More Than I Can Handle?

I'm experiencing serious mommy brain at the moment and I wouldn't be surprised if I turn into an incoherent lunatic sometime soon. With extra stressors thrown our way this week, and 2 kids that just keep going and going and going like they are supercharged on sugar I feel like I just may be losing it. At least I know I'm not alone or that's what I've read recently anyway. I keep hearing that saying or whatever, that says God doesn't give you anymore than you can handle. Well, let me tell you, that is a load of BS. Seriously. Does anyone really believe that?

Any words of wisdom? Right now things suck. I'll get over it. I know that. Venting OVER. Ok, I sort of feel better. Thankfully, vacation comes next Tuesday and for a whole 8 days I can pretend everything is the greatest. Plus we will have help with the boys ALL week (the in-laws & 2 other families are going with us) which basically means that the hubs and I can be lazy and act like kids if we so desire, and you know what, I sooo desire that right about now.

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On Mother's Day 2007

I never really thought I wanted to be a Mother until I became a Mother. After that moment of giving birth, I knew that being a Mother was one the most wonderful, if not the greatest, gifts I could ever be blessed with. Sure, Motherhood is hard, stressful at times, painful, and comes with so much responsibility but all those things pale in comparison to the unconditional love, hugs, fun, laughter, clarity and kisses your children give you as their Mother.



Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, my sisters, my mother in law, and all my mommy friends in cyberspace. You are all so special and such wonderful Mothers. I heart all of you! ;) And for a trip down memory lane, here is last year's Mother's Day Tribute to the Moms In My Life.

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Shameless Promotion on this Mother's Day. I hope you will take a moment and enter the ContestForMoms.com Mother's Day Giveaways. You have until tommorow night to enter to win the Metromamma Metrowrap that many celebrities have been seen with. And, you have a few more weeks to enter to win the HP Printing Mailbox & Presto.com Giveaway! Check out all the Mother's Day giveaways we have posted over at the Mom Reviews (there may still be time to enter some of them so check them out today).

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The Poop Memories of Motherhood

A few nights ago the boys and I sat on the bed laughing about poop and farts. Yep, you can get away with that kind of stuff if you have all boys and only 1 girl(me) in the house. We made up poop & fart rhymes, jokes, and names. What? It was educational.

Strangely, that was the most fun I'd had in a long time. Just sitting there and really being in the moment with my two little boys. The sound of their laughter and the looks on their faces was the sweetest thing. It's those moments that we will all remember.

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On to other things,

Take a moment today and read some of the new reviews posted over at AMomsReview.com You may find something you like or dislike. Share your opinion. Help me make this a great go to resource for when you (moms) want to get honest information before you buy a product!

Here are some recent products that were reviewed:

The Fun Book For Moms
Fruitabu (Yummmy & Healthy)
BusyBodyBook Fridge Grid Pad
Kaboom Neverscrub Toilet System (my favorite so far)
PlaySkool Flip Top Sippy Cup

More to come every week!

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This Momma Needs A Fitness Expert

Will someone who is a fitness expert please step up and comment here?

I'm 4'10 and around 85lbs yet after having 2 children I don't exactly look the same as I used to. This is what I look like now from my other post. I understand that I won't ever be the same as I was pre-baby but I've got to believe that something can be done for my mid-section other than plastic surgery.

I know I might sound vain but that's just me. Some people laugh at me when I say that I want to work on my stomach and get tone. I know some people are thinking that I should get over myself. They say I don't need to do anything and that I look great for having two babies. Well, the thing is this...I don't feel comfortable in my own skin. My husband says that when I look in the mirror I see something totally different than what most other people see. Well, I see jiggly fat and lots of extra skin. YES I have body image issues just like everybody else. And, to be honest, it's hard not to look the way I used to especially when everyone knows me for bouncing back.

Is it really possible to fix the post-baby stomach. Someone show me some proof please and tell me how you did it or how you are doing it...

And, just to let you know what brought this rambling on...um, I tried on that black VS swimsuit yesterday and hate it.

