Great, now I am THAT mom!

You know the mom I am talking about.  The one everyone looks at and judges in public because she's yelling at her kids or her kids are acting crazy, having a meltdown, screaming and crying, the list goes on and on.  She is the mom everyone scoffs at and says "I would never act like that' or "I would never let my kids act like that".  Yep, I am now THAT mom!

So, why am I that mom?  I was at Walmart today with my kids.  I had just spent over 30 minutes in the return line.  Was rudely cut in front of as I was the next person by an older lady.  I walked up to the counter to say I was next and she and the associate both ignored me.  I just stood there refusing to move.  Turns out the lady doing the return works there and I guess that's why she and the associate decided it was ok for her to cut in front of me.  Finally got my return done and the 3 older kids were crying for a drink, found a water fountain and filled their cups up which they all slammed, some happier than others (Teddy thinks plain water is the plague!).

Began my shop[ping and at this point they are all hungry.  Yes I know, my bad for going out at lunchtime except I didn't, not really.  I left the house at 10 am it just took forever with previous errands and because of all the crazy after Christmas shoppers and returners.  I frantically search for something that I can open in the store to give them, settled on a box of Annie's Cheddar Bunnies.  Gave them their snack and that kept them happy for a little bit.  Then Teddy announced he had to pee.  Of course we were all the way in the back of the store and had to make our way all the way up to the front through the craxy crowds.  After he gets out Karma decides she needs out too and proceeds to try and climb out over and over again.  I am practically holding her in the cart and making her sit down repeatedly.  Sariah starts to cry and then Teddy and Kimmy start fighting.  Teddy is intentionally annoying Kimmy to make her scream and cry "no Teddy no!" over and over.  All through this I am still repeatedly sitting Karma back down.  I have no idea how many times I made her sit back down, I would have to guess more than 20 probably less than 50!!

Sadly, NONE of the above are what made me THAT mom, to me anyways-although I am sure I was already quite a sight to many.  No, what made me THAT mom was still to come.

Finally Karma stops trying to climb out but she's still screaming at the top of her lungs.  I tried offering her more cheddar bunnies thinking that maybe she was still hungry and that's why she was crying but she didn't want them.  Teddy is still annoying Kimmy who is still screaming "no Teddy no" at the top of her lungs over and over again and poor Sariah is still crying.  I wished I had brought my sling in, I am sure she wanted to nurse but I just wanted to finish and get out of that crazy place. I realized after the bathroom trip I had lost my list and I was desperately trying to think clearly to remember what I needed.  I was concentrating so hard on thinking about what was on the list and just absent mindedly saying "shhhh, shhhhh, shhhh don't cry don't cry, everyone please stop crying, you are ok, no one is hurt, its ok, Teddy please leave your sister alone, Kimmy stop screaming, shhhh shhhh shhh, you are all ok, no one is hurt, please don't cry, Teddy stop that, shhhh, you have no reason to cry, shhhh shhh, no one is hurt please stop crying"  Up and down the aisles I went like this giving myself a headache as I tried to drown out the screaming and remember what I needed to buy.

All of a sudden I heard a woman's voice saying "oh my I think her leg is stuck honey" and a man's voice "your right! Ma'am, Ma'am her leg is stuck!"
I shook myself out of my daze and realized they were talking to me, looked over and realized in her last attempt to climb out of the seat Karma's leg had become pinned under the stupid blue plastic flip down thing in the seat of the cart and she was sitting on it causing her to pinch her own leg.  I quickly fixed this and she instantly stopped crying.  I was mortified, there was a ton of people in the aisle and they were all glaring at me. I told the couple thank you but they both just gave me rude stares and walked away.  As they walked away I heard the woman say to the man 'I can't believe she was telling her to be quiet like that when the poor baby's leg was being pinched" 

YEP., I am now offically THAT MOM!  I was so mortified I left the food section and went to get all of the nonfood items I needed because I did not want to run into the couple or all the other people who had been in that aisle giving me evil death stares as if I was the worlds worst mom ever.

So the next time you are out and about and you see "THAT mom!" maybe instead of staring and judging her you can try to put yourself in her shoes and empathize with her.

Oh, and just to be clear, although it seemed to last forever the total time that elapsed between Karma's last attempt to climb out of the cart and the couple pointing out that her leg was pinned was like no more than 2 minutes.  Still horrible I know but I didn't want anyone to think I walked around the store forever with her like that.  We were a cart like the one pictured below, only blue since we were at Walmart.  She was in the top seat of the actual cart with Teddy and Kimmy riding in the plastic seats and Sariah in the back of the cart.

Bummis SuperLite

Ok, I have been neglecting this blog, I apologize!

Back in September I was blessed to be picked as one of the Testers for Bummis.  This was a huge blessing for our family as all 3 girls are still in diapers!
We received our testing package in November and it was like Christmas morning to me!  It came with 7 covers, 3 prefolds and 3 Bummis inserts.  Sadly, prior to this we only had 9 covers to share between the 3 girls so this almost doubled our stash.

