A Living, Breathing Super Mom

I am a Super Mom. I can do it all.

I leap out of bed when the sun comes up,

And walk around in a fog until I have my daily dose of caffeine.

My kids are dressed in only the cutest clothes,

That just happen to be splattered in ketchup, grease and grass stains.

My house is spotless, straightened and clean,

But please don't open any drawer, closet or cabinet without wearing the proper protective gear.

Dinner is on the table at 5:30 sharp,

As long as I remembered to defrost the chicken.

My kids don't watch any TV,

Because they refuse to watch anything besides Elmo DVDs.

The laundry is always folded and hung,

But rarely makes it out of the baskets and into the drawers and closets.

I feed my children only the most nutritious foods,

Did you know frozen pizza covers the majority of food groups?

I work out daily, making sure to stay fit,

As long as you count running up and down the stairs 100 times each day.

I take some "me" time each and every day,

From about 10-10:05 pm before I fall asleep.

I spend an hour or more clipping and sorting coupons before I go to the grocery store,

And I forget to bring them or use them 99% of the time.

I maintain close relationships with my girlfriends,

Even if the majority of our conversations revolve around poop.

I support my child's love of books,

But make them conveniently disappear after reading the same one 50 times in a row.

I always get dressed and presentable before I leave the house,

As long as the sweatpants I throw on happen to match the t-shirt I wore to bed the night before.

I teach my children to love and respect animals,

But if that sketchy neighborhood cat pees in my child's sandbox again, it's a goner!

I started a college savings fund for both my children,

And pretend that my $100 monthly deposits will somehow be enough to cover the ever-increasing costs.

I introduce my children to different cultures and languages,

Meet Dora, Diego, Kai-lan and Toot & Puddle.

I am a Super Mom.

A living, breathing Super Mom.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Pinterest Thursday (A Day Late)

This edition of "Pinterest Thursday" - brought to you on Friday becasue it's been that kind of week -  focuses on awesome home decor and design that I came across. Still obsessed with Pinterest - are you yet?

http://pinterest.com/pin/138360515/
"White Board" created by putting pretty paper inside a picture frame, and writing on the glass!

http://pinterest.com/pin/138369839/
SOOOO cute for a child's room or play room

http://pinterest.com/pin/138377388/
Genius!

http://pinterest.com/pin/134014037/
Perfect for a shared bathroom! Can also use in Guest Bath by inserting pics of guests when they come to town!



How I'd LOVE to redecorate my front living room - cozy and ecletctic! (Can't find link!)



http://pinterest.com/pin/133950406/
Gorgeous bedroom!



http://pinterest.com/pin/37380560/

LOVE the idea of a blackboard as art that you can write interesting quotes on... doing this ASAP!

A Leopard Dosen't Change Its Spots

The other day I was reading a magazine article that basically said a child's personality (i.e. sense of humor, temperament) is pretty much set by the time they are 12 months old. When you think about it, that is pretty amazing! Were we really the same person at the age of 1 or 2 that we are today? And it got me thinking about how Miss Paige's silly, exuberant personality as a toddler will translate into her teenage and then adult self. I think I may have a wild ride ahead of me : )

And just today I was going through a box of childhood mementos my mom brought over - report cards, journals, crafts from when I was a child. Right on top were two report cards / progress reports from my nursery school - The Homestead School. The first was dated January 31, 1987, which means I was 3, about to turn 4. we were evaluated by letters - O for "Outstanding", S for "Satisfactory", N for "Needs Work". I received all S's except in two categories... I got an "N" for "Holds Pencil Correctly" with a comment that said "Tends to grab pencil the majority of the time". And I got an S- in "Physical Education" with the comment "Distracted by others around her". And here are the teacher's full comments (verbatim, with quotes, capital letters, italics and underlines):

Erica has progressed nicely in both her social skills and pre-academic skills. She plays well with other children in the classroom and outside.

Erica approaches her "work" and "play" with an enthusiasm that is wonderful to watch. However, at times this level of enthusiasm and excitement can get in her way as she will want to participate in all that surrounds her - SIMULTANEOUSLY. This causes her difficulty in staying focused on what is in front of her for any length of time, especially during morning exercises. Without losing any of this "energy" or enthusiasm we will continue to work on lengthening her attention span.

Compared to the beginning of the school term, Erica's self confidence has been strengthened, as this can be seen in her dealings with her classmates and her movements around the school. When given "free time" Erica will take the initiative to select materials off of the shelves to do on her own and put them away when she is finished.

Erica is doing well in the area of penmanship though she does have a tendency to GRAB the pencil as opposed to holding it correctly. While we continue to work on this in school, I would recommend that this be worked on at home with her also, whenever the time is appropriate.

Overall, Erica's "bubbly" personality is a delight to have in the classroom!!

And now we have the report dated June 5, 1987. I made an improvement in holding the pencil correctly (from an "N" to an "S-") and in Physical Education (from an "S-" to an "S"). Here are the teacher's comments:

Still a "bubbly" personality, Erica seems to have a better control over her excitability and is able to focus her attention in one area for a longer period of time.

An improvement can be seen in her grasp of the pencil, though this still needs to be refined. It might be helpful for her to work on this over the summer!

The thing that makes this so hilarious is that I'd probably get the EXACT SAME report card at the age of 28 as I did at 3 years old. Not only am I regularly described as "bubbly", but also "excitable". My brother-in-law used that exact term to describe me in his Best Man speech at the wedding : ) Still distracted easily? CHECK! A desire to be involved in EVERYTHING all at once? CHECK! And the real kicker of all this? I still hold my pencil "incorrectly"! I guess all that practice over the summer didn't help much, because people still describe my pencil holding as a "grab". But I have great handwriting... so I guess it doesn't matter all that much, now does it? : )

But how funny is it that the little person your child is right at this very moment is almost identical (minus the diapers and temper tantrums, hopefully) to who they will be as an adult? I love it! Even when she is checking me into a nursing home one day, I'll still see glimpses of the little Miss Paige from these early years... and that makes me one very happy mama!!