You know that scene from Liar Liar with Jim Carrey after he has sex with his coworker and she asks “was it good for you?” And He can’t lie and responds with “I’ve had better.” Bahahaha well…

For the next month people are going to ask… “How was your Christmas?” The autocorrect response is “Great!” right? 

If you really had a great Christmas then congratulations. I think the odds are not forever in our favor as we get older and add more humans to the mix. Let me explain. We have 2 kids, the odds of one of them being sick on any given holiday are 50/50. The more kids, grandkids, cousins etc more germs right?! 

Tuesday baby gets sick and continues to run a high 100-104 temp for 4 days including Christmas on Friday. 

Friday its Christmas morning and we skip breakfast and miss my grandmas gathering because my Sissy is doing terrible, my mom is super sick and my sweet husband just got back from Walgreens with a bag of meds for himself. 

The day started off great I got to snake a clogged toilet full of shit, which takes the one liner “shitters full” to a very smelly reality. Kids and toilet paper don’t mix.

We get to my parents and everyone opens an insane amount of gifts. We are so spoiled oh wait I mean #blessed 

We got my dad a turntable because he has stacks and stacks of records that he can’t listen to and he is a music lover/freak. 

My Dads present breaks and then the meltdowns start.From the baby to my 62 year old mom. Like dominoes falling, another one bites the dust. 

I look at my brother, who just flew into town last night from California, and he has a look of sadness and what the hell do I do?! Well we got the hell out of dodge and came home. 

Screaming kids and the baby drops a wooden play tool box on my toe as I bathe, lotion and pajama the little angels. I’m Look up and realize I’m forced to watch Star Wars and Jurassic world over and over. 

Mama needs some Bravo, chocolate and a cocktail.

Well,

 What if we were not able to lie.

 I would have to say I’ve had better Christmases than this year….
You know you are a 33 year old mom when you get a box of coffee, frying pans, socks, soap, gum, an Aquarium membership, lip plumper and under eye patches from your husband, kids and parents. So I will be a fresh, awake, bright eyed and pouty lipped when you see me kicking it at the aquarium with my new socks on! Holler! All ready to bake a mean casserole. 
 
Soooo the bright side since I’m just happy mommy. Is…

 I have all these people! 

I am lucky! 

I have my husband, 2 boys, mom, dad, sister, brother, grandma, and lots of extended family plus all my in laws. Not to mention my BFFs you know who you are.

Family is everything.

It’s not about diamonds, champagne, shrimp cocktail and fancy active wear, all of which were on my list but you don’t get to keep them in your heart. 

My family is the only thing in the world that matters. Period. The end. 

Leave it to my dad to put it all in perspective he texted me tonight and said 

“Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. I love you.”

Xoxo just happy mommy 

LIFE. Peaks, valleys, mountains, plateaus and every natural disaster in between. How we weather these storms defines who we are, its called character. In some form or another I feel like I have experienced all of these things. “They” say when one part of your life is going great there is another part that has gone to shit. (Well I say the shit part.) Maybe you are kicking ass at work but missing out socially. Maybe you are fulfilled with family but yearn for something of your own. I know this to be true whether you have kids or not. Being an adult is hard. I said before in my first blog post ever that this is theraputic for me to write.

This last month I have been kicking ass at the parenting game. I was just talking with my friend about how I am waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop and have one of the kids get sick at Christmas. Well today it did and it was on my watch.

Let me back track a tad, we got our Christmas tree up and house decorated with lights on the outside the weekend of Thanksgiving. I ordered almost all of the boys gifts online and all but one has arrived. We went to see Santa and there were no tears. We baked gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free treats over the weekend and made deliveries to our friends and family members. And mailed out all our cards before the 14th. Things were going so well with the boys, aside from the fact that they fight over everything. I quickly realized we already need to purchase 2 of everything from now on, all the way down to toothbrushes.