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I'm Beginning To Believe That Nothing Is EASY Anymore

I go back and forth on a weekly, sometime daily, basis on where I want to live and raise our kids. I know the sole responsibility does not lie with me yet I feel the weight of it resting on me because I’m the mother. There are several other issues with which I change my tune weekly some of them being religion, home schooling, and various other things that I just don’t feel like talking about at the moment. You could call me indecisive or you could just agree with me that motherhood/parenting/life is NOT by any stretch of the imagination, easy or simple.

Every issue/problem/possible decision deserves ample attention and evaluation, and coming up with the right answer that is best for our family is hard. Gosh, I never thought it would be like this. I never thought I would obsess over the simplest things that I see some parents never give a second thought to. They just go along with the rest of the crowd. I guess it’s because the husband and I don’t go with the flow that often. We don’t do what everyone else is doing and that’s fine with us in our little world but something from the outside makes us (or me atleast) feel that I may be doing something wrong and that we are slightly psychotic(which actually isn't far-fetched since I posted a photo of myself in a bikini a couple days ago. Whatever possessed me to do this?) for living our life the way we really want to.

Will it ever get any easier? I don’t know but writing about it is a relief. Letting other parents in on my life through blogging with the possibility of making connections and support makes things seem a little easier and a little less isolating.

In other news, my husband is doing so much better. Thanks for all the well wishes and comments. I do appreciate it. We are recovering nicely at the in-laws. ;)

I thought I'd also let others know about a new contest I came across as well as the Mom singing contest approaching deadline next week. Get your mom singing contest entries in here today.

RealSavvyMoms.com wants your birth stories. Submit your story HERE and ten people will win an Eloise In Hollywood DVD for their children.

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The Bikini That Will

Either A.) Be the death of me or B.) get my butt (and, um, abs) in shape.

Last month I talked about how Victoria's Secret practically forced me into shopping for bathing suits in the dead of winter. Well, I never actually bought anything until yesterday and the bad part is that I bought it without trying it on. Of course, that's not half as bad as having to take 2 little boys into a dressing room with me and trying on a billion bathing suits in front of them and THAT horrid mirror.

Before deciding on buying that black VS bikini on the left, I actually thought about buying a tankini. Yes, a tankini. Because I'm a mom and I guess that's what moms and those over 30 should be wearing. But you know what, I've never in my life worn anything but a bikini and I think I'd feel less comfortable and slightly ridiculous in a tankini even with my messed up stomach and belly button (shown on the left Yikes!) not to mention the minimal boobs left from breastfeeding. Ah, the issues that I have...

I bought that bikini early as MOTIVATION to get myself in better shape. Last year I was quite self conscious of my odd looking post-baby midsection but aren't we all? Why do I worry so much? NO one cares anyway basically because their too busy worrying about their own flaws. I don't want to feel that way anymore whether it be because I actually get in shape or simply because I just get over it. Wouldn't it be nice if it were that easy?

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What I'm Doing Today

I'm going to try and start off today with a more "sane" post unlike my last post so we'll just talk about some things that I plan on doing today. Will that be ok?

Eat a whole box of girl scout cookies

Attempt to work on our business taxes....Ack!!!!!!!

Finish up reading Good Kids, Bad Habits so I can review it here and tell all of you what I think.

So far, it's really a great/helpful book but reading the facts about what these bad habits are doing to our kids are ALARMING. Come back later this week for my full review and my oldest son's (6) Real Age Healthy Kids Test Results.

Continue to shamelessly promote our Mom Singing Contest and feature yet another wonderful sponsor later this evening

And, finally, watch the girls perform on American Idol tonight. Surely they will do better than the guys did last night.

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Resisting The Perfect Mom?

As mothers, most of us think we are always doing something wrong or that we could always be doing something better for ourselves or for our kids. We constantly look to what our friends or family or the nearest self help parenting book is doing and if what we do isn't the same, we feel like a failure. Oh, why, oh why was this given to us?

My husband says I constantly over-analyze and that I read too many parenting books, and that I put too much faith into what I read on the Internet. Um, yeah, that third one can be dangerous. It allows you to read about so many different parenting styles and perspectives first hand that it drives you crazy because you never know what the hell you should be doing.

Why can't we just be OK with who we are? Why do we compare ourselves to what every other Mother/Parent out there is doing?

On most days, I'm Ok with me BUT my confidence wavers when I read about what other parents are doing, or if I talk to our family or simply by seeing typical parents out and about in our small town.

