He thinks the baby is the hangy thing in the back of your throat. lol

He then went to school and told everyone he was having a baby sister. He told the people at Sonic when we got our soda water he is having a baby sister. I had my friends little girl with me the day I picked up G from school, so his teachers thought that is who he was talking about. 

He has been so excited. He keeps asking hasn't the baby been in your belly long enough?

At night he will pat my belly. He said I need to pat the baby, so it won't cry and go to sleep. 

What will little Post be? Boy or Girl? We will find out later today!

Boy Mom!

I love being a boy mom! Growing up I had mostly boy dolls. If I was able to pick which doll I wanted I always picked a boy. Maybe because I was partially a tomboy growing up. I liked boy toys better than girl toys too. I was happy with trucks, guns, legos etc. If I went through a toy catalog I picked probably more boy things than girl things. Back in the day there wasn't girl legos. 

When I got pregnant I tried to time it all, so we would have a boy. I prayed God would give us a boy too. In my gut I knew I was having a boy. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to jinx it. lol When I found out G was a boy I cried. It was one of my favorite moments of being pregnant. Being pregnant wasn't easy for me at all. Hearing it's a boy just brought me to tears! 

Boys are tough! Kids are tough! Each one is tough in their own way. I have a very stubborn boy. What did I expect when his dad and I both are very stubborn. He makes me laugh every day. Lately more than ever. We recently did fire drills with him. We would have the smoke detector go off and talked with him how we have to get out of the house. If he hears it he needs to yell "momma fire" and head to the door. He was yelling for Sammy to come with us. Bubba come on fire outside he would tell Sammy. One time Sammy wouldn't go. I told him if Sammy doesn't go with you then you have to leave him. Well a few days after we did these fire drills he decided to pull a prank. He yelled MOMMA FIRE really loud. We then had to have a talk how we don't pretend there are fires. 

He recently got this tent for Easter from my parents. He loves it! Him & his friends will play in this tent like crazy. He can zip it up himself now. He will get inside and hide. When he plays hide & seek he is not a good hider because he ends up laughing, talking or giggling. I love this stage! So innocent. Like when he closes his eyes he doesn't think you can see him. I play along with him. I will say oh man I left G at the store. I better go back to get him. He will yell aaaarrrrggggg I got you. 

G doesn't really care what clothing he wears for the most part. Once in awhile he will protest. I usually just give in because for the most part he could careless. One day he told me his camo shorts didn't fit. He wanted to wear shorts like da da. Ok that is fine because he wanted to wear khaki shorts. Shoes are the one thing that have always mattered to him. He has picked out shoes since he was about a year old. Lately he wants to wear his rain boots with shorts. Yikes! Blue camo shorts with green camo rain boots. As long as we aren't going to the store I just let him go. 

I love being a mom and I love having a boy!!! 

Mother's Day Gift Ideas!

Mother's Day is right around the corner! I decided to put together a gift idea that I would actually like for Mother's Day! What is on your list for Mother's Day? Are you buying a gift for your mom, mother in law, sister, friend or yourself? I am not sure there is anything wrong with picking out your Mother's Day gift! Tell your husband exactly what you want that way you will be very happy when you open your gift. :)

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

I really love the Steve Madden blush perforated shoes! They are perfect for Spring and Summer! Blush has been one of my favorite colors the past year or two for clothing, shoes and accessories. Such a beautiful neutral! 

BeautyCounter's lip sheers are the most amazing things on your lips. They are so hydrating!!! They have this amazing vanilla smell to them too. I have the twig and plum colors. I wear them constantly! 

I have been using some random exercise bands I have to tie in a knot to work. I need some of the exercise loop bands that don't require tying to get in a workout. lol Have you tried exercise bands? They really are amazing! Your legs, thighs and butt will thank you the next couple days after you use them. Thank you by hurting like a mother!

I recently saw on Facebook an ad with these amazing Tom Cutout Sandals. I fell in love with them instantly. I rarely wear heels these days. I don't find them toddler friendly. I am usually going for walks, going to the park, shooting squirt guns or something else toddler related. I do think they would be super cute for a date night or a night out with friends. 

Who doesn't love a floral print? I love this sweet wrap floral maxi dress! It would be cute with those Tom Cutout Sandals or a pair of Sam Edelman leopard sandals! I have a couple pair of Sam Edelman sandals that I wear with everything. They are such a versatile sandal that will go with any outfit. 

Now to finish off your Mother's Day look you are going to need some cute earrings! I have had my eye on Kendra Scott Tessa Earrings for awhile. These earrings will go great with a casual or dressy look. I wear my tag necklace almost daily. I love to add in some fun earrings. These would go great in a fun bold color too. 

I would love to hear what is on your wish list! Happy Mother's Day shopping!!!! 

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Mother's Day Gift Ideas appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant. 