Today was my older son’s school field trip to visit Santa. Even though we already went to Santa’s workshop last week, today we were going to Santa’s house with his school friends. His teachers send out a daily email and suggested we get the kids hot cocoa from Starbucks that was about 100 feet away. I offered to help. I am so excited to participate in school activities it is one of the HUGE perks of being a SAHM. Anyway I had the baby with me and without even thinking I rolled him into Starbucks and got myself a coffee, ordered the teachers drinks and picked up the hot cocoa for the class. As I was setting the drinks down on a table outside, my baby boy started coughing. It was NOT a normal cough. I got him out of the stroller and he was wheezing. I went over to see my older son who had just arrived by school bus and he was asking for his hot chocolate.

I immediately spring into panic mommy mode and ran to my car to give him Benadryl. I see one of my close and trusted mom friends and informed her that the baby was having an allergic reaction to the air in Starbucks and asked her to watch the older one for me. I drove so fast to the allergy clinic, thankfully it was not even a mile away. They let us right in and the nurses and one of the doctors checked his vitals and gave him 3 syringes full of medicine. He was ok. They told me I did the right thing. But I did NOT. I was so excited about the field trip and being like a home room mom that I didn’t think of my child’s life threatening food allergies. He is allergic to wheat, oats, eggs, dairy and nuts. I obviously did NOT intentionally put my child in harms way. The steamed milk in the air caused his reaction. We were in and out so quickly he still breathed it in and it was enough to cause him distress. He had a similar reaction a few months back in a Mexican restaurant because of the steam off fajitas. I was bawling hysterically and the dreaded mommy guilt and cloud of blame consumed me. I reached out to another mom who’s son has similar allergies.  She said it is a learning process. We all make mistakes.

We had not had a reaction in months. Anyone who knows me knows how I am always diligent and on top of my shit. Today I slipped. Today the shoe dropped. This is proof that even the best moms make mistakes. Thank GOD he is ok. I am ok thanks to my mom, best friend and colonapin but I am reminded that this holiday season there is no perfect anything. We can get the matching Santa jams and elf PJ’s, send out the cutest Christmas card, bake allergy friendly treats, but when things seem to be going right I am usually apprehensive about what is next.

Clearly this could have been avoided but like I tell my boys we are all learning and we make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from the mistakes. My job is to be there for my kids no matter what. But I am learning that I cannot expect perfection from myself, nor can I live in self loathing or fear of what might happen next. I have to be thankful for all the peaks, valleys, mountains, volcanos because they make me the person that I am and without them we would take the little IMPORTANT things like breathing air for granted.

Tomorrow is a new day. I plan on doing a lot of praying tonight. Prayers of thankfulness, for guidance and for my boys. It is my job to protect my boys and I plan on doing that to the best of my ability. Cheers to sweet dreams, healthy babies and Starbucks drive thru. XOXO Just Happy Mommy

“They” say that when you have kids it’s like being a kid again. You get to experience all the wonderful things in life through your children’s eyes. My husband and I are big kids at heart. He roller blades while our older son rides his scooter and follows behind our boys when they ride their power wheels Ford F-150 truck around the neighborhood. We love to take them places and let them experience new things. Daddy has taken the 3.75 year old camping twice this year. Since I stay at home we play outside, watch movies together, bake cookies, play hide and seek, paint, color, do puzzles and all kinds of fun activities. I am asking for adult coloring books for Christmas and I’m addicted to magic puzzles Ap on my iPad. 

We each have our favorite songs and we call them our jams. “Luke Bryan is my favorite jam,” says my older son, “mommy please stop talking I need to hear my jams.” We listen to iTunes and a Disney CD my mom got us in the car and rock out to Aladdin and Frozen. I am pretty goofy. I love to sing and dance and make the kids laugh. Here is one of my many car performances before we went to the gym. I’m a terrible singer and yes I am parked in a parking spot. And clearly my son is unimpressed as he picks his nose!  I cut it down so your ears don’t bleed 😂😂😂

Now it’s only Christmas carols and movies. The original Dr Seuss’s The Grinch who stole Christmas, the old school Burl Ives Rudolph the red nosed reindeer and Santa Claus is coming to town and of course Frosty the snowman. We went to my parents house and my mom had all of our old Christmas books when we were kids. One in particular really stood out. 

