More things I have learned as a Mom:

There is always one more person living with you than you realize. That person is “Not Me,” and he/she seems to cause a LOT of trouble.

After spraying dog grooming spray in her hair, the 5 y/o will then ask if she is going to turn into a puppy.

Your anal retentive child will allow the dog to take a bite of his pizza.

The same anal retentive child thinks the dog’s water bowl must be filled from the kitchen faucet, not the one in the bathroom.

Just when you think you have caught up on the laundry – it is bath time. That means another 4 outfits that need to be washed.

The sock fairy tends to regurgitate all the socks he has eaten AFTER you have replenished the supply of socks.

If you cannot find a brush or ponytail holder, look in the box with the Barbies.

It may take you 3 hours to clean their room, but your children can destroy it in under 20 minutes.

Silence is NOT golden, it is PLATINUM!!!!

A trip to Wal-Mart alone is a mini-vacation.

The only time you can take a shower in peace is VERY early in the morning.

No one cares that you are sitting on the toilet. If they need to ask you something or need something out of the bathroom, they will just walk in.

Each child has that one shirt they tend to get dirtier than any other item of clothing they own.

Learn to pick your battles. If the 5 y/o insists on wearing hot pink sparkly shoes with socks with her green shirt, so be it.

Your youngest child will learn how to “work” their older siblings to get what they want.

Your older kids will spoil your youngest child more than you do.

“I can’t find it” is code for: I stood in the middle of the room and looked around. You need to come find it for me.

The best place to hide the remote controls to your TV is under the covers while making up your bed. (He,he,he – They still haven’t figured this one out.)

There will be times when you hide something from your kids, only to realize you also hid it from yourself. Six months later, and I still can’t find the basket with my haircutting stuff.

I have kids, therefore it is NOT necessary for me to grow up.

Your kids sporting events are a great way to socialize with other adults.

You can have 3 kids from the same 2 parents, and they have 3 different personalities.

Babies 2 & 3 will NOT have the same temperament as baby #1.

It is possible to build up a child’s self-esteem, i.e. “Matt you look precious.” Her response: “I know.”

Just because they ate it as an infant/toddler, definitely does NOT mean they will eat it once they are old enough to verbalize their opinion.

The last child to get up will not necessarily be the last one ready to walk out the door.

Your schedule is just that – “Your schedule.” It is definitely not theirs.

Mother's Day and the Single Mom

Mother’s Day is one of those “days” that I would prefer to just bypass, along with Valentine’s Day, my birthday, etc. You see Mother’s Day for a single mom is not really any different than any other day. There is no husband/boyfriend to coordinate breakfast in bed, getting a gift or card and no one to take over the morning routine. Heck, last year I bought my own gift. We were at a softball tournament and there was a vendor selling monogrammed items. They had a really cute insulated travel mug. Maggie wanted to “buy” it for me because I never do anything for myself. The sentiment was so sweet. However, writing a check for your own gift really bites. LOL

Anyway, I wanted to share with you what Mother’s Day might look like to many single moms:

Wake up to the typical Sunday morning chaos.
Fix the coffee.
Drink first cup of coffee.
Take a shower.
Iron 4 outfits for church.
Pass out the freshly ironed clothes.
Start putting on make-up.
Begin sending kids (one-at-a-time) to the bathroom to brush their teeth.
Continue putting on make-up.
Discuss with each child which shoes they should wear.
Finish with make-up.
Make sure each child has at least brushed their hair.
Drink next cup of coffee.
Start doing hair.
Debate with daughters over their preferred hairstyles.
Help little man get his head full of cowlicks to lie down.
Finish up girls hair.
Have all those little people get their stuff together.
Fix one last cup of coffee for the road.
Get in the car and head to church.

At church I receive gifts made by the precious hands of my kids. I truly, truly LOVE these gifts. After church, we go back home and decide what we are going to have for lunch. I have tried taking the kids out to eat for Mother's Day, but the sentiment loses something when you are sitting there refereeing 3 kids and you have to sign the bill for your own Mother's Day lunch. LOL

Do NOT get me wrong. I know I am blessed! My kids are absolutely AWESOME, and I know that they try to make Mother’s Day as special as they are able. I do love the looks on those beautiful faces when they each give me their handmade gifts. It is truly priceless.

So, take time to look around at the single moms in your life and try to make their day a little more special. Just as important, pray for the women that want to be Mothers but have yet to be blessed. And don’t forget to pray for those that have lost their Mothers. We must remember for some this day is a day to celebrate motherhood, for others it is just another ordinary Sunday and for some it is a day to mourn their loss.