Why do we find it so hard to resist that which society says we should be if it does not work for us?

Oh the joys of motherhood...and my ramblings...

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I AM Domestically Challenged: Welcome To My World

I am domestically challenged.

I’m not a good cook. At best, I can one day hope to make a cake without fried egg in the middle.

I’m not organized.

I’m not a neat freak.

I can’t decorate not even with the help of home decorating 101

Basically, the only domestic thing I am good at is vacuuming so I do it often

I hate washing dishes and I miss the dishwasher in our old apartment. If you came to our home you may see the same pile of dirty dishes two days in a row.

The boys have overtaken every room in our home and no room is free of junk and toys.

And, I’m mostly ok with all of this until I read about the moms who seemingly have it all together with immaculate homes and perfected recipes.

I begin to wonder, could I do that? Do I need to be like THAT mommy?

More importantly, HOW can I do that when I work at home full time with two kids at home? It’s not even realistic… Furthermore, if you are THAT mommy who has it "all together" with kids at home AND you also work at home, then please do drop me a line and share your secrets with me. Until then, I'll be over here in my mess.

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Sing, Moms, Sing!

With nearly $1000 worth of prizes to give away you’d think we’d have more entries than we do right now for our first ever very own Mom Singing Contest.

So, what are you waiting for? Enter the contest today. It will be fun, I promise!

And, even if you are the world’s worst singer you can still win a prize. We have some awesome prizes to give away. I’m going to feature 1 sponsor per day on the blog until we’ve got them all covered so that you can see what wonderful sponsors we have and so that seeing these prizes will ultimately force you to enter.

Enter here, the Mom Singing Contest DEADLINE: March 13, 2007

If you have any questions or technical issues with entering the contest and want to enter, I’d be happy to help. Just email me.

Also, FYI, the entire CFM site will be down as we move to a new server within the next 24-48 hours so don’t fret if you don’t see us online for a few hours. I promise we’ll be back and BETTER! Look for the new blog design and site redesign coming soon!

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A Personal Ad For Mommy Friends

The husband and I was having a conversation about friendships a couple days ago and he says that when couples have kids that they no longer want nor have time for real friendships with other people. I have to believe that he’s not right because I want some new friendships. And, believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve sifted through neighbors and soccer moms and just whatever I can find in this small town but nothing has stuck.

I’ll just go ahead and post my friendship personal ad here and you tell me whether I’m being crazy and unrealistic.

“Hi. I’m a married mom of two boys looking for friendships with married couples with one or more children for dinner dates, get-togethers and adult conversations.

Must have similar interests & values such as

An education
Full set of teeth
You must actually love & care for your children
A Sense of Humor *Thanks for reminding me Leslie
Open-mindedness, progressive, honest, liberal. Need I say more?

*Ability to make a cocktail a PLUS when Mommy has had a bad day

Is this too much to ask? I’m quite easy to please don’t you think? Or am I?

Edited to Add: After writing this, I saw that the Zero Boss had talked about a quite similar topic yesterday, Meeting Other Couples... and I wanted to link to it. It's nice to know we're not the only ones who stink. Of course, he could probably care less considering I'm a Southerner ;)

And, in his comment section I found this, Friendless With Kids

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Happy Valentines Day 2007

My husband made this card for me from him and our boys so I just had to share it here. It's so adorable.

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Do you want to host a mom tv show?

RealSavvyMoms.com is looking for a mom to be the host of their tv show, Real Moms, Real Stories, Real Savvy. This tv show has won multiple awards.

What we are looking for: Please make a short video (30sec – 2 min) which shows us why you should be our new host. Introduce yourself and tell us your story. Show us whatever you feel is most relevant and interesting about your life: your family, your neighborhood, your talents, your challenges. We want to see the Real you.

I think there are many of you out there in blogland (that I read) that would be perfect for this. Take a chance and upload your short video today here.

REMEMBER, you must enter by Friday February 16, 2007.

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Celebrating Doing Business In Your Bathrobe Day

Today is doing business in your bathrobe day and I'm celebrating. It's nice to have a holiday just for work at home moms. To learn more about doing business in your bathrobe day and month go to webmomz.com. You can also sign up to win some awesome prizes.


