Tag: mom life

Drinking Wine and Blogging in My Activewear

cheersMy wardrobe has taken a dramatic turn since my child became mobile. It’s the heart-stopping, turn your head and he’s gone kind of mobile. Once we entered this activity- enhanced phase and I found myself running down the street, chasing through store aisles, crawling around playgrounds, navigating the grocery store with a child/monkey climbing me…these are not activities for cute dresses and strappy shoes. Nope. I needed to invest in some Activewear.

I started with a cheap sports bra on Amazon that ended up being the most comfortable thing in the world. I ended up buying a 6 pack in different colors! Bye-bye Victoria’s Secret $50 bra! Hello $6 Amazon special. Everything pokes, scratches or just bugs me so I looooove these things. I’m serious. My last order of VS undies I have to wear inside out because the damn seams are so sharp. I warned my husband what was up so he wouldn’t think I was losing it.

Then I invested in some really comfy sneakers and started collecting running capris. Not as long as yoga pants (I’m in Florida!) but not as short as shorts. And then added cute tank tops to pair over the sports bras. This is now my daily wardrobe. While I do actually go to the gym a few times a week, I dress like this regardless of my gym attendance. It’s just so functional! And I think it looks a lot better than the big T-shirts and jean shorts combo I was rocking post-maternity wear.

So I get the yoga pants mom thing now. I may actually look into those when it gets chilly! I am guilty of doing everything in my activewear, because I am up and moving most of the day. I didn’t even go to the gym today or workout and still hit 19,000 steps on my Fitbit just running around trying to balance housework and “toddler things.” So cheers to all you mom’s out there in your fancy activewear. We all know you earned it.

He’s got a yuck mouth, because he don’t brush

My son, brushing the sides of the tub instead of his teeth

Total mom confession time – My kid’s breath smells like poop. And the title to this post is from a song I remember from some tooth brushing special from when I was little. Nobody wants a yuck mouth!

Like, seriously. His nasty breath is on par with the dogs. I don’t know how to get him to brush his teeth. It’s a constant struggle. At least once a day I sit on him and hold him down and then force him to brush his teeth. Then eventually he will take it from me and agreed to chew on the toothbrush. I considered looking for one of those dog toothbrushes that have the three sides so when he chews on it at least he gets some toothbrushing action.

I recall not liking brushing my teeth as a kid. I also pretty vividly recall the gum surgery I had to have in my 20s. I want my child to have good dental hygiene. Much better than mine. He has dental insurance and I did not, so he already has an advantage.

I have no idea how to make this more appealing. I have already tried toothbrushes that flash lights and sing songs. We have one that mimics a light saber, noises and all. It make me want to brush MY teeth for goodness sakes. I have sung songs, bribed with treats (which seems counter-productive), demonstrated on teddy bears, watched the Elmo and Blippy episodes about how awesome tooth brushing is, but it is just not sinking in.

What is the magic secret? How do I keep my kid from having a yuck mouth? Do I just need to relax because they will all eventually fall out anyway?

Mommies HELP…

The Library Mystique

Am I the only one who gets really excited when they walk in the library? Like seriously, I think I get a little tingly. There’s just SO MANY BOOKS! Books about everything I could ever want to read about! And they’re all FREE!

booksWhen I was little, I used to love to spend the entire day at the library. I’d actually pack a lunch so I didn’t have to leave. (I know, nerd much?) I’d leave with 30-40 books at a time. My mom would sometimes quiz me to make sure I was actually reading them. I guess she didn’t want to lug around the giant paper bag of books if I wasn’t really using them.

There’s something mysterious and exciting about the library to me. One of my favorite After-School Specials was about a kid who got locked in a spooky library overnight. And then there’s the magical aspect.  The Neverending Story really helped solidify the possibility there’s an adventure waiting if you find just the right book.

Unfortunately I have badly neglected the library in my adult years, but am happy to say I’ve been rediscovering it with my son. I’ve found most libraries have story time and some even have arts and crafts for the kids. I’m hoping he will grow to love the library as much as I do. I think it will be harder since his generation is so tech based. But there’s something magical about books you just can’t get from a computer screen.

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What a brat! Wait… You mean they’re all like that?

screaming-toddler-saluteWhat a brat. Yep, I thought that many times while looking at your kid screaming for apparently no reason in public. Most likely while I stood there, comparing prices and calmly reading labels because nobody was screaming for me while trying to climb my body like a monkey. This was, of course, before I had a baby and found out there is absolutely no way to avoid an occasional public meltdown besides never ever leaving the house again.

So I ventured out. And there were tantrums, and there were the looks. I know those looks! But the moms know. And the dads too. You can see in their eyes they feel your pain. You can also see a hint of “I’m just glad it’s not me this time,” and that’s OK because we’ve all been there too.

So, tantrum toddler moms, I salute you! You are out there just trying to keep it together while your kid has a nuclear meltdown. Ignore the stares from the ignorant. They know nothing! But, if they are lucky, they will learn one day. And one day, when they have a rare quiet moment, they’ll think back to all those judgey looks and then write a blog where they apologize for everything. Or maybe that’s just me.

Just a little patience, yeahhhh

It’s hard to pee with so many around.

You know I don’t like going poop in a crowd …

(GnR will never be the same now lol)

I think I get a gold star patience award for having a 20 min discussion about why it isn’t cool to poop your pants and then hang out in it. It’s not cool to be stinky. It’s not good for your butt. Do you want to have an ouchy bottom? And so on.

Why is this even a thing? While I’m doing it there’s a little voice in the back of my head going WTF kid why don’t you want this diaper changed ASAP? Why does a tiny human need to be cojoled out of his poopy drawers? I finally broke down and bribed him with M&Ms. A cooperative diaper change is a much happier experience for us all.

I’ve heard it’s more of a boy thing. My mom doesn’t have any stories like this about me. In fact, in her stories I pop out already talking, potty trained and refuse to even bother with diapers. Have I mentioned I’m over 40 and my mom’s had a lot of time to forget? I suspect there’s some holes in her story.

I also suspect there are a lot of future conversations with the toddler where I’m going to find myself going WTF am I talking about. I can only imagine what lies in store for me in the future…

“Why you can’t jump off the roof into the pool and other tragedies waiting to happen”

“The reason you have to wear clothes, and yes that includes pants”

“Ice cream is not suitable for dinner even though dad thinks it is”

What conversations have you had that go on the ridiculous list?

potty training
Sometimes, my patience pays off. He may be reading the book upside down, but at least he’s trying and “going potty like daddy” 🙂