Sariah in her SuperLite

One of the down sides to testing is you are not allowed to talk about how much you like (or dislike) the products.  It has been so hard for me not to talk about the diapers, I love to talk as I am sure you all  know.  I was so excited when Malina, who works for Bummis, informed me that I could now talk about 1 of the covers we received as it has been released now.  Its called the SuperLite and this morning I actually wrote a review on the Bummis website.  I wanted to share it here as well.

Note: I am not being paid for this, unless you count that I was picked at random to be 1 of their testers.  Just wanted you all to know these are my honest feelings about this cover and not something I am being paid to say.  These are my opinions and not anyone at Bummis.


Here is the review I posted on their site:

I had the privilege of being picked to test for Bummis and I received a SuperLite diaper in my testing package. I have 3 girls in diapers (yes 3!) and I am impressed with the performance of this cover on all 3 but for different reasons on each.
For my 6 month old I like the SuperLites easy adjustability. She is quite chubby weighing almost as much as her 2 older sisters. She has rolls on top of rols on her legs and many covers dig in and leave ugly red marks but not the SuperLite.
For my 18 month old I like how thin it is, unlike most cloth diaper covers its a super thin shell, allowing you to easily stuff 2 prefolds or a prefold and doubler in there to help with super soakers. This is my go to cover for my 18 month old at bedtime. I can stuff 2 prefolds in without a whole lot of bulk and she doesn't leak out all over her jammies and bed at night.

inside of the SuperLite Wrap

For my 2.5 yr old I like this cover because its so sleek and trim. She has the opposite problem as my 6 month old. She is 8" taller than my 6 month old but only weighs 2 lbs more. She is super tiny and its hard to find cloth diaper covers that fit snug enough in the waist and around the thighs at the same time. There are usually gaps that cause leaking but not with the SuperLite. Overall I am VERY impressed with the SuperLites performance. If I had to complain about something, it would be the velcro. I am much more of a snaps kind of girl but with all the other features it has going for it, not to mention the price, I am willing to overlook that. The SuperLite I have is plain white, I am so excited to see they decided to make them available in colors and can't wait to order a few for my girls


Now that I know these are available for purchase AND they come in colors I cannot wait to buy a few more.  I was trying to phase out velcro in my diaper stash but as I said in the review above, this is something I am willing to overlook as the overall performance of the cover is so high.
I need to make myself wait until after Christmas but thought maybe Santa could bring a few as a gift for mommy.

P.S. Must admit I was a tad embarrassed to realize I had a few typos in my review that I already posted on Bummis website lol.  O-well that's what happens when you type while holding a bouncy excited 6 month old and don't think to proof read before hitting post.

P.P.S.  Just found out they are on the market but not available for sale until early January.  Guess Santa will have to bring some to mommy as a late Christmas gift haha.

SuperLite back view, superwide tush haha

Oh, But She's Adopted.....

My beautiful baby girl Karma

I find myself saying that a lot lately and I am not really sure why but I know its a habit I have to break, and soon.

Karma the day she came to us. 
The second they placed her in my arms
she was mine!

I developed it as a way to try and explain WHY I have so many kids as there seems to be some new unwritten rule in our society that says anything more than 2 or 3 kids is strange and out of the ordinary.  I get stares everywhere I go and hear whispered (and sometimes Very loud and blatant) comments ranging from the innocent and benign "oh wow, look at all those kids" and "that poor mama, she's a busy lady" to the occasional "why would anyone want that many kids?" "surely you are done having kids now" "you don't want any more right?" and my all time favorite one I have ever gotten, said with all the rudeness and disgust he could muster "I sure hope those are not all yours!"

I don't know who wrote this rule or when it was put into place but now it seems that if you have more than 2 or 3 you are some sort of freak of nature.  People are free to stare at you and say anything and everything they want and you are expected to just take it because you "choose" to be said freak.  You are a "breeding machine" that many think "need to be stopped".  Maybe it stems from all of the reality shows like "Kate Plus 8" (formerly "Jon & Kate Plus 8") and "19 Kids and Counting". 

Don't get me wrong, I also get the nice well meaning strangers too.  The ones who say things like "I know how you feel, I had-insert some large number here-kids myself, they are all grown and gone now".  These are all usually sweet older ladies, although I have heard it from a few men.  These are few and far between the ones listed above however.  Some of the people may not be meaning to come off as sounding harsh or judgemental.  I guess it is quite a sight to see me grocery shopping, pushing one of those huge carts around with the older 3 kids in it and the baby in her Baby Bjorn or Hotsling attached to me.  Maybe these people just do not understand how often I hear these comments and therefore, to me, they sound way harsher than intended.  I will never understand why strangers think its randomly ok to just vomit from the mouth whatever pops into their head.

Oh, and if 1 (or more) of my kids is having a break down or temper tantrum in the store, or where ever we may be, LOOK OUT!  The comments get real nasty and real ugly REAL FAST!  The "she needs to take them home"  and "doesn't she realize they need a nap?" and I even once heard "I can't believe she brings them all out in public like that"  REALLY?  SERIOUSLY?  Should I leave them at home by themselves instead, would that make your day easier because I am all about making YOUR DAY easier!  I have seen on shows such as "SupperNanny" that when your child is throwing a fit in the store you should leave and yeah, that sounds GREAT in theory, if you only have 1 or 2 kids with you.  When you have 4 kids, age 4 and under in the store you are on a mission.  You are focused on completing the task as quickly as possible and just getting out of there.  Rude and inconsiderate people only make this experience worse.  Its no picnic for me to listen to them screaming, at least you can walk away.  I have to go home with these little monsters.