 I opened it and sang every carol to the boys, they didn’t pay attention or care. But my mom joined me and my sister noticed it was copyright 1979.

Now that he is almost 4 we are watching Elf, Home Alone and Christmas Vacation. He loves to eat popcorn and drink sparkling grape juice and we cuddle up on the couch. This is what I call a mommy is in heaven moment. Minus the time he called daddy a jerk, thanks uncle Frank! Oh and saying this one liner over and over on the playground “Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where’s the Tylenol?”

We went to see Santa this morning at Bass Pro with our besties. The boys loved looking at the winter wonderland and playing in the workshop. We had the best time. Of course I had to dress the boys in matching Santa jams so I joined in the fun because why not?! OH yes I wore my jams in public and to the bagel shop. 

 Playing Santa might be one of my favorite things as a parent. Seeing the magic in their eyes and when they really start to believe in Santa is such a special time in childhood. Christmas is hands down my favorite time of year. I have such amazing memories with my family and I am thrilled to continue traditions and make new memories with my boys. 

Babies don’t keep. And before I know it, they won’t come running to me with their arms outstretched and saying mama hold you. They won’t want to jam out with me, sit in my lap, eat popcorn and watch a movie with me. I am going to milk these days and years for all they’ve got! My boys bring me the most joy I’ve ever known and I want to give them the happiest childhood. Teaching them that life is not about presents or gifts but making memories, laughter and sharing time with the ones we love. 

I don’t want them to take life too seriously while they are young. They will feel the pressures too early as it is with academics and sports. So I’m going to continue to be a goofball, embarrass myself, the boys and make my kids laugh. God willing they will always look at me with those big, moon shaped, loving, smiling eyes. 

Xoxo Just Happy Mommy

 

  Ok so like many moms out there our bodies are NOT like they were 10-15 years ago, hell not even as good as after kid number one. I don’t think I’m alone in this. I try to bounce back after my babies and I do by nursing and excercising. But then I keep eating like I’m still pregnant and nursing well after having the baby and not breast feeding. 

I’m the pregnant girl that gains 60 lbs with each pregnancy and doesn’t hold back. I mean killing some double cheese burgers with curly fries and root beer, pizza with ranch, cookie cake slices, cupcakes and bowls and bowls of cereal! I managed to get back to “normal” but over a year after having #2 I workout when I can but I do like barre and yoga. I don’t run! Lol! I still eat like crap. I know if I quit eating bad I would not have my extra jiggle and my ass wouldn’t be a Kardashian wanna be. 

  

Getting to the gym with 2 kids is not easy. Timing your workout class with their schedule, loading them up and making sure they have snacks, water, diapers and captain America shields and of course shoes. The little kids missing shoe game is so frustrating. Anyway it’s a mental break I so desperately need. When I’m done I can feel the endorphins and my mind is clear. 

Then I walk into kids club and suddenly my namaste is jolted back to reality and wrangling kids. Ugh I really don’t want to cook 3 different dinners now…

Sometimes I wonder if my downward dog is helping my flapping triceps or if those 100 squats are shrinking my saddlebags?? Then I think nope because I went thru the Taco Bueno drive thru for throwback Thursday 49 cent Party Tacos after my workout. Hey I love me some party tacos, a good deal and not having to cook! What I don’t love is when someone orders the entire menu in front of me and my car starts overheating and smoking in the drive thru line. Feeling like trash and trapped ironically I’m wearing my fancy active wear and the baby is wearing suede fringed moccasins for the love. I call my husband who’s like “get out of line and turn the car off.” Call my sis who is like “what do you want me to do? Call AAA?” The real question is do I get the food or just bolt? This fat kid got her party tacos and 10 salsas and then drove her smoking sleigh back home. (Thankfully it was just my fan)

Somedays you literally just can’t. You can’t adult, parent, let alone workout, those days you get through life. Then when the kids are asleep you take a bath, put on your robe and watch Real Housewives in bed with a package of Oreo Thins, popcorn or maybe a glass of wine and all is right with the world. My Husband expects this once or twice a month so he watches football and plays clash of clans oh wait that’s every night hahaha kidding.  I am NOT the only one right?!?!