Trying to Sleep with a Toddler!

One of my fears about motherhood was the lack of sleep. Sleep has always been a big deal for me my entire life. As a kid I had friends who could stay up all night at a sleep over and party the next day. Not me!  I remember one time I stayed up for hours at night around 7-8 yrs old. The next day I was sleeping in the car, unable to get out to play just exhausted.  I might be able to get less sleep one night but I'm a zombie, crabby and off to bed early the next day. 

I've made it through 2+ years of motherhood. The lack of sleep has been a tough one. The other night G was woke up around 1:30 and decided it was time to party. He was up for 2 hours tossing and turning. Wanting milk, wanted to watch a show, needed cuddles. At one point I was rocking him. I tried to soak in the moment. He would never be this size again. In 15 years I will want to go back to this moment. 

Usually when I first get woke up I get mad. Art can go back to sleep in 2 seconds. I get woke up then I'm up for a minimum of 2 hours. Oh it's infuriating!!! I don't know how you go from talking to snoring in 2 seconds. It's really a gift. 

The next day after this middle of the night partying ruckus G was down for a nap at 11:30a. I couldn't even keep him awake after his nap. He crashed for another hour. I crashed that night at 7:30p. I went to lay in bed, Art came in turned off the lights and closed the door. Thank you Jesus!  I briefly got woke up to G coming in to bed, saying baba and telling Art goodnight. The kid put himself to bed! 

One day he will be 10 and won't want me to hold him, so I'm going to soak up these moments. 

Happy Monday!

My Monday started off different than Monday's in the past. I was woken up to a soaked bed from a toddler whose diaper leaked. He was running around the room with a wet onesie, chasing after a balloon laughing hysterically. I told him we needed to change him and boy did that stop the hysterical laughing. I rangled him into clean clothes and a diaper. I had to then wash all our bedding including toddlers blanket and pillow. He saw me putting the blanket and pillow into the wash which started an epic meltdown. The screaming continued as I got the washer running and everything stuffed inside. Finally I was able to get him distracted.  We had a couple more meltdowns before I insisted we put on our shoes to head outside. I mean we have to wear this child out because the energy he is using to scream is making me crave a bottle of alcohol. 

Art text me to see how my day was going. I responded with the following:

"It's Monday. Instead of dealing with crazy clients I deal with craziness at home. Woke up to a soaked bed. Epic meltdown because I washed his blanket. Lots of hysterical this morning. Now we are outside and he is happy. Lol"

My days are so much different than they were six months ago. I honestly love them. Even thought the morning started out crazy it turned into a great day. I wouldn't trade the meltdowns to go back to work for a zillion dollars. We played in the sand while we listened to Barney songs outside for an hour. What better life is there? 

Motherhood Pressure

Recently I had a conversation with a friend that has grown kids. I mentioned how George loves his bottle and I am not sure when I plan to get rid of it. I said he LOVES it! When he sees a bottle with milk he gets soooo happy. The other night he was laughing, sticking out his tongue and dancing around. He loves for his bottle is like my love for my morning cup of coffee. 

My friend said who cares if he has a bottle. She mentioned how some of her friends when her kids were small all compared when kids walked, gave up bottles, potty trained etc. She said no one ever mentions those things now. Once kids grow up no one ever asks, so when did you stop drinking a bottle, how old were you when you started using the toilet, how many times did it take you to pass your drivers license. She said my kids are functioning adults even though I had to bribe some of them with M&M's to use the toilet. We had a good laugh about it. 

I was talking to a mom who has a son a couple months younger than George at a mommy & me class. People were commenting on how small he is and how their granddaughter was a lot bigger than him but she was younger. ::::inserteyeroll:::: Who cares! I told her he isn't small. He is a good size. Then I told her how small George was when he was born and at 1 years old. She opened up then and started talking. She was such a nice person just trying her best to raise her kid the best way she knows how too. 

It made me really think how much pressure we put on ourselves and our kids. Why are we doing this? Not only are we putting pressure on ourselves and our kids, but on other mothers and children. How boring would this world be if we all did things the same and at the same time. We would have a cookie cutter world which would be totally boring. 

I have been one to judge other moms. I recently read something that opened my eyes. It mentioned how a mom might be putting on an older child shoes because they have autism or had a rough day. At that moment the mom is helping the child cope with whatever they are dealing with. I am not even putting it as good as the person who wrote the article. It made me stop and think. Instead of giving a mom the side eye at the park the other day who was putting her daughter about 8 or 9 shoes on her I just smiled. Maybe she is coddling that child, but guess what that is NONE of my business. I have my own child to raise. And if you don't have a child to raise keep your damn opinions to yourself. lol One day you will have a child and see things totally different or you won't have a kid and will continue to know everything. 

I love being a mom more than anything in this world. What I do not love is dealing with some of the other mothers in this world.