So, ever since Sariah was born, it may have even started the last month or 2 of the pregnancy, I have developed a very bad habit.  Something that I just randomly spit out and feel the need to tell any and every stranger I meet.  I point to Karma and say "Oh, but she's adopted!".  This somehow seems to make me feel better in the moment and has many times made the rudest of people stop and gasp and even say "oh, sorry, that is wonderful of you guys......" and go into some random thoughts about how great they think I am for adopting her.

Its not the praise I am looking for, I am just trying to give them some explanation as to WHY we have 4 kids as if its illegal to do so.  As if saying "she's adopted" somehow magically makes it all ok and sadly, it does exactly like.  Suddenly I am this weird "supermom" in their eyes, almost like a martyr mom sacrificing myself for this poor adopted baby girl.  It has become a very bad habit and I find myself saying it multiple times to almost every stranger I can while we are out in public.  It has gotten so bad that several times, while on the phone paying bills or whatever they will hear 1 (or more) kids in the background and as "oh, how many do you have?".  Without even thinking about it I just reply "4, but-1-is-adopted".  I have even started typing this online anytime I am in some sort of mommy support group, chat, FB Page, you name it.  I will type "I am a mom of 4 ages 4 and under, but on is adopted".  I am pretty sure I even put that on this blog somewhere in the intro! 

This is not something I need to share with every person in the world.  I have even joked with my hubby that I should have a special "going out in public/shopping" shirt made  up with the phrase "Yes I have 4, but one is adopted!" om it so I don't have to explain it 10 plus times on every outing we go on.  I said this to him as a joke but I have realized I really do this.  I seriously explain to everyone all day long that I have 4, but one is adopted.

We by no means ever have or ever would plan to tell Karma we are her birth parents, she will always know she is adopted.  At the same time, she is getting older now, almost 18 months, and she is more and more aware of things every day.  I don't want her growing up and hearing me say over and over again "oh, but she's adopted".  I don't want her to feel like she is somehow less than our biological children and I know that growing up with this being thrown in her face on an almost daily basis will make her feel just that way.  She will think that she is somehow less than our other kids and that mommy must love her less, why else would she run around telling anyone and everyone she can that I am adopted.

This is a habit I developed as a means of defense, something to use to help shield the rudeness of others but its something I must stop.  Its making me feel guilty so I can only imagine what it will make her feel once she is old enough to understand what I am saying.

The truly sad thing is I should have never had to start this.  People should think about things before they just blurt them out.  Our society has become so rude and so callous to one another.  We live in a "me me me" world where people give no thought to others and care only for themselves.  How dare I actually take my kids out in public and disrupt the peace of others lives.  That's how many feel I know because they make it known to me in words, dirty looks, shrugs, huffs, puffs, you name it.

So the next time you are out in public and see a mom with X amount of kids (whatever you may consider as "a lot" or "too many") and you get the urge to blurt out something about it, even if you think its funny and know in your head you are only joking DON'T!  You don't know what the circumstances of that family are.  Maybe they are foster parents, some are adopted, maybe they are not even all that 1 mothers kids.  She might run a daycare or be caring for a sick friend/relatives children.  She should not be made to feel like she has to explain herself to every Tom Dick and Harry who walks by and feels the need to question "why so many?".  You may not think the things you are saying are rude at all, you may think they are funny or you may even be genuinely impressed with this mom and her skills to handle so many kids.  Speaking from a mom who has walked in her shoes, she can no longer distinguish those comments though.  She has been judged and criticized one too many times by people who DID mean to be rude and ugly to her about her personal choices so now all comments just blurr together and get lumped in the rude/harsh category.  So even the most genuine and well meaning of "supportive" comments are just another stone thrown at her, another ding in the armor she has had to build up to societies judgements and then she turns into the looney lady who walks around telling everyone "OH, BUT SHE'S ADOPTED"  See I am normal just like you, its ok, she's adopted, we are not crazy!!

We do not live in China people, we are free to choose to have as many or as few children as we like.
So, if you hear me saying this or see me typing this please feel free to call me out on it.

And to answer the other question I hear at least a dozen times a day.....

NO! We surely ARE NOT done having kids.  Will we have more, that has yet to be decided but it is a door we have left open.  We love all of them equally and that's all that matters to me.

Love,
Christy PROUD PROUD mommy to 4 beautiful, wonderful, special, irreplaceable children!

In Honor of Veterans Day-A Little Family History

Pictured above are my grandparents, Joe and Patricia Culbertson.  The picture was taken shortly after they were married and days (I want to say THE day but its been awhile since I was told the story as my grandparents passed away in 1997 and 1998) before my grandpa shipped out to Hawaii to serve with the Navy.  He loved to tell me this story when I was a kid.  I used to have a letter that he wrote to my grandma shortly after arriving in Hawaii but its gone now.  I think my mom may have it but not sure.
My grandma also served with the Navy/Red Cross as a nurse.  She was stationed in CA and cared for wounded soldiers.
They, like many back then, married quickly after meeting since my grandpa was shipping out soon.  They did not know if he would return or not.  Thankfully he did and they went on to raise 11 children, 9 of their own including my mom.  Four of their children went on to serve in the Navy, Marines and Army.