At the end of the day no mom is perfect. I need to embrace me. I love having 2 boys. I enjoy working out. But I love food! And I really want that shirt that says “namaste in bed.” I’m also coming to terms that I might never have a thigh gap and that’s ok. It’s all about balance right?! Well I make a bad ass tree. LOL sorry bad yoga joke.

Anyway do what makes you happy and a happy mommy is a good mommy! Xoxo

ps if you haven’t tried the Oreo Thins you need to get them in your mouth stat 

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My oldest son told me tonight that  “Im a Santa and I am in charge of Christmas! T-Rex the elf told me I’m the king of Christmas and I need you to take me to my workshop!” Bahahaha 

If you have been living under a rock for the last 10 years here is the deal. Elf on the Shelf is “a fun-filled Christmas tradition that’s captured the hearts of children everywhere who welcome home one of Santa’s scout elves each holiday season. The elves are magical helpers that help Santa Claus manage his naughty and nice lists by reporting back to him at the North Pole nightly,” according to http://www.elfontheshelf.com.  

Basically it is a wonderful tool to help keep your kid from whining and being a brat at Christmas time.  

Like many first time parents I was so excited to purchase this HOT item for our little guy. He was not quite 2 but I still insisted that we NEEDED an Elf, even though he could have cared less. We drove out to our friend’s pharmacy where they have a cute little gift shop. Of course little man is all over the toys, trains, puzzles and is having a total melt down that he can’t have a toy. So I just grabbed an Elf off the big display table, checkout with the screaming toddler and get the hell out of there.

When we got home I was so excited to get it out and learn more about our new little friend. Again this Elf was more for me than for our son LOL. As I read more about it there are several different elves, boy and girl elves, light skinned, dark skinned, blonde, red, brown and black hair, with blue or brown eyes. I thought that is awesome there are multiracial elves for all kids. As I opened the box I noticed the one I grabbed in a tizzy was pretty tan and had black hair. We are a blonde haired, blue eyed, white family so we adopted an African American Elf. My husband and I thought it was pretty hilarious so we named him Kanye. (Disclaimer: This is not racist, just a true story and if it offends you then don’t read my blog)

Fast forward to present day, our first son is almost 4 and the baby is 15 months. My husband invited the Elf back a little early this year because he was spotted when he was cleaning out the garage. He has a new name T-Rex the Elf. We read him the book and explained all the rules. He is a BIG deal now and more of a pain for me (oh the irony.) So like a lot of moms I started looking up cute ideas for our Elf on Pinterest. I pinned a few, like having the elf taking a bubble bath in the sink filled with cotton balls, and a printable Captain America mask and shield that fits the elf. Yesterday I was looking at my holiday Pinterest board not paying attention and my son points at the screen and says “Mommy look at that. Oh man, that is a Captain America Elf, like me! We have to get him!” Dammit. Pinterest Fail!

Also another thing many parents can relate to is the lack of Christmas decorations that survive toddlers. We can only decorate the top half of our tree because the baby has shattered 3 ornaments already. Anyway Daddy had placed T-Rex on a branch on the Christmas tree and I had forgotten all about it. I was fluffing the branches out to finish decorating the tree and our son screams “Mommy!!! T-Rex fell! He is supposed to fly. Mommy he lost his powers. Do NOT touch him!” PANIC!  I said “Oh NO I am so sorry. It is ok. I won’t touch him. We will get some tongs and put him back in the tree. It’s ok baby.” He is crying at this point. SHIT! I got some salad tongs and pick him up and shove him into the tree. “His hat! He lost his hat!” he says. “Ok he will fix his hat tonight at Santa’s workshop,” then I turned on Paw Patrol and all was right with the world.

I love having T-Rex the Elf at our house because he has the perfect leverage to get our boys to behave. Threaten Christmas and being on the naughty list he almost immediately apologizes and straightens up.  But oh how the tables have turned, now if I cuss or get frustrated (all the time) he tells me “Mommy T-Rex is watching you, you are going to be on the naughty list.” Cheers to our special Elf visitors, mommy being on the naughty list and all the Amazon boxes arriving this month! XOXO