20 ways to treat your fellow moms

In a recent post, McKenzie wrote about building up your mom tribe. We thought we would expand on the idea with 20 specific tasks you can do to support your fellow moms! Be sure to leave a comment and let us know how YOU show support for your fellow moms or how other moms have given you support.

These ideas range from easy, fast, and free to some requiring a bit more effort, time, and money, but they all are worthwhile!

1. Send her a note through good old fashioned snail mail telling her how great she is--just a few sentences may be enough.

2. Help her with a cleaning or organizing project, especially if she's been talking about a particular project for a while but hasn't made time for it. 

3. Send a quick "Just wanted to say I am glad we are friends!" text.

4. Send her some gorgeous flowers or an incredibly hard to kill plant (because most of us moms don't have time to water regularly!)

5. Write out a list of 5 things you admire about her parenting skills and give it to her.

6. Offer to watch her kids so she can go to the grocery store ALONE.

7. ...and give her a $5 coffee shop gift card first so she can sip her coffee ALONE while she shops!

8. If you know what kind of scents she likes, buy her a luscious, smooth NICE body lotion...make it an upgrade from what she probably buys for herself.

9. Has she mentioned a fitness or other class she wants to try? Find out when it is, buy her a session, and watch her kids at your house so she can go to the class.

10. Gift her with an amazing bubble bath or Lush bath bomb and a high quality loofah.

11. Buy or make her a whole fruit smoothie for a little boost.

12. Buy her a single movie ticket and watch her kids so she can see a movie with a rating above G or PG uninterrupted and ALONE.

13. Get her a new journal and a great pen.

14. If there is a charity close to her heart, make a donation in her honor--be sure the charity sends notes to honorees, and maybe write a little note to her yourself too.

15. If she talks about wanting nicer nails but never makes time for a manicure, gather up your manicure supplies and go treat her to a manicure in her kitchen. Make sure you hit up Starbucks or her favorite coffee shop on your way over! 

16. Does she love to read? Buy her a book she's been talking about or that you think she might love.

17. ...and invite her kids to your house for a couple of hours so she can read without interruptions (and tell her to read for those two hours--NO HOUSEWORK ALLOWED!).

18. Tell her to NOT make anything for dinner and then surprise her with a pizza or other food delivery for dinner (pay for the food, delivery, and tip for her so she just has to open the door and take the food!).

19. Take her kids to the park or invite them to play at your house while she does whatever she wants...but insist that she spend the time doing what she WANTS, not what she feels obligated to do.

20. Listen. Just listen...next time you ask how she really is, and she replies with "Fine", don't accept that. Ask her how she REALLY is and listen. Be there. Let her talk without trying to fix problems. Sometimes moms just need to talk and we don't want someone else to fix things for us...we just want to be heard and validated.

What else would you add? Are there things another mom has done to support you or that you have done to support members of your mom tribe?

And, ladies, if you want your husbands, partners, or others in your life who can never get the gift or treat giving right, consider printing this list and giving it to them as a starting point!

Love this? Check out these additional great posts:

 

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Mom2MomEd Gift Guide Elementary School Readers Book Advent Calendar

Last week, we posted our first GIFT GUIDE which was about books for pre and early readers and how to use books as a holiday Advent calendar--perfect for starting a new holiday tradition with your children!

We are big believers in reading and think books make great books, and that is true for all ages! This post includes books that both McKenzie and I have loved ourselves or that my son has enjoyed. I also have used several of these to turn some of her tutoring students on to the joys of reading.

A little aside here--growing up across the street from McKenzie and being a few years older, I used to pass down many of my books to her and to another neighbor to read. I LOVED sharing my love of reading back then and I still love sharing my literary interests with others today (can you tell?)!

Anyhow, this post is strictly books for elementary age kids from early elementary to upper elementary age. You'll have to judge by your child's reading skills when selecting books for your children--I strongly suggest choosing a few books that are a little easy, a few that are right on point, and a few that will be a challenge. The easier titles and the ones right on level will help increase your child's confidence while the more challenging titles will bring you together as you read them side by side.

Every book on this list is linked to Amazon for your convenience, and just as you can use early and pre-reader books to create an Advent countdown for your younger kids, you can do the same for your older kids too! Simply wrap a book up for every day from December 1st through Christmas eve. Put them all in a pile or a basket and let your child choose a book per day leading up to Christmas.

