Instructions NOT Included

Before I became a mom, I believed that you become a completely different person after becoming a mom. I though that as soon as you had the title of “mom”, you were gifted with a new haircut and a minivan. I thought that you are a REAL adult and had no time for anything you liked before having kids. I sit here, haircut and minivan-less, as proof that I was severely wrong.

I became a mom before I ever gave birth to a child. I have 3 amazing bonus babies and they are my world. They are part of the reason I am the person I am today and I love them so much for helping save me. Since I did not give birth to all 4 of my children, I had to jump into mom mode from day one. There was no gestation period to try to prepare for the journey that was ahead of me. Thankfully, I have an amazing husband who has been by my side every step of the way on this roller coaster. I struggled (let’s face it I still struggle) with who I had to be and how I had to act. They say there is no manual to raising a kid and this is 100% true. What they don’t tell you is that there’s no damn manual to being a parent either! THEY WANT US TO MAKE BABIES AND JUST WING THIS SHIT! I don’t know how all of us are still alive.

Like I said, I still struggle with who I am as a person. Yes, I cook, clean, chauffeur, and all of that other stuff, but for a long time I let it define who I was as a person. I still saddle myself with trying to be the “perfect mom”. After almost 8 years, I am still learning that a perfect mom doesn’t fucking exist. Anyone who says that they have 100% of all of their shit together is a damn liar. The biggest thing I have had to try to learn is to not compare myself to others. Especially anyone that is on social media because no one posts all the bullshit that happens on a daily basis. Being a parent is probably the hardest thing any of us will ever have to do, we can’t add more to our plates by having unrealistic expectations of perfection for ourselves. With that being said, just know that I am great at giving advice and not so great at listening to the shit I say.

Another part I struggle with is the fact that just because I am a mom, doesn’t mean that I’m not a grown ass woman who was a person before children. I put so much of myself into being a mom that, a few times, I forget to check in with myself. It took me a long time to find things I am interested in. I had no hobbies before. Let me correct this, I had no healthy hobbies before this. I had drinking and unnecessary online shopping habits. Now I workout, listen to podcasts, this blog and I have been working on the same puzzle for closer to a year than I would like to admit. I really need to finish that this year. Maybe. At the end of the day, you have to make sure that you are being the best human in order to be the best parent you can be. You are not less of a parent for having an occasional drink and jamming out to Shoop by Salt n Pepa. Please dance like everyone is watching and you just don’t give a damn.

I would love to say that one day it all clicks and everything falls in place when it comes to parenting and being a parent. I really would, but I’m not here to blow smoke up anyone’s ass. I am here to tell you the truth from my perspective with bits of levity. Of course, I am not a trained professional and I have not studied parenting or child development. I do know that there are plenty of books on how you can try to parent, but that’s too many books to read and it is all just someone else’s opinion anyway. I know that I’m probably not the shining example of what a parent should be. My kids watch lots of TV, they have used paper towels as plates more than once (ALL THE TIME), and during the summer they may or may not have showered everyday. All I know is that trying to be a whole person and always trying to better myself is the best way I know how to set a good example for our kids. Even if that means taking time for me when I really don’t want to and constantly checking in with myself.

Until next time, be the best you and stay peculiar.

School's In Session

It is that time of the year again. Make your lunch, pack your backpack and get ready to deal with the assholes in the drop off lane. It’s time for the kids to go back to school.

I want to start this by saying, I absolutely love my kids and I would do anything for them. I would also like to say that our kids are good kids overall and we have not had to deal with any major behavior issues, thus far, in life. With all this being said, YAY FOR SCHOOL TIME! I am in no way saying that I don’t like being around my kids or that I want to be away from my kids, but I have definitely had my fill of sibling squabbles and teen angst. One person can only take so much attitude and petty fights. While at school the kids are on their best behavior and this mom deserves some time to watch shows on Netflix that kids shouldn’t watch.

I know that I sound like a horrible mom, but I do have other reasons for wanting the kids to go back to school. First and foremost, I am extremely unqualified to homeschool my kids. I am not calling myself stupid or anything like that, I just know that I do not have the temperament to teach. I love seeing them grow academically and I love seeing them be proud of their own achievements, but I know that I’m not the one that can help them with that. That’s why there are magnificent educators that get paid (nowhere near enough) to do that. Speaking of educators, I have made many teacher friends at the little two’s school and I can’t wait to see them all again. Yes, I am THAT mom… don’t judge… you don’t know my life.

While there are a lot of positives for school starting again, there are some negatives. We have 4 kids at 3 schools. I don’t know if you know what’s it’s like to drop off and pick up at just 1 school, but I can wrap it up for you in one word. Clusterfuck. There are simple rules to follow and not many people follow them. Pick ups are the worst. I have to get to the first school half an hour before school lets out just to get a decent spot so I don’t have to sit in a line that’s half a mile long to get the little 2. Outside of the hellacious parking lot situation at the schools, our schedule becomes jam packed and extremely regimented. Time already seems like it is zooming by and the school routine makes everything go by so much faster.

At the end of the day, no matter what, I adore my kids. And while I may be excited for the new school year, I’m not necessarily poppin’ bottles because they are going back. The parenting life is full of bittersweet moments and is not for the faint of heart. Only the strong barely make it through.

Until next time, have a great school year and always stay peculiar.

To Work Or Not To Work...

Being a mom is the hardest job I have ever had in my entire life. Not only do us moms put an enormous amount of pressure on ourselves to be the “perfect” mom, we get a lot of societal pressure to be other people’s version of what they think the “perfect” mom is. If we choose to have a career after becoming a mom, we are neglecting our kids. If we choose to stay home with our kids, we aren’t contributing to our household and we are weak or lazy women. On behalf of all mom’s I would like to say, mind your own fucking business! As long as we are not causing harm to anyone, leave us alone. We’ve got this.

I recently saw a news segment that was saying that moms that have paying jobs outside the home are slower to see memory loss later in life. It said that married mothers who didn't work saw their memory decline 61% faster over a 10-year period than those with paid jobs and single mothers declined 83% faster if they didn't participate in the workforce. This simultaneously scared me and made me feel like a failure. Not only do I not work, I am possibly going to mentally decline faster just because my children do better because I stay home and the fact that childcare charges an arm, a leg, your first born and any other body part you can spare.

On the other side of this judgmental coin, you are a monster if you leave your kids in the care of someone else so you can pursue a career. You are, apparently, selfish and a bad mom if you work. I mean, yes, being a mom is one of the most awesome things ever and it is very rewarding, but just because you have a child doesn’t mean you stop being a human being. Sometimes, the mom has no other choice but to work. Whether or not the mom is married/in a relationship or single, sometimes people have to fucking work! I don’t know if you guys know this, but shit cost money and kids aren’t cheap.

At the end of the day, as long as your kids are loved and taken care of, it is no one’s damn business if you work or not. If you have the ability to stay home with your kids, FANTASTIC! If you choose to work or have to work, AMAZING! You do whatever the fuck you need to do for you and your family. As with most things in life, as long you are not causing harm, don’t let anyone make you feel like a shit mom for whatever choice you make. Being a parent is difficult. Let’s not add to it by being judgmental assholes to each for something like this. There are far worse things in the world.

Until next time, work or don’t work, but always stay peculiar.