The photo above and the fact that it is Veterans day inspired this Blog:





I am big time into Family History and also enjoy learning about the Historic periods during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and WWII.  I am honored to say that I have family members who served in all of those wars (as well was WWI, The Korean War and Vietnam that are known of, there may be more).

I am blessed to have a nifty little book(pictured above) that lays out my family history for me on my maternal grandfathers side.  It does not go into details of who or when but it is assumed that my family fought in the Revolutionary War as they arrived in America somewhere around 1691, possibly before.  Records are hard to find that far back.  I hope they fought on the American side.

The book briefly details that the name of Strickland originated in England and appeared as early as 1235 but actual records can only trace the portion of the Stricklands I am a descendant of to around the mid 1600's with Matthew Strickland II living in the Isle of Wright Co, VA.  There is no birth date, only a death date of 1691.  It is assumed, therefore, that there was a Matthew Strickland I who must have immigrated to the Isle of Wright Co, VA at some point in the mid to late 1600's as the land Matthew II had was a land given through inheritance but no records of his life/existence have been found.  It is assumed he immigrated from England but again is not certain.

Early Strrickland Family Line

John Thomas Strickland was my Great Great Great-Grandpa, I think.  I admit get confused easily with this.  His daughter, Olivia, was my grandpa's grandma and her son, Louis, was his dad.  So Louis would be my great-grandpa, Olivia my great great-grandma and then John T. my great great great-grandpa.  Whew, my brain hurts now haha.

John T. Strickland served and died in The Civil War.  He was Conscripted into the Confederate Army.  Wish he would've served on the Yankee side but what can ya do.  He was conscripted which mean he did not go voluntarily and was just forced to serve on the side that the state he lived in (Missouri) was fighting on.  There are several awesome letters he wrote to his family while at war that are included in the book.  I tried to include them at the bottom of this post but I do not have a scanner so I had to take pictures with my camera, I hope you can read them as it is really interesting.  Talk about fighting, starvation, many eating their own horses to survive and his knowledge that he was dying and would likely never make it home to see his family again.

John T Strickland with his wife Narcissus (they had some interesting names back then!)

John Thomas was born July 5, 1828 in Garrett Co, Georgia.  He died at Arrowrock in Saline Co, MO on July 7, 1865 while returning home to his family after serving in the Civil War.

John T. Strickland married Narcissus Adeline in Garnett Co, Georgia on November 25, 1851.

They had 6 children:

John Clement  Born Oct 22, 1852  and  Died Oct 9, 1853

Olivia  Born March 5, 1954  and Died Jan 6, 1946

Henry Lee born Feb 14, 1857  and Died Feb 28, 1922

Isaac Thomas  born March 14, 1859 and Died Feb 28, 1935

Joseph Allen  born Nov 7, 1851  and Died Jan 24, 1923

Esther Elizabeth  born Nov 25, 1863  and died April 22, 1941

As you can see from the dates they immediately had a child after they were married.  Sadly, their first child died before he even turned 1.  There are no details in the book as to why but I have seen a lot of babies/children who died early on throughout the book (as it traces the lines of all 6 of their kids).  This is especially true of any listings from the 1800-1900s.  It makes me sad to think of those children and the pain of their parents.  I would love to one day try to go in and find records of these events for myself to see the details of what happened but I may never know the reasons why.

It also shows that their youngest was born in 1863 so I wonder if John T ever even got to meet little Esther Elizabeth as he died in 1865.  It says he was Conscripted into the Confederate Army Oct 12, 1864 so I guess he did get to see her first year of life.

Olivia Strickland, my Great Great-Grandmother, went on to marry Mr. John Culbertson  on April 20, 1871 and they settled in Kansas City, MO.

They only had 1 child, a son named John Louis Culbertson, went by the name  Louis, who was born June 23, 1887.  Again, the book does not go into much details of their lives but back then it was a rarity to only have 1 child so I wonder if Olivia suffered from some infertility issues and if there were more pregnancies they never went full term, I will probably never know the details on this either.

Louis Culbertson went on to marry Nellie Mae Morris July 7, 1909.  He served in WWI in the Navy and they had 4 children together.

Nelson Earl  born June 27, 1910

Joe Durl  (my grandpa) born Oct 24, 1921  he died Dec 6, 1997

Margaret Olivia  born Aug 19, 1923

Esther Lee  born March 19, 1926

None of the above are living today but as of the date when this book was made they all were, therefore I do not have death dates for them.  This book was made in 1962 WAY before the Internet.  So I think, if I actually applied myself, I could turn up a lot more details on the lives of these people.