For elementary kids of all ranges of ages/abilities/levels:

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
A Dog Called Kitty by Bill Wallace
Al Capone Shines My Shoes and Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

The Year of the Dog and The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin (There's a third book in the series, but I haven't read it: Dumpling Days.)

Guys Read: Funny Business by Jon Scieszka (This one is particularly good for....guys! The author has made it his mission to encourage boys to read more.)

Flush and Hoot by Carl Hiaasen (note: these do contain a small amount of swearing)

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

Sideways Stories from Wayside School box set by Louis Sachar

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Frindle by Andrew Clements

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Bunnicula series boxed set by Deborah and James Howe

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Giver series by Lois Lowry
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (the illustrations alone make Hugo Cabret worthwhile!)
The Thief Lord and the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Gods of Manhattan by Scott Mebus

If your kids are interested in history, these works of historical fiction are terrific:
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Corr
Maus and Maus II by Art Speigelman (These are actually graphic novels, but they are truly literary in nature. JP is 18 and still goes back to them!)

We also love these non-fiction books:
Grossology: The Science of Really Gross Things by Sylvia Branzei and Jack Keely
Grossology and You: Really Gross Things About Your Body by Sylvia Branzei and Jack Keely
Animal Grossology: The Science of Creatures Gross and Disgusting by Sylvia Branzei and Jack Keely

If you are concerned about the cost of buying so many books, consider the tips in THIS post from McKenzie, or click on the titles above and see if anyone is selling the books used for a penny plus postage on Amazon! 

Check out these other literary blog posts:

• Alphabet Scavenger Hunt: A simple activity for pre-readers to practice their ABCs
• Thoughts and tips on building a family of readers
• Family traditions for happy holidays

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How I recover from major life disruptions

McKenzie and I have posted a few times about life knocking us about, and this post is along the same lines. However, today's post is about I RECOVER from such things.

We've both faced major hurdles recently, and I just got home less than 12 hours ago from my latest life obstacle. 

I was on course to blow up my income with the equivalent of an extra work week's worth of pay at time-and-a-half when I suddenly became ill. I spent an entire day in the bathroom (I'll spare you the details) and then had two days of worsening nausea...nausea that became so bad that I had to call in sick for one shift and finally go to Urgent Care. Two prescriptions, a negative flu swab, and a follow-up plan in place and I was feeling a bit better. 

I headed back to work.

On my way home? 

BOOM!

I had the worst abdominal pain I had ever had in my entire life--and I've given birth, had a gallbladder problem, and had appendicitis in the past! This felt like the pain from labor but high up in my abdomen--I am NOT pregnant, FYI!

I was almost home from work when this happened and so I just kept on driving to the nearest emergency department. A few hours later and I was being admitted...

Not what I was expecting at all!

I was in the hospital for three days, two nights, but I had been sick for a few days prior and thus not getting anything done at home prior being hospitalized anyhow. 

I am feeling much, much better (but still don't have answers as to why this pain occurred in the first place...I'll be following up with a specialist), and spent as much time as I could resting since getting home, but now I am restless...

Even if I wasn't restless, my approach to recovering from major life disruptions is about the same anytime something knocks me off course. 

First though, if you are recovering from a medical issue, know your body and follow your doctor's instructions! Got it? We don't want you putting yourself back in the hospital or your doctor's office because you overdid it in your attempt to get life back on track!

So, how I do I recover from major life disruptions?

As you can imagine, as a single mom to an 18 year old and with two dogs, our home was a WRECK when I got home! My son did some basics like taking care of the dogs and putting his dirty clothes in (or close-ish) the laundry basket, but the house was still pretty trashed!

My first order of business in getting back on track is to REST! 

After I've rested some, I start by clearing up and cleaning up the area around my bed. I start here because it's super easy to stay in bed and tidy your bedside table. If you get tired while cleaning up around the bed, you can just sit back down or lay down for a bit more rest. I got rid of old tissues and scraps of paper, poured out a glass of old water and emptied a can of ginger ale and put the glass and can in the sink and recycling, respectively, and put anything that didn't belong on the bed, bedside table, or floor where those items belong.

I next move to the bathroom--again, if you get tired, you can just take a seat on the toilet and rest for a moment before either continuing or heading back to bed for more rest. I took any random drinking glasses to the kitchen sink, put away loose hair ties and accessories, tidied up toothbrushes and such items, and put the laundry IN the basket. 

