Like Mother Like Daughter

This weeks Bad Mommy Rehab assignment is to write about how YOUR own Mom was a great Mamacita. There are so many things my Mom did while I was growing up that I thought was dumb or stupid or just didn't think about them at all. But now that I have my own children, I realize how important and special these things are.

If you know my Mom you know she is a clean freak............if you know me you know that I am a clean freak! Growing up we had to clean EVERY SUNDAY (gasp) and when you are a child this is pure torture. I remember one day, I was probably about 6, my Mom told me I couldn't come out of my room until it was clean, and don't you know I stayed in that room the entire day refusing to clean it! (Did I mention I get my stubborness from my Mom too?) I just could not understand why cleaning was so important.....until I had my own home and kids. Now I absolutely can't leave a bed unmade, a dish in the sink when I go to bed, toys on the floor when I leave the house in the morning or go to bed at night, and dust is my absolute enemy! I understand that I am borderline compulsive about it,but so was my Mom and I really don't think there is anything wrong with taking care of your home and making sure your house is clean. (Stop rolling your eyes at me)

Holiday traditions are a big part of my childhood. Eating chili and cinnamon rolls every Halloween night before we went trick or treating, having Cinnamon Rolls (Mrs.Powells to be precise) every Christmas morning, having our Easter baskets hid around the house, "Santa" not wrapping our presents but just laying them around the tree, listening to Christmas carols and driving around looking at lights (groan, we HATED this growing up), opening one present on Christmas Eve (always pajamas so we could wear them to bed). I never understood how important these traditions were and many times I would throw a fit, roll my eyes, and take for granted how special this was for my Mom and for us too. And now that I have my own family? I do ALL of these things too, because I just can't bear not to continue the tradition and I want my kids to groan, roll their eyes, whine and then one day appreciate me for doing them and hopefully carry some of them on as well.

We had so many good times growing up, we always sat down to dinner together and watched tv as one big family in the living room. Laying on the floor side by side, or snuggled on the couch. To me it was so normal to do this, I didn't realize that some kids ate dinner by themselves or some that went to bed lonely without even having been hugged once that day. I got hugs and kisses all the time, and there was never a dull moment in the house with 4 of us kids! Times may not have always been easy for us, we have had our shares of ups and downs, but one thing my Mom did for us is give us the best childhood a kid could ask for and more memories and traditions then I have time to recount.

I know I was a big pain in the butt growing up, I whined, I cried, I sulked, I yelled, and lets not even talk about my various obsessions that were borderline creepy (Michael Jackson, Princess Di, the list goes on) but my Mom loved me. Bad hair, glasses and awkward teenage phase and all :)

Innocent Until Proven Guilty....

Of being a bad Mommy that is.
Hello My Name is Amy and I am a Mommy Guilt-Oholic. Soooo it's rehab Monday and I missed last week so I have been searching my mind trying to think of a really good example of how I am a kick butt Mama. I mean I know I am a good Mommy but nothing stuck out to me that makes me a really cool Mama......and then it happened, just tonight actually, a Mom's nightmare come true. Let me set the scene....

The kiddos and I had just gotten home from the grocery store. I grab my purse and keys, go around and let Pax out of his side of the car, then I get Harper (carseat and all) out and we all go inside. It was so hot outside I wanted to get the kids in and then go out and unload the car. I left Harper in the carseat, and preheated the oven for the pizza. Pax was following me around whining for me to get him milk. I told him the milk was in the car and that he would have to wait, then I proceeded out the door to get the groceries. Weeelll Mr.Pax didn't like that answer so he shuts the garage door behind me and I hear a click and realize he has just locked me out. That's right, Mommy is outside, kids are inside ...ALONE.......WITH THE OVEN ON!!!! Do I call 911? Call the inlaws? Call SRS and turn myself in? Nope none of these are possible because my phone IS INSIDE WITH THE KIDS TOO!! So I am trying to tell a screaming, crying Paxton to unlock the door but he is so freaked out he can't calm down enough to do it. I move to the front door and try to get him to unlock that one, same situation. I look down at my melting Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches and hear my kids inside crying and I almost lose it too.....almost. Instead I ran to the neighbors house and borrow her cell phone and call Josh. I run back home and make Pax stand by the door and talk to me until Josh gets there. Honestly I knew they were probably ok, but the oven being on scared me and I didn't want to take any chances that Pax would wander over to it and pull it open or something.