And, speaking of awesome prizes, our Mom Idol Style Singing Contest kicks off today! Go here for the contest page and we are now accepting entries. We will accept entries today february 13th through March 13th, 2007. Please go to the contest page, read how to enter, the complete list of rules, and please visit our prizes sponsors. *We are adding prize sponsors throughout the day and should be finished with everything this evening. GOOD LUCK and I hope to see a HUGE turnout for this fun contest...even if you can't sing. Remember, you can still win if you can't sing. And, we are going to have one viewer's choice winner. How's that sound?

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A Contest To Fight The Cold Blues...

*updated below* updated again.

So, I was talking to a friend today and she suggested having a singing contest ala American Idol style where you, mommas, can submit a video or a sound file of you singing your favorite song to me.

Since many of us are going to be making fools out of ourselves I figured I'd have to offer some real prizes.

We'll pick out a few different winners from best to worst such as "Most Likely to make Simon roll his eyes and say, "What the hell was that?"

Doesn't this sound fun?

I'll get back with all of you on the full contest details and prizes within the next day or so. In the meantime, I expect you to be practicing your songs. Hey, you don't have to be a good singer to win a good prize. Remember, we are giving away good prizes to some bad singers too!

So, who's all ready to enter?

*We are currently seeking donations specifically products, books, or services for moms. This contest will be heavily promoted on several sites and most of all on our main site, ContestForMoms.com which averages 958, 000+ hits per month.

**We have our first official sponsor. We will post more sponsors as they come along.

Harper Collins Publishing They are donating several parenting book titles of which I'll add to the official contest list.

Diaperbaggies.com They are donating two packages of diaper baggies to a winner.

hipchicksboutique.com They are donating a Hip Chicks or Little Man's Tee of the winner's choice.

More to come...

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Now Is When I Stop Being Depressing

A little bird came and told me today that my blog has gotten rather depressing and bordering on "emotional mess"*. Seriously, though, if you have read my comments section from my last post you might actually guess that it was my husband. Tee Hee...

Anyway, I've been outed. First of all I should explain myself. I don't blog to complain and I certainly don't want to sound like I am depressed or unhappy because I am NOT. I am far from unhappy but that doesn't mean that I won't occasionally be whiney or make a complaint or be an emotional mess at times. And, ya know, sometimes if I'm lacking in inspiration I'll just find something to complain about and I really shouldn't come here to do that. It's not fair to my readers or my family.

In the blogosphere, moms and happy don't seem to mix very well. If a mom constantly gabs about how happy she is and how perfect (I promise I'm not perfect) her life is and how great her kids are, other bloggers get turned off and fast. Maybe thats why sometimes I feel it necessary to share a complaint even if it's not so ,dare I say, spot on.

Realistically speaking, I am a happy person and I can find the positive in almost anything. I love my life and I love my children. I love who my husband is and who I am. I'm not saying we are perfect. I'm not saying my kids are either but they sure are close. Aren't yours?

Furthermore, we aren't living a glamorous life unless you think glamorous is living on a work at home income while the husband completes his PHD. Is it a bad thing if you are happy with who you are?

*And, today was also the day that I revealed to my husband my crush on the Dirty Jobs Host eating chinese in our pajamas hillbilly style...at the restaurant.. Was that a good idea?

Overall, I just dont want my readers to get the wrong impression about me and I hope who I truly am comes across in my writing even if it makes me that "happy mommy blogger" that everyone loves to hate.

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Can I Get An Order of Alone Time Please?

Seriously. What is the deal lately? I can't get 5 minutes to myself NOT even in the shower. When I announce I'm going to take a shower it's like a race to see who can get naked the quickest to get in the tub with me, husband included.

My only "alone" time is early mornings when I do most of my work or atleast attempt to catch up on some of my work. Realistically, if I want to increase my income (which I do at the moment) then I need an additional 3 hours per day of focused time to make it work but that ain't happenin' anytime soon so let's just throw that idea out the window. I could stay up later at nights but I'm not much of a late-nighter anymore. I could give up my one measly hour of entertainment per night... But what I really want is a break...a mutual understanding that mommy needs a few extra (or atleast one extra hour) per day of pure quiet time to just breathe... Is that too much to ask? Do I even get the option here?

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