I wrote this post as part of my participation in a blog tour for The Motherhood on behalf of the makers of Children’s MOTRIN® and received compensation to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
Each year as we prepare to lose weight, always I plan to lose weight set goals for a new year and look forward to upping life’s awesome, I like to take time to reflect.
To learn from my mistakes. To reminisce about the awesome. To post that amazingly delicious monkey bread recipe on Facebook one more time so my friends and family members can salivate over it and my uncanny ability to create edible magic in my kitchen.
That’s one thing I truly love about blogging; your memories are right at your finger tips and all you have to do is press the filter button to be reminded of the things you’ve experienced. So, when your brain does that overloaded mom dump thing and you can’t seem to even remember where you left your child (IN A SHOPPING CART AT WEGMANS?! I DID NOT ALMOST JUST LEAVE MY CHILD IN A SHOPPING CART AT WEGMANS!), you can pull up your blog and instantly be reminded of the need to always check the shopping cart before you roll it into that shopping cart parking lot return thingy because your kid might actually be inside of it (it was one of those stupid car things okay, and he fell asleep. I’m not used to that kind of silence!).
It’s also why I try to blog as authentically as possible in this space. One day I hope that I will be able to look back and be all, oooh, that was awesome, and, ooooh, whoa, worst mom choice ever (probably the shopping cart thing), and wow, I was chunky then (because I will be thinner one day, I will, I know it).
My colleagues at The Motherhood and the makers of Children’s MOTRIN® asked me and the other Unstoppable Moms to reflect on some of our most unstoppable moments from the past year and share what they’ve taught us about living an unstoppable mom life. Naturally, because we all know pictures are worth a thousand words, I figured sharing some of mine from 2014 would be the most fun make the most sense.
10 Mom Lessons Learned in 2014 That Make Me an Unstoppable Mom
Unstoppable Moms Lesson 1: Appreciate the power of a furry friend.
When everyone else was outside enjoying a no-school-due-to-massive-snow-accumulation day and one little dude was too sick to join them, it helped that he has a four legged side kick to keep him company. Also awesome, that she abhors snow or any form of precipitation and the thought of going out in that mess is unmanageable for her little dog brain.
Unstoppable Moms Lesson 2: Pancakes solve problems. And bring joy.
And taste awesome when they’re born from my special brown sugar homemade pancake mix. And when you’re snowed in. Again. Having a go-to recipe to make it through the 4th cancelled school day in a row will not only make you unstoppable, but keep you from going all John Nicholson in the Shinning on your family sane.
Unstoppable Moms Lesson 3: A sweet pair of heels still make you feel amazing. Kinda like the public bathroom selfie.
They may hurt like a mug and cause your feet to swell up like Will Smith’s lips in Hitch, but they’re worth it because, every now and then you just need to be reminded that the kids didn’t win, you did! I lie, they totally won, but I can fake it like three times a year.
Unstoppable Moms Lesson 4: Nothing fixes a tough day like a Dude hug.
That is all.
Unstoppable Moms Lesson 5: Fun doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
Sometimes all it takes is a trip through the car wash.
Unstoppable Mom Lesson 6: It’s okay to have a day away.
It is NOT okay to bring your jungle rotted hammer toes out from the winter without checking in on a pedicure. People will notice and probably judge you and ,honestly, I can’t say you wouldn’t deserve it.
Unstoppable Moms Lesson 7: Every mom isn’t great at everything.
We all have our strengths and our weaknesses. Clearly my weakness is organization. Fortunately, one of my strengths is being able to go a really long time without letting the lack of organization even get to me! It’s a gift people, really.
Unstoppable Mom Lesson 8: If you get your elementary school aged children so exhausted from an action packed day of fun in the sun that they end their day in a hardcore nap session you are winning at summer.
As much as I used to despise the car nap, they are sorta starting to grow on me in my old age.
Unstoppable Mom Lesson 9: It’s okay to just let them be.
So what if that means your 6 year old wears a costume for three weeks before and two weeks after Halloween? Never again will he have that sort of freedom of expression, don’t take it away prematurely. And don’t be jealous because he can wear a one piece stretchy suit in public without repercussion.
Unstoppable Moms Less 10: Never leave your child in a shopping cart.
There is not photographic evidence of this incident because, thankfully, I remembered before I actually left him, but it reminded me that I probably need to sleep more, a nanny sounds awesome, and those shopping carts with the car on the front are made by Satan (which I suspected ages ago).
What are your most unstoppable mom moments this year? Pop over to the Children’s Motrin Facebook page and share how you’re an unstoppable mom for a chance to win one of the weekly $100 prizes. Even if you don’t win, every tip you offer will trigger a $1 donation to Safe Kids.*
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY, OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES & D.C., 18 AND OLDER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Promotion ends 11:59p.m. ET 12/28/14. Sponsor will donate $1 for each approved Submission made as part of the promotion, with a minimum donation of $30,000 and a maximum donation of $50,000. For Official Rules, and complete details, visit www.unstoppablemoms.com. Sponsor: McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. To learn more about Safe Kids Worldwide visit safekids.org.
Love this post! And the picture of your pup in the garage? It looks like the pool noodles are her reindeer antlers!