Josh gets home and unlocks the door, Harper is still playing in her carseat and Pax is standing there terrified. Soooo, you are probably asking yourselves how does getting locked out of the house with my kids inside and the oven on make me a good Mommy?

Paxton is not for sale on ebay..................................yet :)

Hi My Name is Amy and I am a Mommy Guilt-Oholic.

So a blog I just recently started following http://www.binreallife.com/ (check it out and be prepared to laugh your buns off cause this lady is all sorts of hilarious). ANYWAY she is starting a bad Mommy rehab where bloggers can kick that nasty habit (a.k.a "Mommy guilt") to the curb once and for all, or at least for one day! So on Mondays you are supposed to write a post on how you are a rockstar Momma, and I totally meant to do this yesterday....but I forgot (hee hee). So it may be a day late but here is my post.

Before I begin, might I just say that I know I am among the millions of Mommies who lay in bed at night thinking "holy cow am I totally f-in my kids lives up and causing them to be in therapy for years to come because I let Pax watch that extra half hour of Dora or left Harper in her jumperoo for close to an hour so I could get stuff done?" or "will my kids have attachment issues with me because I (gasp) send them to daycare and work out of the home?" and of course "am I too harsh with my child because I may or may not (ok I did) raise my voice (loudly) when he was trying to drop kick his sister?" You get my drift. These voices in my head keep me up for hours on end and it's time to silence them!! Ha, yeah right but MAYBE this will help shush them for a little while, without further ado.....

Why I am a good Mommy

-my son is one of the most polite persons I know, adults included!! I taught him at a very young age to always say please, thank you, and your welcome. Now it is like second nature to him. It is appalling to me when teenagers come into the Y and have no manners, I just want to grab them by their chin (if I wouldn't get arrested) and say "remember your p's& q's!!"

- I make a fun breakfast every weekend and by fun I mean NOT cereal :) Usually it's muffins (from a mix) or (canned) cinnamon rolls but sometimes I get all crazy up in here and will make breakfast burritos or HOLLA some yummy "tastes just like donuts muffins" from scratch (seriously this is the name of them and they really DO taste just like donuts!!) We are always running around like crazy in the mornings during the week and are lucky if we even remember to feed the kids (joking......sort of) so this is my way of making it up to Pax for feeding him cereal bars or graham crackers or dog food for breakfast all week. And of course I enjoy the tasty treats myself (the scale can vouch for that).

- I bathe them on a regular basis, and before you judge me for even typing that, please know that my husband works nights so bath time is a one woman show around here, and that my friend is no easy job!!! Same goes for bedtime, as in they have one, the same one, every night!!! Again, no easy task when it's just you against 2 kids, but routine and schedule is uber important to me so I do it...............and then I collapse from sheer exhaustion after both are bathed, in bed, and sleeping. Put a fork in me, I am done.

Ok that's it for now, enough gloating and patting myself on the back. Now you can do it (all 7 of my followers). Get rid of your Mommy guilt and write how you are one kick butt Mamacita!! If you don't have a blog (my faithful facebook friends) write me a comment at the bottom here. Let's liberate ourselves!!!!!!!!!!! (Ok that was a little much, let's not go burn our bras or anything!)

By the way, while looking for pics for this post I realized I have like TWO pictures of just me and the kids!! Please note the date on this picture....May!! Just feels weird to say "hey take my pic with me and my kids" I feel like I am saying "hey I am so cute and my kids are so cute so please take a picture of just us, thanks" is that Mommy guilt again? I think it is.

Guess what baby girl is doin?

Uh-oh, it has begun....

She is.....

Climbing up on things......

and getting into.....

Brothers toys!!.........

Woo hoo!!!