Joe Durl Culbertson went on to marry a woman named Betty Tash (not my grandma!) in 1941.  They had 2 children named Carolyn Jo,and Jacquelyn Lee.  They were divorced however in 1945, SCANDALOUS for those days.  I do not know all the details as I was never told, but my grandpa had sole custody of the 2 and my grandma helped raise them as her daughters.  However, they do not associate with our family.  I can count the number of times on 1 hand that I saw them at any family function as a child.  I assume they are still living. (UPDATE-8/13/2011, discovered Carolynn died in Jan 2011, exact date unknown)

He then married my grandma, Patricia Albers on June 6, 1946.  How sad that I know she was born on Aug 1 but have no idea in what year (the book does not say) (UPDATE- 8/13/2011- went to the Culbertson/Marshall Family Cemetery today and saw the birth date on the headstone listed as 1928).  She died in April 2,1998.  They had 9 children together.  One died as an infant from SIDS, she was my moms twin sister.  Another died as a teenager in a house fire, his name was Jerry.  Two more died as adults, my Aunt Terry in a car crash and my Uncle Timmy in a private plane crash.  Only 5 are still living to this day, including my mom but unfortunately, through bad choices they have made, I only ever see my oldest uncle.  He has brain damage that he suffered in a motorcycle accident and has the mentality of a child, he lives with my mom as he cannot care for himself completely.<-- UPDATE 08/13/2011  My Uncle Louis Culbertson died Aug 1, 2011.  Cause of death still unknown at this time.  His body was not discovered for 2 days-see blog here- funeral was held Sat Aug 13, 2011.  Private family graveside service only.  Body was cremated, ashes buried next to my grandparents.  No marker as of yet but one will be placed soon provided by the VFW.  Louis was a Vietnam Vet.

Some day, when my children are older and I have more free time, I plan to look into the family history in more depth.<-- UPDATE 08/11/2011 Inspired by seeing the family cemetery in Collins, MO I am trying to look more into this now.  Blog coming soon.  Oldest READABLE headstone dates back to 1777 (birth date, not death date, death date was 1816).  Many more headstones that were so worn and faded they were unreadable, a few headstones were nothing more than large rocks/boulders.

Here are the letters from John T. Strickland to his family while serving in the Confederate Army:

My Moment for the week of Oct 29, 2010

So it was hard to choose just 1 picture for this weeks "My Moment" post.  I cheated and chose a couple.

If you don't remember "My Moment" is a photo that sums up that week for you.  Something you want to hold onto, cherish and never forget.  These are mine:




all smiles




family pic-all ready for Halloween




my shy little girl




ROAR!!!



Love,
Christy

Momnesia

If you have never heard of "momnesia" then you are obviously not a mom.  Momnesia is a form of forgetfulness moms get after giving birth.  Since I have given birth 3 times now you would think that it would be something I am used to but  I'm not  I think it must get worse each time or something because I have never had it this bad before.  Maybe your brain never fully heals or returns to normal after each birth so the more times you give birth the worse the condition becomes.  If that's the case then I don't know how Michelle Duggar even remembers how to walk or talk haha.

Usually with momnesia is not that big of  a deal.  People like to tease you for being so silly and forgetful.  You normally forget little things, like what you went to the store to buy, where you put your car keys or cell phone, maybe occasionally what your kids name is.  Its usually nothing big or life changing just annoying little things.  This time around I am forgetting the normal mundane things but also much bigger things as well.

I forget so much stuff I cannot even sit here and list to you all the things I have forgotten, because I forgot them all.  Most of the day I walk around in this sleep deprived haze and I am always anxious because I know I am forgetting something, I just can't remember what it is.  I usually remember everything I forgot to do that day while laying in bed trying to go to sleep.  I will tell myself I will remember everything in the morning but of course I don't.

This time around I am even forgetting bills!  We just paid a $90 trash bill last week, not because we didn't have the money to pay the bill before then but because I kept forgetting!  I don't even know how many months it had to be in order to get that high but it was SEVERAL.  We only pay $20 a month!  I am surprised they kept picking it up honestly.  Not that I remember to take the trash out either.  I have forgotten the trash 4 weeks in a row now.  I always remember on Friday afternoon, too bad the trash truck comes early Friday morning and therefore needs to be put out on Thursday night.

The biggest bill I have forgotten, so far, is car insurance!  We pay our car insurance on 4 monthly installments but the policy is a 6 month policy so you get 2 months in a row where you don't have to pay the bill.  I thought our 2 free months were August and September and then the new policy started in October. WRONG!  The free months were July and August with the new policy starting in September.  I didn't realize it until we got the notice in the mail saying "your policy has been canceled for nonpayment" WHAT!?  Its bad, you name the bill I have forgotten it at least once in the past 3 months!  I got the DirecTV bill in the mail a few days ago and couldn't figure out why it was 2x the normal amount.  I could have sworn I paid it in August but obviously I didn't  I am going to be like that lady on Dr. Phil getting the electricity shut off and cars repoed not because the money was not there to pay but because I can't remember to pay.  OK, so hopefully it will not get THAT bad but its pretty bad.
Honestly, now that I think of it our water did get shut off 1 time after Kimmy was born because I forget to pay it so I guess I am that bad sometimes.

I also spend half my day looking for things.  Constantly looking for the TV remote, my phone, my keys, Snappis for the diapers, so and so's favorite toy, the bills, etc.  I just spent 3 days looking for a missing diaper cover only to discover it had been in the diaper bag the entire time, SERIOUSLY!  WOW!  That is bad!