While cleaning up the bathroom, I also lit a nice candle and refilled my drinking glass with ice water--staying hydrated is important for anyone, but also super important for me based on one of the problems uncovered while I was admitted.

Next, I cleaned up and organized my backpack, lunch bag, and wallet just a bit. I had previously cleaned up my backpack and wallet as part of a challenge McKenzie and I are running in a private Facebook group (you can find our public page HERE), so they only needed little touch-ups.

I could do a lot more right now, but as I mentioned above, it is important to REST!

By tackling the areas around my bed and in the bathroom, I have a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of life getting back to normal. 

I plan to get some more rest over the next few days, as well as to do some yoga as I am STIFF STIFF STIFF from basically just laying in bed for several days! 

But, as I feel up to doing a bit more around the house, I will:

• retouch up and tidy the area around my bed and in the bathroom
• clean up the kitchen a bit (shared by my son and I, my uncle whom we live with, and my uncle's roommate)
• tidy my car
• tidy up the counter/table surfaces where things start to just accumulate
• do some laundry
• meal plan
• budget for the remainder of the year
• DELEGATE a lot to my son!

Once again though, REST is my priority!

If you are recovering from a major life disruption, go slowly, pay attention to what your body and mind can and cannot handle, and give yourself a break. If you are a mom, you are probably a lot harder on yourself than anyone else--give yourself a break! Your family will survive a bit of mess and chaos, and you can always get them involved in helping pull your routine back together!

How do YOU recover from major life disruptions? Leave a comment and let us know!

Want more Mom2MomEd? You can:

• find us on Etsy or Teachers Pay Teachers
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Love this post? Check out these additional great topics:

• Why you should use a reverse to do list
• How REAL moms get it all done
• Build up your mom tribe

Family Traditions for Happy Holidays

It's that wonderful time of year again! 

Whether you celebrate Christmas or another winter holiday, you can't help but notice all of the holiday hoopla that goes into this time of year. Heck, Christmas decorations have been out at the stores near me since October.

Whoa, hold on!

It's a busy time of year for all of us. It also usually lends itself to extra stressors whether they be due to financial stress or family issues. It seems like the happiest time of the year can also be the hardest at times. 

Browsing through my Facebook, feed I've noticed several posts already about Elf on the Shelf and other holiday traditions. I thought this would be a good time to talk about my family traditions and hopefully to hear about yours too!

We don't do Elf on the Shelf in my home. It's not really anything I consciously chose to opt out of, but rather that I've never purchased one (they are way expensive!) and so it's been easy not to participate in the fad. Plus, I tend to stress out over things like that and I fear that it would end up being one more thing that I have to do and end up not being fun as a result.

In the past my family has done an Advent calendar with books. It was a huge hit with my son. My daughter was a baby that year so she wasn't participating yet. I found many books at thrift stores and collected them over the course of a few months--but you can read about our recommended book list for early and pre-readers HERE). After I have collected the books, I then wrapped them randomly in paper and put them in a basket. Each night at bedtime (when we typically read books), my son would get to pick any book to open and we would read it that night. 

It was so fun for all of us! 

I did wrap one book differently to save for Christmas Eve. It happened to be The Night Before Christmas and worked out perfectly!

We've also done Lego Advent calendars before but I don't feel like my kids were old enough to really get the concept that they all go together in the end. It was more like a little toy every day and they were lost by the end of the month.

{{Note from Malea: My son has loved the Lego Advent calendars for years, and still does at 18!}}

Throughout the holiday season, we usually pick a night (or two) to make hot chocolate and take it with us as we drive around and look at Christmas lights. This is one of my favorite traditions! I think the rest of my family enjoys it just as much as I do! There are some neighborhoods near us that go all out for the holidays and you actually can park and walk up and down the street to enjoy the lights. I love doing that, but I really do think my favorites are when we can drive around and sip hot chocolate from the comfort of our car.

In addition to these fun traditions, my husband and I host Christmas Eve at our house for our extended family. We have done so for the past 10 years, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. It's small and is just my little family, my parents, and my brother. We exchange gifts that night to take some of the pressure off of Christmas morning. My husband and I have made it a tradition to make a gigantic (i.e. massive) seafood feast. We have crab, shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, and anything else we can get our hands on. It's so much fun to plan and prepare and then we serve it like a seafood boil and just lay it all out on the table. The kids love it, the adults love it, and it's a really fun night we all look forward too.

