Mama Got a Haircut

Silly how a new haircut makes me feel. Maybe because I always go way.too.long. in between cuts, or maybe because I get to sit in a chair for an hour while someone messes with me. I love being messed with!

I just love a good haircut! And yesterday I got just that. 

I did a little shopping, wandered around downtown and got my hair done. Jerry stayed home with Oscar and held down the fort. I missed them. While I was out getting primped, they were home playing lets see if this cheese sticks to my face.

To answer your question, yes. It does. And yes, I have video.

I love my boys.

Read more...

Becoming Mom: What I love about Staying at Home

I bent over to unload the dryer after starting the dishwasher, loading/starting the washing machine and carting our dirty clothes out to the kitchen, again. I started to think, man I can't believe it's time to do this again already. And immediately heard a friend's voice echo in my mind, you won't believe how much laundry you do when you have kids....and as I watched my virtual self start to take the path of complaint I decided to back that train up and remind myself of just how much I love this job. And why.

And because I love lists, I decided to write it down. So here is my incomplete list of why I love being a Stay at home Mom (in no particular order)

• The Schedule is MINE to make - sure sometimes there are appointments, but even I scheduled those. I am the only one to blame for poor scheduling, which means, I don't get mad as often.
• I love watching my son grow (and grow and grow) - This one is a luxury that I don't take for granted. I feel so blessed that I get to enjoy these moments and I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world. 
• We get to enjoy our City. I can't tell you how many times I would drive by places and see people out in the middle of the day and just dream of what it might be like to do your grocery shopping during daylight. Now I know what it's like. And I likes what I knows.
• Maybe today I don't want to wear pants? No further explanation necessary.
• Knowing what we will have for dinner before 6pm. - This part takes some planning, but is SO worth it!
• Sitting on the back steps drinking my morning coffee. MMM
• Taking care of my family! I DO treat it like a job, simply because it is my calling. There is no higher purpose for me than to be the best wife and mama I can be. Others will surely do it better. But this family is all mine and I love em.

It can be all too easy to stare down at that dirty floor/laundry/dishes and get on the complain train. Today, we're skipping it. How about you?

***image via flickr commons

Read more...

Survey Says!

I am working on some Mother's Day posts and I would love to know,

"What is the best Mother's Day gift you've ever given OR received?" 

If you don't have an answer to this question, then what would be your dream gift? Let me know in the sidebar to the right that says Ask Me Anything! It will be anonymous and you never know, you just might see it in an upcoming post!

Read more...

Lets Lay off the Mom Guilt, shall we?

It seems like lately I have been reading a lot of blogs that start with apologies. Apologies for complaining, apologies for not ALWAYS being happy, apologies for not having it together all the time and having to admit we are human. I am sure I have started plenty of posts like that. But why?

Primarily, I am talking about women, and specifically mothers. So my question is, what are we apologizing for? Are we no less human than those who have desk jobs and sucky commutes and frustrating clients to deal with? Aren't we allowed to get annoyed from time to time? How about sad? Fed up? My answer is yes.

Before I was a mom, I had it all figured out. Like everyone else. But everything changed upon having a baby. It has to. And yes parenting can be really hard on you at times. Staying at home all day brings its own set of challenges along with the joys. And guess what? I don't think we need to apologize for admitting it. AT ALL.

Here's my theory. At least as it applies to me, you can take it or leave it. As women, especially my generation which followed the women's movement and had a lot of battles fought for me, we are told we can do anything, be anything, if we try hard enough. You want a career? YOU GOT IT. Baby? You can have that too! Both? SURE! But I think what gets lost in translation is that while, yes these opportunities are far more available than ever before, we aren't ALL meant to take them ALL. Right?

So growing up I had a laundry list of careers in case my dream of being a stay-at-home-mom didn't come true. Yes that really was my dream. I decided my "back up plans" would be to be a Supreme Court Justice or a Foreign Ambassador to some kickass country with cool buildings, or maybe a Missionary, or a Spanish Translator! I married and divorced at a young age and went to college a little later than most. I realized that I really didn't want those things for my life after all. That for me, it all paled in comparison to building a home and a family. I had a career that paid the bills, but it had absolutely no place in my heart.

And then I got it. I met an amazing man and married him. We had a baby. I got my dream and I am here, living it! So many people don't get that! Therefore,  I am absolutely under no circumstances allowed to complain. Ever.

Enter the Mom Guilt.

Mom Guilt tells me that I am ungrateful, unloving and lazy. It says that everyone else in the world is better at everything than I am and why do I even bother? Mom guilt is a big fat whorish liar. She can make me feel worse than the prettiest girl and her meanest insult. Why? Because Mom Guilt is inside my head and really knows how to take me down. And I am tired of giving up that power.

I'm telling you it's a cycle! I know it because I live it. And I just want to say to myself and all the other moms who are feeling this to LAY OFF! Cut yourself some slack and realize that nothing, no matter how hard you tried to get it, is quite what it seems. Everything is flawed some of the time and it's ok to roll your eyes at the world a bit. Throw your feet up on the couch and watch an America's Top Model Marathon if you need to and try again tomorrow. No apology necessary.

Read more...