The scariest Momnesia moment yet happened yesterday, as I was getting ready to leave to pick up Teddy from preschool.  I was trying to load the 3 girls into the van.  Kimmy and Karma were running around crazy because they wanted to play outside, not go bye bye.  I had to catch each of them and put them into the van.  Then I got into the van and started it up.  I was about to pull out of the driveway when my dog ran in front of the van.  She is very bad about this and I am always paranoid I will hit her so I watched her to see where she was going.  As she ran around to the other side I saw Sariah sitting on the walk way strapped into her seat just staring at me like "where are you going mom, I think you forgot something".  Its funny now to type it but it was not so funny yesterday.  What if I had drove away and just left her sitting there!!  That was a terrifying thought!

I need to find something to help me get over this annoying condition.  Its no  longer just forgetting silly little things its now to the point of forgetting bills and my BABY!  Its beyond ridiculous now.  Seriously, how do you get over momnesia?  I am willing to try just about anything to rid myself of this.  I tell people all the time my brain is mush and I laugh about it, but it seriously is.

I also believe that there may be a such thing as "Dadnesia" too, that or my hubby is very spoiled haha.  Probably the later is true.  He will take the trash out if I say "hey tomorrow is trash day" but he rarely remembers on his own.  He makes the money but leaves it up to me to make sure the bills get paid every month.

You know your a mom when......

Anyone who knows me knows this phrase comes out of my mouth at least once a day, usually followed by some crazy or funny thing that my kids have done that day.  So I have decided to make a reoccurring post here filled with all the crazy and funny things that have happened to me that week.
I haven't actually been keeping track all week, but here are the few I can think of off the top of my head that have happened this week:

You know you are a mom when you hear the words "don't stick your head in the toilet" come out of your mouth and it sounds completely natural and reasonable to say.

You know you are a mom when you have multiple TVs in your home but they all have insert annoying preschooler cartoon name here on them.

You know you are a mom when you write a blog about how much you enjoy doing your laundry.

You know you are a mom when your brain is so mushy you start having "typos" in your everyday speech.  Example:
I was talking to Ted about Kimmy needing winter clothing and said "Nimmy is going to need some clothes this winter" NIMMY?  That's pretty bad.  That's worse than mixing up your kids names.  That's worse than calling your kid by your dogs name.

You know you are a mom when you get peed on and it doesn't even gross you out, even worse you may or may not change your shirt.
OK-Confession here.  While out grocery shopping I was carrying Sariah in a Baby Bjorn carrier and she peed on me.  Second time this has happened, when I put her in it it caused a shift in her diaper creating a gap.  Bu the time we got home the shirt was dry and I honestly had forgotten about it.  I didn't remember until I went to get ready for bed that night, WHOOPS.

You know you are a mom when you go to do the dishes but realize there are still some dishes in the dining room on the table from the last meal so you go in there to collect them.  While in the dining room you notice some toys on the floor and you decide to quickly pick those up and take them to your child's room to put away.  While in your child's room you smell that someone has made you a nice little poopy package so you take them and quickly change their diaper.  When you go to put the dirty diaper in the laundry room you realize you forgot to start the washing machine full of dirty diapers so you quickly get that going.  On your way out of the laundry room you see a sippy cup on the floor which reminds you that you were trying to do dishes.  On your way back to the kitchen and dishes another kid sees the cup in your hand and asks for a drink.  As you get that child a drink every other kid you have runs in and ALSO wants a drink.  You realize there are no more cups to be found in the kitchen, clean or dirty.  You hunt through the entire house looking for more sippy cups and spot crumbs, dirt and ground in who knows what all over your floor.  Cups finally located and kids happily drinking you bust out the vacuum to clean up the dirt.  As you are vacuuming 1 kid steals anothers cup and runs as fast as she can but trips and falls and starts to cry.  You realize its she is tired and, YEP, its nap time so you quickly scoop her up and lay her down for a much needed nap.  On the way back out to finishing up vacuuming you step on the offending sippy cup and almost break your leg which reminds you once again that this all started because you wanted to do dishes.
YEAH- That happened in my house several times this week, in that exact order at least once haha.

I HEART Econobums!

When I saw Ted walk in the door with the little white package 2 days ago I knew exactly what was inside, my Econobums covers I had ordered days earlier.  I was so excited to rip into the package, even though I had been cloth diapering for a few weeks, these were the first covers I had been able to pick out and buy new.  Everything else I had was given to me by a good friend, but these were "mine".

The first thing I thought when I saw them was how cute and teeny tiny they looked, they were set on the smallest setting.  I wanted to immediately put them on my girls but decided it was best to wash them first.  It seemed to take forever to get them clean. I couldn't believe I was this excited about anything that had to do with diapers but I was. 

Once they were clean I put 1 on Kimmy and 1 on Karma, Karma is rocking hers out in the picture to the right.  They may be plain white and not as much "fun" to those familiar with the cloth diapering world but they were min and I loved them.  I loved how they fit, the other covers I had been given were like most CD covers and added more bulk or "fluff" as they call it.  The Econobum covers fit so sleek, paired with only 1 prefold you can barely tell they have a cloth diaper on.