We all hang our stockings on the mantel on Christmas Eve and while Santa fills our children's stockings, my husband and I do one for each other. I always love shopping for my husband's stocking. I love finding small trinkets and knick-knacks that I know he will enjoy. Anything goes....little toys, favorite snacks, and whatever else we can find. Usually there are a couple of funny things thrown in as well, like Poo-Pourri spray, but for the most part the stockings are full of useful and fun items we may or may not have purchased for ourselves.

Those are just a few of our family traditions that I am looking forward to this year. I'd love to hear how your family celebrates the holidays and what fun things you do that are unique to your family.

Love this post? Take a moment to check out these other fun articles:

• Pre and Early Reader Children's Book Advent Calendar
• Real Moms: Kids Say the Darndest Things
• Life IS Education

This post contains affiliate links. 

Real moms in the kitchen--crockpot ideas

It's officially fall here in Northern California and that typically means comfort food and crockpot cooking at my house! There is nothing better than throwing everything in a single pot and having dinner ready on time. 

I dusted off my crockpot this past week, and so far every meal in it has been a hit; however, as I noted HERE, my family and I get tired of the same meals day in and day out. I'm not a very good recipe follower and I don't ever measure, but I thought I'd share some of my tried and true recipes that you may like as well!

In return, please pass your favorites along to us as well by leaving us a comment!

First off, I don't have a fancy crockpot. I have a very inexpensive one (THIS one and it's only $9.99) that I found on Amazon and it works great! I really don't think it matters what type of crockpot you use, but mine has three settings: low, high, and off.

Tonight was an extraordinarily long day in my house and called for a crock pot meal! I drove for a field trip and had a lot of my own work, plus kid stuff, to catch up on this afternoon. Knowing I would have a crazy day, before I left with my son, I laid out some ingredients and my husband threw was able to throw them all into the crockpot and get things started.

The meal turned out amazing and with minimal work. All my husband did was throw in a pot roast, a handful of baby carrots, chopped onion, peeled and chopped potatoes, and an envelope of onion soup mix with the appropriate amount of water. It was a great one pot meal...meat, veggies, and carbs.

Win!

To round out our dinner, I cut up some fruit and dinner was served.

Easy-peasy!

Another family favorite is to throw several boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot with a packet of taco seasoning and some salsa. I don't measure, instead throwing in a few heaping spoonfuls of salsa. Once the chicken has cooked and is falling apart you just use a fork to shred it. We also enjoy adding a can of black beans to the chicken. With or without the beans, you can use this shredded chicken for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, taco salad or whatever else you choose.

Last week, I was hunting through my freezer trying to find something to make for dinner, and all I could find was a pork roast, but I wasn't sure what I should do with it. I ended up throwing it in the crockpot and it turned out to be delicious and the whole family enjoyed it! I simply chopped about half of an onion, added several cups of bone broth that I had in the freezer, minced carrots, two cups of dried beans (I think they were Northern beans), a dash of cumin, and salt and pepper. I just let the roast cook on low all day and by dinner time, the meat was shredded and the beans were perfectly cooked. It ended up being a really good bean soup, especially when I made corn bread to go along with it. Both of my kids , especially my son, LOVED this. My little guy even took some to school the next day in his thermos!

I haven't made it yet this year, but another family favorite is to peel and core several apples and literally just throw them into the crockpot on low for several hours. I usually just add a dash of apple pie spice, but not always--this makes a yummy applesauce with or without the apple pie spice! This has to be the easiest, no fuss way to make applesauce that I've ever found. Instead of buying prepackaged applesauce cups, I bought a set of THESE or THESE single serve, reusable containers and use them to portion the applesauce out and then pop them in the refrigerator. My kids love having single serving foods and something easy enough to open themselves is always useful. Plus, you know the applesauce is not full of sugar and other junk!

{{Note from Malea: I STILL use the same little plastic containers for snacks for myself and my son! They are great for single portions of nuts, dips, hummus, salad dressings, and so on!}}

Well there you have it--a few of my go-to crock pot recipes!

I'm going to challenge myself to use my crockpot several days a week this winter to free up some time for myself. I'm planning on trying several new recipes and will come back and share the good ones! I'm in love with Pinterest right now and may be going a little "pin" crazy! I've also noticed that there are several planning sites that suggest you precut and measure all of your ingredients and put them into freezer bags, so all you have to do is pull it out and throw it in your crockpot. That may be a meal planning day for me in the future!

