Sharing

I read Stephanie Dolgoff’s article in this month’s issue of Parenting magazine on my way back from Orlando with my family and I couldn't stop laughing and wanting to shout out, "so true, so true... sad, but true!" It was so great, I feel I have to share. I know other moms will sympathize with some of these feelings and if not then you are just trying to be Polly Perfect and lying to yourself. Stephanie writes… “Sure you could be more organized, more cheerful, more on top of every little detail. But you’re not a Mombot and no one , except, perhaps you, expects you to be!” She lists 31 things that we moms should give ourselves leeway to do and not feel guilty about. For example, #1- “Taking a vacation with only your husband. It’s such a tragedy for the kids to spend time with their superindulgent grandparents!”
Well hell, I'm still working on #1...getting away riddles me with guilt and I think this article was just the kick in the pants I needed. #24 was so on the money – “Reading this article instead of soliciting donations for the PTA auction, cultivating your organic vegetable garden or cleaning out that kitchen drawer with the random rubber bands, screwdrivers and old keyes in it. Even machines need to unplug and reboot every so often.” I just love her. But I had some input of my own after reading this and added my take to her #17... making the grandparents take the kids on Saturday nights so hubby and I can have a conversation and act like adults. Also to her #30 I added -being increasingly PO'd about the loose skin from delivering two 9lb boys! Here's my original top 10 things I am trying not to feel guilty about in my non-perfect world (no matter how much I try to be) that I would love to share that you all might find funny, but true:

- Secretly wishing I had a voodoo doll of my hubby when he snuggles into bed at 11 like clockwork, meanwhile I am still cleaning the kitchen, making lunches, laundry or working on the computer.
- An addendum to the prior one - giving son lunch money cause I didn't get to make the lunch!
-Not letting the kids watch wrestling, do sleepovers, drink soda, just cause "I said so."
-For letting my son button his dress shirt for the holiday show at school, then arriving in the audience to see he mismatched the buttons.
-For letting them play Wii, a lot.
- Not having time or forgetting to sew on the tae kwon do stars, patches, etc. on the uniform.

-Not letting them ride in their random friend's mom's cars because I don't know the mom/dad or just plain don't trust em .
-Not having the scrapbooks done... not even close. And the moms who do piss me off!
-Having a three hour hair appt. once every two months
-Starbucks breaks
-Putting the kids to bed extra early to catch up on a show or just take a bath and have a glass of wine.
There, I said it! I love my hubby and my friends who scrapbook so take it with a grain of salt and moms, please have a sense of humor and laugh at yourself once in a while. Stephanie's article if nothing else, made me laugh out loud and that felt good. I hope you get a chuckle from this too. A good laugh and some “me” time is really great for your well-being..

Sleeping with Boys

Right now I am so filled with joy to be sharing this life with my boys.
It was Jake's birthday yesterday and we celebrated by taking him up to the Nickelodeon Hotel in Orlando. The night before we left, my little one, Evan had me get in bed with him for a little bit before he fell asleep, as we do most nights. We usually read a book and then he rests his head on my belly. I swear I think that boy wishes he was back in my belly. At one point, he looked up at me and said in a soft voice, "You are the best mommy I ever saw," then gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek. Talk about melting. I was mush. I was excited for our trip together. Jake absolutely loved it. We did the same thing last year. This year the plan was to see Epcot Friday and spend the day at the hotel Saturday. There is lots to do there and Florida resident discount time is the way to go. However, Friday was rainy so we opted to enjoy the hotel and when there was little or no rain the boys still enjoyed the heated pool and the wacky water slides. Saturday did not go according to my plan but as it turned out, that was fine. I am so planned and managing in my daily life that I sometimes forget to just go with the flow while away from it all. So the boys got an extra day at the hotel they love. They got slimed and tattooed. They played basketball, miniature golf and played in the arcade. Then we took them to Lego city at the Disney Marketplace. Another exciting place for boys. It wasn't till I was there that as I passed the Bibbidi Bobbidi Salon that I felt a little girl "pang." It was short lived when I thought about how my boys opted on their own to jump into bed with me the night before, even though the hotel room was complete with awesome bunk beds and a tv in their room. It was great how they, including their dad, carried all the bags for us ( sorry women's libers but I am on vacation and I can still beat most in a push up contest... I've got nothing to prove to my men). It was also great how Evan complimented me while I was getting ready to go to dinner for Jake's actual birthday saying, "Hello pretty girl." What a charmer. I am gonna have to watch out for that one when he starts dating.
And nothing can compare to the smile on Jake's face when he woke up and realized it was his birthday yesterday and his mommy had a note attached to a balloon wishing him a happy 8 and he hugged me and said, "I love you, mommy."

We enjoyed the afternoon after he came home from school and I had an adventurous morning trying to make the shark shaped cake ( not from a mold mind you) he wanted. For a while, it was a standoff between me and the shark, Not a good situation. But Jake's face lit up when he saw it. There was no evidence of the struggle by the time he got home. His nana and papa bought him two coveted movies, Up and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, so we watched Up, just me, Evan and Jake snuggled on the couch intent in the plot of the movie. We then headed off to his favorite restaurant, Flanigan's ( I should get kickbacks for all this promotion shouldn't I?) and then back home to attack the shark.

Last thing we did was kind of selfish on my part but something I love to do on their birthdays... cause after all it's kind of my celebration too. I sat with them on the couch and looked back at the pictures from the day they were born. They both got a kick out of it and of course Evan thought the photos were all of him. I told him which ones were Jake and he would insist it was him as a baby. Then I snuggled with them, and that was my favorite part of the day.