The other reason why I love these diapers so much is their wallet friendly prices.  The 2 I bought were on a seconds sale through cottonbabies.com and were a mere $4.95 each.  This is pennies compared to the prices of many other covers.  The regular price for an Econobums cover is $8.95.  The cover plus 1 prefold is only $9.95 and then they have great starter kits.  They have a trial pack with 1 cover and 3 prefolds for $11.95.  They have a day pack for $48.95, this comes with 3 covers, 12 prefolds and 1 wet bag and its all you would need to cloth diaper a baby for 1 day, possibly 2, depending on how often you have to change your baby.  Then they have a complete set, all you would need to cloth diaper 1 baby full time for under $100  It comes with 6 covers, 24 prefolds and 1 wet bag.  These are great prices for families like ours that may not have a lot of money to invest in CDing but want to make the switch.

I have decided from now on I will buy people either the trial pack or day pack, depending on finances at the time, to give as baby shower gifts.  I believe if people could see a cloth diaper, touch it, feel it and learn to use it they would like them.  So many people, me included, think of cloth in terms of old school cloth diapering.  The stuff our parents or grandparents used and its so much easier now. 

I am so happy I made the switch and I want to help others to learn that cloth is just as easy as disposables.  Before I switched I thought it was going to be so hard, they were going to make my whole house smell and add a lot of work onto my already overflowing plate.  In reality they were easy, added no extra work and if anything they help me because they make me think about laundry on a daily basis so that my laundry does not build up on me.

So if you are thinking about trying out some cloth, give Econobums a try.  They are so cheap that if you decide cloth is not for you you don't have to worry about some big upfront investment.  As I said before, they are kinda boring, only coming in plain white.  They have announced color trims coming soon though.  If you give them a try and decide you like cloth then you can experiment with other brands and buy the fun colorful covers they offer.
 I am perfectly happy with my plain white little bums though.

I HEART ECONOBUMS and I HEART CLOTH DIAPERING!

I never knew being a mommy meant....

Before I had children when I envisioned mommyhood I, like most I am sure, only imagined the good. The sweet baby sleeping on your chest, the cute chubby toddler running around squealing, the little boy bringing you flowers for the first time, smashed cake at first birthdays, cute Halloween costumes, the list goes on and on. Don't get me wrong, I knew there would be tough times too, sleepless nights, sick kids, temper tantrums etc. There were just so many things about motherhood I never knew and couldn't imagine in my wildest dreams, good and bad. I saw it as they present it on TV with only the moments of fun and excitement and none of the day to day monotony in between. There were so many things about this new role of Mommy I had taken on that no one shared with me. So let me share just a few of them with you, it would take a novel to share them all but these are a few of the main ones I have encountered.

No one told me that when women brag about their baby's "sleeping through the night" the translation really meant that junior slept 5-6 hours with out waking. When I heard "sleeping through the night" I thought that meant that my baby would be sleeping 8-9 hours by 2-3 months. Imagine my surprise when my first baby was colicky and barely slept more than 2 hrs at a time until he was almost a year old. My first did not "sleep through the night" until he was 22 months. I am a mommy of 4 now and I haven't slept more than 6 hours in a row for over 4 and a half years. I also didn't realize "sleeping in" would take on a whole new meaning as well. It used to mean sleeping until noon and was reserved for Saturdays. Now it means anything past 8 am and its a very rare occurrence indeed. When it happens you feel like you have won the lottery.

No one told me that after you have kids you develop "levels" of cleanliness. Before I had kids I did not consider my house clean unless it was spotless and pristine, looking like a picture in a magazine. Now that sort of clean is a "special clean" or the very top level of my cleanliness chart, reserved only for very special guests which usually translates to strangers we have never meant before.
The next level of clean is the "family and friends level" This is the type of clean that usually involves your house still somewhat cluttered, or "lived in" as my grandma always put it. There will likely be some toys on the floor, clean laundry on your bed waiting to be folded, dishes in the sink from breakfast or lunch. There probably will be at least one door shut and off limits so no one can see inside because that's where you threw everything real fast when you saw them pull in the driveway.
Then there is the third level of clean or what I like to call "its just us and we have no where to go today" clean. This level would appear dirty to those without children, but is still acceptable to you once you have kids. In this level there are probably dishes in the sink from the previous day, dirty laundry piles waiting to be washed, a mine field of toys to walk across and you are a little scared to walk into your kids room.
When you are a mom things are not dirty until you can no longer see the floor. You have to climb over the laundry pile to get to the washing machine. There are curious things in the sink that look like they could be a science experiment and you think one of your kids may be lost in their room. Only then do you concede to the fact that there is cleaning in your future.

When you do finally break down and clean take pictures. Once you are done a tornado, or in my case 3 little tornado's, will mysteriously come through your house and set everything back to the way it was before you started. You will find yourself questioning your sanity because you will remember cleaning but it will look like you never touched it. That's why moms learn to live with these levels of clean, because if you didn't you might drive yourself crazy trying to keep up that picture perfect first level.