{{Note from Malea: My favorite cookbook for crockpot recipes is THIS one! It has crockpot recipes, soups and stews, and casseroles. We especially love the spiced lemon chicken!}}

Please share your tips and recipes you have for your crockpot. I'm looking forward to expanding my go to recipes!

And, while you are at it, consider a meal plan--make it a lot easier with this set of colorful weekly menu planning worksheets from our Etsy shop:

 

Did you love this post? Check out these other articles too:

• How to use conversation starters with your children
• The importance of family  meals
• Build up your mom tribe
• 5 reasons why you need downtime
• Life IS education

This post contains affiliate links. 

Get one of our favorite crockpot and casserole (and soups and stews) cookbooks HERE or click through the image:

 

Why you should use a Reverse To-Do List

Before you read today's blog post, you should probably take a look at yesterday's post, How REAL moms get it all done, as the two topics are so closely related.

As moms, we are often expected to get EVERYTHING done EVERY DAY. On top of which, we are expected to look a certain way, behave in certain ways, and to basically be the caretakers of all things at all times, right?

Even in this day and age, 2016, women--moms in particular--are still expected to wear pretty much all the hats possible and to manage everything in the home and outside of the home too. We are still stuck with stereotypes like the stay at home mom who eats Bon-Bons (do they still make those?) while watching TV with her feet up all day or the stay at home mom who is so stressed out that she stays in a ratty robe with curlers in her hair and babies hang off of her or the working mom who still cooks and cleans and does all the chores, even if she is married and has a husband perfectly capable of pitching in. 

My status as a single mom doesn't exempt me from these expectations either.

And, the worst part of all? As women we often put pressure on each other to live out various stereotypes--we simply can't win!

It's so easy to feel like we are failing ourselves and our families. 
It's so easy to feel like we get nothing done.
It's so easy to feel like we have nothing to show for our significant efforts to "do it all."

Years ago, when I was still in a relationship with my son's father, I hit my breaking point with all of these negative stereotypes about being a woman, a mom, and a wife. 

I was tired of my son's father coming home and making comments about why dinner wasn't ready, why toys were strewn about the living room, why laundry was piled up on the bed, and on and on. I was tired of comments about how nice it must be to "sit around and watch TV and drink coffee all day" while he slaved away at his desk at work. 

I was tired of feeling like I was putting in 150% of my energy to take care of my son, our home, our relationship, and everything necessary to keep us all going only to have it discounted and undermined by my ex's negative statements. 

It was wearing away at me and I was starting to feel like maybe something was wrong with me. Maybe I wasn't really doing very much. Maybe I was failing to live up to a certain standard...

But, I knew that was all bogus! 

I was working my butt off to "do it all" and I knew I was doing A LOT every single day. And so, I set out to prove it to myself...

Thus was born the Reverse To-Do List.

I decided to start keeping track of all the things I WAS doing every day. The list was long every single day! I was doing a lot to keep us afloat, healthy, and moving forward! 

Fourteen years later, I still find my Reverse To-Do List to be a sanity saver, especially when I'm feeling overwhelmed, stagnant, and just plain stuck. 

How to implement a Reverse To-Do List:
Implementing a Reverse To-Do List is so simple! First, grab a piece of paper or open a notes app on your phone or computer. Next, as you go about your day, instead of adding things you need to do later, write down the things you have ALREADY DONE! 

Keep items you need to do LATER on a separate list so you don't confuse to the two or get side tracked. 

After you've begun to start tracking things you have ALREADY DONE, periodically stop throughout your day to look back at your list and give yourself a little pat on the back for how much you've actually gotten done!

What should go on your Reverse To-Do List?
You may be wondering what to put on your Reverse To-Do List, and ultimately, that's up to you. You may want to list every single little detail or you may want to focus only on larger chores and tasks. For me, it really depends on how I'm feeling about my day. On days when I feel particularly out of control with anxiety or worry, I find it helpful to list more detail and every single little task, no matter how big or small. If I'm not feeling overly negative about my day, I may only focus on writing down larger items.

What do you do with your list at the end of the day?
At the end of the day, I do a couple of things with my Reverse To-Do List: I compare it with my regular To-Do list to see if I can cross anything off, and I review it and take stock of how much I ROCK at getting stuff done! I like the sense of accomplishment of seeing all my hard work in writing. 

