Lists

There are many lists made within this blog.  These are the ones that count.

You know you're a mom when....

...you take a rare hour or two to go shopping for yourself and you buy more outfits for your child than you do for yourself.

...you leave the house with no make-up and no attempt at looking decent and you truly don't care (and you are not hungover from some party the night before).

...you find yourself humming the tune or singing the song of a toy or gadget that your child constantly plays with.

...you can suddenly picture older children as babies and it makes you smile (this may be the teacher in me).

...you find yourself appreciating your own mom more than ever.

...you count the hours: sleep (sometimes minutes), time spent with your husband, time spent with your child(ren), time spent doing household nonsense, etc. There are never enough hours.

...you realize that you were so diligent in filling in the baby book until the baby no longer spent most of the day staring at you.

...your child is screaming at some public place and you feel the slow motion effects of being judged.

...you have to make hard decisions in the hopes that one day she will look at you and say she is proud of what you have done for her.

How to get rid of a diaper rash (courtesy of many sophisticated mommies):

- Use a wet soft cloth for wiping rather than a baby wipe - something about the chemicals in the wipes worsens the rash.
- Boudreaux's Butt Paste is great but even an egg white works wonders as gross as that may seem. Try it if you have nothing else on hand. And yes, you can use wet paper towels.
-Try Maalox. Diaper rash is caused by the acid in the pee, and Maalox is a base. It works best if you let it dry out a little bit in a bowl before applying it!
-We were also told to mix maalox wtih cornstarch to make more of a paste to spread on. It worked really well.
-Let them crawl around without a diaper a few times a day. Just spread out a big sheet or something for accidents. And then when you put her diaper back on, put whatever diaper cream on that you're using and DUMP a ton of cornstarch in the diaper. 
-Using desitin several times a day when they don't have a rash will also help prevent them.

For my children.

I want you to know...

…that music is the ultimate healer. Good times, bad times, it doesn’t matter. Embrace it. Music will walk you through your life and sometimes be your best friend.

…that your dad is the best person you will ever know. Hands down. No contest.

…that someday in the future we, as your parents, will disappoint you and it will be a difficult day for you. Just know, we knew it was coming and we aren’t proud of ourselves. Our parents weren’t proud of that day either. It’s just a part of life.

…that seeing the world is what makes you a whole person. People may tell you not to leave home and that everything you need is here, but they are wrong. If they had gone far, far away even just once they would know. Home will always be here when you get back. Home makes you who you are…everywhere else shows you what you could be.

…that laughing at yourself is the best way to deal. Having too much pride is toxic.

…that you should treat your family like company and your company like family (care of none other than Paula Dean)

…that life is short. It’s so very short. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t stop at status quo. Be daring when at all possible.

…that making good friends is an absolute necessity. They will be your family when you your family is unavailable, they will be your level of accountability when you falter, and they will see in you what you might not see in yourself. Being a good friend means returning the favor.