No one told me that moms are gifted with iron stomachs and dulled senses of smell in certain areas. They have to be to deal with some of the messes they have to deal with. Just watch a dad try to change a poopy diaper and you will see what I mean. Men can't even open the diaper without involuntary gagging. Sometimes dads have to leave the room because they are so overwhelmed by the smell. This is one of the many "super powers" a mom is given. It is this gift that allows a mom to get through the first night of real vomit. I am not talking baby spit up here. I am talking about the first time your child wakes up in the middle of the night and calls for you. You know what has happened before you even enter the room because of the smell. This was a major concern of mine about mommyhood, I always had a weak stomach and didn't think I would be able to handle messes like this without getting sick myself. I am not saying its fun, its still gross but somehow you are given the strength to get the job done. This is the strength you need when your 2 yr old decides that her poopy makes a great finger paint or playdough. If this has not occurred in your home yet, just wait.

No one told me that complete strangers would suddenly feel it is ok to share their opinions and offer you unwanted advice. I can still remember the first time this happened to me. Teddy was a tiny baby, only a few months old. It was a hot day outside, in the 90s, and he had nothing but a onsie on. We had to run into the store for something real quick. I, of course, was carrying Teddy because he hated his carseat. He was never the picture perfect baby you see on TV or out in public contently sitting in or even sleeping in his car seat. He screamed his head off from the second his tush hit the seat until the second you took him out. The idea of driving around to try and settle him down or put him to sleep was laughable, car drives were torture for us. So here we are, walking around the store and a little old lady just ahead of us smiles as we approach. As every new mom knows, babies have this magical lure about them, people will walk across an entire store to come up and smile or talk to them. We get closer to her and as we pass she stops and smiles at Teddy. She reached out and softly touched his head and without even looking up, she continued to look at him as if she is speaking to him and said "mom, you really need to keep a blanket and socks on him at all times, its cold in here." I felt like someone had just punched me in my gut. Did she really just say that? I am sure these strangers are well meaning and only trying to help but having a complete stranger offer you mommy advice, especially with your first baby is hard to accept graciously. I am sure she did not mean her comment to come off as rudely as it did .  Fair warning though, you will occasionally run into that stranger who is just down right rude with the things they say but we won't go there now.  That's a topic best left to its own blog.

Another thing every mom I knew seemed to forget to mention was the fact that all forms of privacy would be lost. I rarely get to use the restroom, take a shower or get dressed with out at least one child in the room. One the rare occasions that you do try and do this on your own crazy and bizarre things occur like one of your kids may decide to try to give herself a bath in the toilet. What? Sound crazy, trust me it happens.

No one told me about all the things you would "give up". Maybe give up is not the best way to describe this, perhaps what you would "trade in" is a better way to put it. They didn't tell me that my go to hairstyle would become a messy ponytail or that make up was reserved for special occasions and even then would consist of some light powder, chap stick and maybe some mascara on those really special days. I never knew my clothing would become nothing more than spit up rags and a place to wipe a runny nose or messy hands. Or that I might walk around all day with my clothes on backwards or inside out and never know it. What? Again, it happens.

The biggest thing no one told me was how much everything was worth it. Before you become a mom (or a dad) you really have no idea what the words "love" or "sacrifice" mean, you think you do but you don't have a clue. I never knew I could so completely love one person until the day they placed that baby boy in my arms. I knew in that split second I would lay my life down for him without hesitation. Its a love on such a deep and primal level you can't even explain it, only other moms (and dads) will truly know what you are talking about. Its a love so deep and so pure that I remember experiencing anxiety with my second pregnancy because I thought there was no way I could feel this so completely for more than one person. I had nothing to worry about, a mothers love always has room. It can stretch and grow as needed. A mothers love does not have to be divided between her children, it simply grows and compounds with the birth of each child.  As a mother who has adopted I can also tell you that you do not have to go through a pregnancy or birth to feel this love.  I feel the exact same love for each my my children, it is not different in any way based on how they came to me.  

I feel so blessed to have each of my babies.  Although I do have to remind myself of this many times a day, another thing no one told me, but that's ok.  I know it is so worth it in the end.  I have learned not to rush things, not to pray for time to hurry by so that I can finally sleep or go pee in peace.  Sure, those are nice benefits of having older children but along with that comes a whole new set of trials I am sure no one has told me about.  At least I know I am armed with many mommy powers to help me navigate through the new trials as they come.

Mommy is funny.

So I have already posted 1 blog today but this was just too funny, I had to post.  This would only happen to a mom.

I am sure the picture to the right seems odd, keep reading and look closely and it will make sense.

It was 9pm, I was holding my Tub Tub (Aka Sariah) when she spit up on me. As I was wiping my shoulder off I noticed what appeared to be a seam on my shirt. I looked over at the other shoulder and YEP seam there too! I looked down the side, seam running all the way down to a TAG!!


My shirt was inside out! I wore it ALLL DAY like this! It wouldn't be so bad on a normal day but today I ran some errands and went grocery shopping.

Even worse, as I laughed at myself for this and pointed it out to Ted his reply was "Oh yeah, I noticed that this morning". THANKS A LOT! MEN!
 
So in light of this discovery I treated myself to a Milky Way.  I started to turn the shirt around the right way but stopped myself, its bedtime, whats the point now.
 
P.S. In my hubby's  "defense" he said he noticed "after" I got home from my errands and didnt see a reason to point it out because he figured I knew....... Yeah, not much of a defense hehe.