When I was still with my son's father, I also used my Reverse To-Do List to show him that I actually was working hard both in and out of our home. Now, I think you should do this type of list for YOURSELF only...if you are doing it to justify your hard work to someone else, you might want to question what else is going on in that relationship--in my particular situation, my ex was controlling, manipulative, and abusive. His comments and statements weren't friendly spousal banter or playful teasing--he took stereotypes and negative comments to a whole new level as part of something called gaslighting (a particular type of mental abuse). I hope that this is not the case for you...

I want you to start a Reverse To-Do List for YOURSELF and for YOUR OWN satisfaction. 

Today, many years past that old relationship, I use the Reverse To-Do List as a healthy self-check, a way to control anxiety, and a way to just get stuff done in general. 

I take great satisfaction in seeing my list grow and knowing that the things on the list are ALREADY DONE. 

I mean, think about it for a minute...

How do you feel every time you add another item to your regular to-do list? How does it feel to see the list of things you have NOT accomplished yet growing longer and longer?

Undo all of that and instead take satisfaction in knowing how much you already got done and how strong and powerful you are as a woman, a mom, and a spouse or girlfriend.

Ladies, YOU ROCK and YOU deserve to give yourselves a pat on the back for how much you ALREADY DO! It's time for you to recognize it yourselves!

So far, today my Reverse To-Do List includes:

• brushed my teeth, showered, got dressed (be honest, moms...how often do you skip at least one of these in favor of something else?)
• took dogs out twice
• cleaned up dog poop
• put a big box filled with other empty boxes in the garage (it has been in the middle of my living space for weeks!)
• gathered papers and put them in recycling
• made and ate a real breakfast
• discussed some plans with my son
• worked on Mom2MomEd's Facebook page
• worked on Mom2MomEd's Twitter and Instagram accounts
• took my uncle to his radiation oncology appointment
• picked up my uncle's prescription
• put away some laundry
• gathered dirty laundry into ONE pile
• meal planned for today (I'm not as on top of meal planning as McKenzie...read about her meal planning HERE)
• wrote this blog post

 ...and that's in only four hours! Notice I listed both big and small things. I feel like I've accomplished A TON!

What is on YOUR Reverse To-Do List today?

Like this post? Check out these additional articles AND be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

• How REAL moms get it all done
• Book Review: Love Your Life, Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze
• Book Club Wrap Up: The Trouble with Boys by Peg Tyre
• Build up your mom tribe
• 5 reasons why you NEED down time

How REAL moms get it all done

I bet if I look at your Instagram, your house looks picture perfect. Your car is clean. You serve your family delicious and nutritious meals with proper table settings and linens. Your kids rooms are sweet and immaculate. 

Am I right?

I bet the reality is a little different though.

I'm guessing your car is clean because you JUST cleaned it.
Your delicious and nutritious meal with proper table settings and linens was met with looks of scorn and refusals to eat half (or all) of what was served.
Those sweet, immaculate rooms were a mess minutes later when the tornadoes called children ran through.

Am I right?

Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat....they all make it look like we are "getting it all done" and are perfect. 

I'm getting it all done...aren't you?

NOT!

I'm not getting it all done, and I'm betting you aren't either. 

The answer to "How to get it all done" is to NOT get it all done.

As I write this, I can see a pile of dirty dishes, a bigger pile of clean but unfolded laundry, a stack of papers to sort through. I can also see random crap kind of strewn about on almost every surface of our small space. I have a to-do list a mile long, and always growing, and an even longer list of worries and concerns. 

I also have a teenager, two dogs, a full-time job, Mom2MomEd, and a million other responsibilities. Oh, and I'm a single mom. 

I'm betting you have similar piles around your house or in your car, an equally long to-do list, and so on.

Life is NOT perfect and most of us are NOT getting it all done, ya know?

I do work hard to get done as much as I can, but at the end of the day, as long as:

• My son is fed, clothed, and cared for...
• The dogs are healthy and cared for...
• And we are making progress towards our goals...

We are doing OK and I don't need to be "getting it all done."

I wish I could get more done, but there are only so many hours in the day and we all only have so much energy and so many resources.

Moms, give yourselves a break! Love the life you DO have and accept what you CAN do and get done. 

And, while you are at it, we want to see your mom-mobiles on Instagram! Snap a pic of the REAL interior of your car--not the cleaned up, picture perfect version--and post it to Instagram with the tag #thismomscar!

Here are the interiors of our cars:

The back of Malea's mom-mobile....

The back of McKenzie's mom-mobile...

Let's see what you have!

We'd love to have you stop  by our Etsy shop:

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