Murphy's Laws for Moms

Sometimes, the day just never seems to end.  I've picked up toys, kids and a headache numerous times throughout the day.  So, when it's time for dinner, I just don't have the energy nor the motivation to make a homemade, hot meal.   Well, tonight, I discovered something fantastic that is my new long day, go-to, hot, homemade meal: Grilled Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches. Some of you might be saying, "Hey, that meal doesn't really count as a homemade, hot meal."  Well,for this busy mom, I'm not listening to your arguments.  It's easy.  The kids ate all of it and asked for more.  It contains grains, protein, and fruit.  We added carrot sticks for the veggie and a glass of milk (almond milk for my dairy-free child)...a well-balanced meal. What's better is, that by grilling these PB&J's, it made me feel like I had done more for my kids.  I didn't feel like a helpless parent once again feeding my children trash. So, ...

When my children were babies, traveling during naptime made sense. It didn't matter the type of travel: car, train, or plane. The kids would sleep. As they grew out of infancy, the excitement of air or train travel would eventually wear off and they would still go to sleep. So, we booked early morning or late night travel with this sole rationale in mind. Now, as my kids move later into toddlerhood and out of this stage, my kids become more excited by the fact that they're traveling at a time when they're supposed to be sleeping. "Mom, we're flying on an airplane...BEFORE 7 A.M!!" My latest round of traveling has shown me a new Mama Law of travel: When you book your tickets based on the thought that your children will sleep, they will stay awake the entire time. So, for all of you parents who are planning your summer vacations, think about your own sanity first when booking the travel arrangements. Don't take the early morning/late nig...

Murphy's Laws for Moms states that, when traveling to visit friends or family, your child (or children) will determine the easiest and fastest way to show their true identity. In my case, that means my son will locate the one permanent marker within the entire house and draw on a wall that's been painted with a pattern. Therefore, even though we know that rubbing alcohol will remove the marks, it will also change the pattern.

Death is a difficult topic for an adult, but then when you have to explain it to a child, it becomes a bit more complex.  Recently, my husband and I had to have this discussion with our children. Our 2-year-old didn't really pay attention, but our 5-year-old was very curious. Before the viewing and funeral, we talked to our daughter about Grandma passing away and that she was now in Heaven. There were many questions about whether or not we could still visit Grandma and when we would all go to Heaven. Talking about our own mortality wasn't especially fun for me as a mom, especially when my daughter said she wanted to go to Heaven now to be with Grandma and Jesus. Then, we got to the viewing and, after much discussion with my husband, we decided we would take the kids. When our daughter walked in and saw Grandma's body, she immediately asked if we were in Heaven - tears immediately came to my eyes. Questions continued about why she could see Grandma but she wasn'...

Sometimes you just need a little reminder of what to do in the bathroom.  Instead of just printing off a checklist from one of my Pinterest pins, my kids and I worked together to create our own potty checklist. It isn't anything fancy, but it gets the job done and my kids talk through each step as they're in the potty - being sure not to miss any. Now, if I could just get others in the house to follow each step!

So many times during the day I try to be a good, Christian mom.  I thank God for giving me two vibrant children who fill my house with...and that's where I get stuck. Because, truthfully, what I often feel like my house is filled with is chaos, clutter, disasters, screaming, fighting, tears, and insanity.  My house is not my sanctuary.  It is not a place where I feel at rest.  Half the day I'm running up and down stairs, pulling things out of toilets, scrubbing messes off floors, pulling kids apart, and hosing them down. By the end of the day, I'm done.  I find myself just yearning for my kids to finally go to sleep, to shut their doors and hear no more questions or needs. I try to count it all as joy, but this is a tough thing to do when you have no energy left to feel any emotion beyond pure exhaustion.  Let's be honest. Joy takes energy.  It takes motivation.  It takes switching my mind from what would be much easier - to just be defeated -...

I'm continually searching for whole meals that my kids will eat that are not Happy Meals. This is no easy task as it needs to be something that is fairly simple so that I can easily prepare without my kids destroying the house. It needs to look normal or another battle will be waged at the dinner table.  It needs to be inexpensive because, let's face it, my kids most likely won't eat it.  And, it needs to be something that I actually want to eat, too. I can usually find one or two food items that my kids will eat, but a whole meal...hardly ever.  Then, as I was strolling through my Pinterest feed while waiting for Child #2 to either decide he did or did not have something to extricate from his belly.  I came across a masterpiece! Mostly Homemade Mom: Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole - Country Crock Sta.. This dish is amazing.  Not only was it something that I felt could be served in a restaurant of the not drive-thru kind, but  it was real food. I loved...