Mom Humor

There's been a lot of funny "mom" things that have been floating around on Facebook. When I see one I really like, I save it so that I can share it on my blog. To share the humor with other people. And to have it for myself to look back at someday in the future.

Yesterday was a hard mom-day for me. I felt like I was doing the right things but not getting the right results. We are focusing on a "letter of the week." This is week one. This week is the letter A. We practice writing the letter. Watch videos on youtube about how it sounds. We draw it outside with chalk. We learn a Bible verse that starts with that letter. ("All things work together for the good of those who love Him.") We find stickers that have a little a or big A. We look for the letter while we are reading books. Just trying to be proactive with learning.

In addition to the fun A activities we did today, I cut up big cardboard boxes and made houses for the boys. Gave them a door and everything. We had an Easter Egg hunt in the garden with some old plastic eggs that made the trip here in a box that came to our post office box. I put a single Pez in each egg. We swam in the pool. We played with cars. They helped me make lunch.

And yet it seemed like, all day, everyone was miserable. Abigail has an ear infection. (JB has strep throat and even missed work two days ago.) Both boys, while not physically ill, just seemed out of sorts. There was lots of crying. Lots of time outs. Lots of whining. Lots of disobedience. Abigail is incredibly clingy, and the boys weren't cutting me any slack despite the extra appendage (i.e. Abigail) I've been lugging around.

As I have mentioned previously, I am always hesitant to mention any difficulties in my parenting on the blog. I never want my weariness to be misconstrued as being ungrateful. I am SOOOO incredibly grateful for these three little miracles. I would not change my life for anything in the world. But some days are still hard days. I want to make sure people who read my blog know that. That they know I don't have it all together. I lose my cool. I don't do a good job. My kids whine. They disobey. We try hard. But we are a "normal" family. I once had someone say that my blog makes me look like a perfect mom. This bothered me! That's not fair to other moms. To think I have it all together is not a picture painted perfectly. Remember, I write my blog the way I want to. I don't share the nights that JB and I fight or I break down crying (yesterday) because I just didn't feel I was good enough for this job.

That being said, I think making jokes and getting laughs and realizing that other moms feel the same way is helpful. It makes me smile. If you are dealing with infertility, PLEASE don't see this as a complaint of motherhood. It's simply embracing the humor of this crazy life -- be it through adoption or pregnancy.

Let's start with a poem that I really love. I've been reading a series of stories for the boys on "If you give a ___ a ___." Things like, "If you give a mouse a cookie" or "if you give a pig a pancake." When I saw this poem (below), it made me smile. Mainly because I could really see the truth in it.

If You Give a Mom a Muffin ...

If you give a mom a muffin,

She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.

She'll pour herself some.

Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.

She'll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks.

She'll remember she has to do laundry.

When she puts the laundry in the washer,

She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer will reminder her she has to plan supper.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.

She'll look for her cookbook. (101 Things to Make with a Pound of Hambuger.)

The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.

She will look for her checkbook.

The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.

She'll smell something funny.

She'll change the two-year-old.

While she is changing the two-year-old the phone will ring.

Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.

She'll remember that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee.

Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.

She will pour herself some.

And chances are,

If she has a cup of coffee,

Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

And here are some photos from Facebook that hit home!

This might seem extreme, but I actually think it is true. I really love to walk around, even the Base Commissary, by myself. It's a vacation!

 Can I get an "Amen?"

While JB is the chef in our home, even when he cooks dinner, I usually do make something for Abigail and the boys. They might eat a bit of what we do, but I often do something simpler for them as well. (Especially Isaac who is a wee bit picky.) Three kids x three meals is nine meals a day I have to come up with. That's a lot of creativity, prepping, and cleaning up! (And I usually don't even formally make something for myself.)

 I also love the expression, "Cleaning with kids in the house is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing." (I stole this from Joia -- although I don't know she originated it.)

So, let's have a good laugh at the craziness of motherhood! Email me your best at: flakymn@hotmail.com (or put a link in the comments if it is online.)