Let's make like Elsa and let it go...

Thanks (more like no thanks) to the enormously popular Disney movie, Frozen, I can't hear the phrase 'let it go; without singing it in my head. I know I'm not alone.

This is my daughter singing Let it Go...for the millionth time.

Sometimes we (myself included) get so wrapped up in the what to dos and what not to dos of parenting. We consistently second guess ourselves on whether we are doing the right things. The amount of willing advice at our fingertips is astounding. Of course we do this to ourselves, constantly researching and pinning websites that contain ways to make us better parents. But why do we do this?? It's so easy to start criticizing ourselves for doing things that we shouldn't be doing or should be doing more of...and believe me, I am 100% at fault for doing it myself.

I am currently on a Pinterest strike. No offense Pinterest, but I can't handle reading any more articles or blogs on awesome crafts or sensory activities to do with my kids. It makes me mad that I don't do enough...and then I feel sad about it and then I feel guilty because my kids are the ones that are suffering. I once tried a sensory bin of uncooked rice and misc tools. It was a disaster. I actually updated my FB status with my failure, as if admitting to it would make me feel better. This is what I said:

MOVE IT!

One of my biggest pet peeves of parenting is the lack of urgency my daughter has. She has none. Of course I don't blame her at all. Really why would she? She doesn't care about time. She's 3...but that doesn't mean it's not unbelievably frustrating. I'd like to think of myself as calm, patient, and even keeled. But I'm a natural work now, play later sort of person. I'm a first born and I act like it. I like organization, multitasking and getting ish done. It's very easy for me to 'get in the zone' whether it's prepping to leave the house, tidying up a room or completing a jigsaw puzzle (don't you judge). So when little miss lalygagger interrupts my flow, it sends me through the roof.

Taking vitamins means it's ok to have chips for breakfast right?

We just recently purchased some awesome tasting gummy vitamins from Costco for my daughter. She's around the age where the importance of eating balanced meals doesn't mean anything. She would live off of snacks if we let her. She currently has 4 major food groups that she has no problem eating. These consist of carbs, dips, fruit (snacks), and beverages. The other actual food groups take some heavy persuasion. I find myself relying on her willingness to drink milk, eat PB&J sandwiches, and not notice the chopped spinach that I hide in her dinner meals...if she actually eats them. So we're doing the vitamin thing. I admit that it makes me feel better about her awful diet when she is happily chewing on her vita-gummies. I try to ignore the fact that I'm also feeding her added sugar and (probably) GMO laced soy lecithin...but whatever.

Any picky eater tips?

Hello, my name is Mama.

I am Mama. Occasionally I am Mommy...and rarely I am Mom. Which usually comes out sounding like "Mooom...<why did you put my sippy cup all the way over there?>  Geeze, sorry. I'm not sure how calling me Mom came about as she is just a few months shy of her 3rd birthday.  In my opinion, she's not old enough. She's only allowed to call me Mom when she's yelling and slamming doors, wallowing in pools of teenage emotion. Usually it's just Mama...or more like Maaama! (hence the title of my blog) I probably hear this 100x a day, maybe even 200 on a more challenging day. The pleading...the whining...the desperate cry. "Mama......mama......maaama!" Sure it may not sound as desperate if I just answered right away but honestly sometimes I tend to block it out, not on purpose of course. I feel like I hear it so much that I start to not hear it after awhile. Since, for some reason, she needs to call my name before she tells me ANYTHING...

Hi there!

Hello and welcome! Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to check out my blog. I hope I can bring some laughter into your day, or at least a smile! So let's cut the small talk and get down to it (because your me time minutes are ticking away, am I right?). Right.

What are you doing here? Well I'm sure you are a smart person who has better things to do than sit around and read a blog about the life of a mom, or rather the life of all moms (and dads) since we experience similar things, you and I. All kids follow a general learning path. They are faced with relatively the same obstacles to overcome and it is our job as parents to help guide them. You're probably like "I am a mom (dad), I already know what my life is like." Yes, you are correct. I'm sure it's very similar to mine which is why you are here! "Hey I know a thing or two about raising kids 24/7 but let's see what this lady has to say about it. Lets compare our experiences."