Cat Poop. Kid Poop. Baby Puke: My Glamorous Life

The life of a stay-at-home mom is not often as glamorous as some people may think. Contrary to popular belief (well, at least to my husband’s belief), I do not sit around eating chocolate and watching TV while the kids play quietly and safely in another room. Even if that scenario sounds amazing, it’s not reality. Today, Sophia (she’s almost 15 months) decided that it would be interesting to try and see what the litterbox was like to WALK IN! I was brushing my teeth and helping Abby (my 4-year-old) get her teeth brushed, too, when I looked over and saw Sophia sitting on the floor and there was poop smeared on her foot, on the bath mat, and of course, on the bathroom floor. I was confused as to where the poop came from (aliens or ghosts, perhaps?) for a few seconds, until it dawned on me that we keep our litterbox next to the toilet in the bathroom (tip: this usually works out well as I scoop right into the toilet and flush!). That’s when I realized it was CAT poop. Gross! I immediately checked her hands to make sure she hadn’t touched it (she hadn’t! Victory!) and then sat her on the edge of the sink and washed her feet and also her hands for good measure.

Poop-1 Mom-0

After this lovely fiasco, I decided to not let it bring me down and to meet up with another mommy friend at the park. We played for a couple hours, picnicked, and enjoyed the sunshine before deciding to take the kids out for a special treat. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM! Well, froyo for me, anyway...that’s when disaster decided to strike. With only a porta potty in sight, I raced Abby to the bathroom. We were too late and didn’t make it in time. Of course, I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to stop somewhere for a real bathroom since we had been out all morning/afternoon, but of course, hindsight is 20/20 and that’s how Abby ended up leaving there in just her shirt and bathing suit bottoms.

Poop-2 Mom-0

Fast forward to the evening. I had a lovely dinner with my grandparents and my aunt and I was about to go with Sophia to the mall. Abby opted to stay with my grandparents instead of coming along, which turned out to be a blessing! Sophia and I left and arrived at the mall fairly quickly. I hopped out of the car and moved to grab her so we could go inside and pick up what I needed. Just as I was reaching to get her out of her car seat, I remembered I left my wallet in the front seat and went back in the front to grab it. Unfortunately for me, this was my fatal mistake. My one knee was on my driver’s seat and I was leaning over into the passenger seat to grab my wallet when I heard it. Loudly and clearly, I heard it. I tried to pretend that I didn’t hear correctly, but of course I had! I moved quickly to Sophia but it was too late, her dinner was in her lap and all over her car seat. I had forgotten our new “favorite” thing to do- get car sick! If I don’t wait long enough after a meal to put Sophia in the car, then her guts will be in my car as well pretty quickly. Hopefully, I will learn this lesson sooner rather than later, as I would rather not have to deal with the smell and mess again. Because there I stood, in the parking lot of the mall, trying to clean puke out of a car seat and strip down my one-year-old to her diaper, put her in a new outfit, and try not to sympathy puke all over the whole darn mess! It worked. I cleaned it up without adding to it and was able to get in and get out of the mall in record time.

Poop/Puke-3 Mom-0

The rest of the night was spent doing my nails...oh wait...nope...it was spent giving my kids a BATH! Even though it was past their bedtime...I didn’t care. They smelled and they were dirty and needed a bath. I needed a glass of wine, but I didn’t get one (there should be an emergency stash around at all times...I haven’t learned this lesson yet either). Anyway, what do you think? Am I living the glamorous life or what?! HA!

Being Active During The Summer Heat

There are a lot of reasons to lay around and do nothing during the summer...especially if you are a stay-at-home mom like me. Children might be whiney due to heat, i.e.: "Moooooommmmmm, I don't want to play outside. It's too hot. Can't we just watch tv all day?! Puh-lease?!"   and you may have no motivation to argue with them. You may also want to avoid crowds at places like the amusement park, the zoo, or the playground or public pool. With all of those factors going up against you, it's hard to fault you for staying indoors and lounging around doing nothing. However, if you do decide to get off your rear and make your days more exciting (and more calorie-burning), then by all means, follow these suggestions: 

1. In the morning when it's cooler, go jogging with your kids in the jogging stroller or if they are old enough, on a bike.

2. Set up a sprinkler in your yard and run through it with your kids.

3. Mid-week, take a day trip to places like the local zoo or even to the Crayola Factory. You will walk a ton and have a lot of fun playing with your kids. Also, it will be less crowded than on a weekend.

4. Find some friends and take a trip to the beach! But don't just lay around getting burnt in the sand...walk they boards and look for some fun food finds. 

5. Go hiking! It's cooler in the mountains and you will get to see some more of te beautiful nature that God has surrounded us with. 

Let Freedom Ring

I just wanted to take a second to THANK GOD for the freedoms that I have been given. I live in the United States, where I am lucky enough to experience Freedom of religion and to experience the RIGHT to pursue happiness. I LOVE that it’s a constitutional right for people to be able to do so. However, just because we have the right to pursue happiness, doesn’t mean we have the right to make stupid decisions that could get ourselves or someone else hurt, or worse. So today, be thankful of your freedoms but be mindful of other peoples’ as well. Stay safe and try to eat somewhat healthy today so you don’t get completely off-track. I’m choosing to use my freedom of choice today to make healthy decisions- like watermelon for dessert instead of dirt cake :)

I also plan on trying out some fun recipes. Like these healthy & not-so-healthy recipes (ya gotta live a little) I pinned on my Pinterest. Check them out here!

Enjoy your Independence Day, America, and stay safe!