10 things i am NOT

i read alot of blogs. ok, maybe more blogs than i should. mostly mommy blogs because i relate (obviously). i read all about the crafts and homemade snacks and refinishing of furniture and whatnot and i think "am i the only mom in america that didn't enter the competition?" you know the one, the "greatest stay at home mom in the world" contest! in honor of keepin it real (and not getting sucked into the mommy wars) here is a list of 10 things i am not!

10. i am NOT an organic, all natural or all homemade mom. i feed my kids lunches that are frozen, processed and frequently have characters on the box. and i'm ok with that. i soothe my conscience by throwing in some carrots and an apple.

9. i am NOT all put together all the time. if you see me at the grocery on a tuesday morning chances are you'll see a skateboarding tshirt (that is theMr's!), some funky shorts, flip flops and no makeup. i substitute sunglasses for mascara.

8.i am NOT willing to sacrifice all my "me" time for my kids. if my husband is home i go run my errands alone, even when they are all begging to come. i shower and shave every night so that i feel clean and fresh before bed, even if that means a baby is screaming the whole time. she'll live. i promise.

7. i am NOT betty crocker. i hate to bake, hate it. i actually enjoy cooking but hate baking with a passion. i don't make cute birthday cakes for my kids. i pay for them. and i've yet to regret it!

6. i am NOT a mom who makes my bed in the morning but my husband makes his side. works for me!

5. i am NOT a mom who puts my kids before my husband. one day they will all grow up and leave and we'll be here alone together. it would be preferable for us to still like each other when that happens!

4. on a related note to #5- i am NOT a mom who has kids in her bed. we have a "no kids in our bedroom" rule and we make no exception. no kids in our bed, no kids on our floor, PERIOD. if you have a nightmare, i will come upstairs, comfort and pray for you, and you will go back to sleep in your own bed. our room is the only place in our house that is a kid-free zone. we work hard to keep it that way. i have many friends who don't agree with this one and that's ok. but i would point out that our, ahem, "love life" is pretty great for people with five kids! (hence the five kids...)

3. i am not a mom who needs her kids to look perfect every time we leave the house. i believe that teaching good hygiene is important. i believe that dressing appropriately for certain occasions is important. i do not, however, think there's anything wrong with wearing your superman cape to the grocery. or two different flip flops. it's ok to march to your own drum as long as you are respectful to others.

2. i am NOT a mom who feels the need to justify my parenting choices to another. i am, however, a mom who will probably respond to an inappropriate question or piece of advice with sarcasm and a look that let's you know you've gone too far! (i.e. are you done having kids yet???)

1. i am NOT a mom who thinks that because you work/don't work, breastfeed/bottlefeed, have a c-section/vaginal birth/adoption, or any of the many things that make us all different, that it makes you better, worse or more of a mom. i AM a mom that thinks that if you love a little person fiercely, whether they came from your womb or not, and you put their needs before your own and their smile brightens your day... you are a mom at heart. and that makes us all the same in the end.