Who are you?

I usually only post deals and specials in the area, but after a run-in I had today with some not nice people I feel compelled to get this off my small chest.

I made the giant enormous mistake of going to the post office with all three of my kids at meltdown time (4-5 pm) when there was a line to mail some boxes. I know, this is a cardinal mistake of giant proportions. My little ones were acting like normal children in line at the post office. Not great, not really that bad.

When the seemingly nice woman in front of me says . . .
"You should call Nanny 911"
I laugh and say, "They really aren't that bad"
This is me trying to give her a chance to make it into a joke.
She then says, "Well, my children always stand in line beside me." (note her children were NOT with her)
I then say, "Again, they are really not being that bad. They are just out of school and really not interested in being at the post office." -note this was said in a slightly raised and very agitated voice.
The people behind me in line commented to me about how rude the woman was.

This whole event left me very irritated for the rest of the afternoon. I would never presume to tell someone I did not know how their children should be behaving. Then my brain stated working in overtime and led me to write out this post. . .

I don't know where we as a society came up with the notion that we all have to be perfect all the time. I certainly am not.

We all put on facades and masks and talk a good game, but when it gets down to the core we all struggle with the same basic issue. Some of us are just still willing to admit that we are not the perfect cookie cutter person.

There is the mom who is perfect, never gets flustered, never gets mad, always LOVES her children being with her. Well frankly, these people only serve to make me feel like they must think that I somehow don't love my children and there is something wrong with me because I need a break and find it easier sometimes to do things with out my kids with me.

But really any mom who says these things is totally just covering for herself. And face it, if you are never just in over your head then you are not really in it. The most perfect, most loving mothers that I know get frustrated. Even the most religious people I know get frustrated. It is okay to not be able to do it all. The mom who wants you to think that it is easy and that she always has it together is hiding something. We are all supposed to have moments where we feel like we are in over our heads.

And often you find the mother whose child is "perfect". And I don't mean perfect in the way that we all think our children are, but I mean perfect in the kind that no other child on earth could possibly do anything better that hers in every possible way. These are easy to spot because whenever you are talking about your children hers are never at fault in anything and are always perfectly behaved and your child must be the one causing the problem.

Again, this is not realistic. While our children are great, they all do stuff they are not supposed to. How else are they going to learn what they can and can't do? I have to have a way to correct a undesirable action with something desirable. To teach what is appropriate to say, I need the situation to prove what is right and acceptable.

Kids need to be kids. They need to play, they need to run, they need to explore the world from their perspective and try things out. If your child is one of the perfect ones than that must be great for you.

But mine are not. I love them to pieces and they really are good kids. I love watching them learn and explore new things. I love when they fall and get back up because they know they are okay and want to keep going. I love when they want me to sit and hold them. I love the fact that all three of my kids are super active and keep moving constantly unless they are asleep, in fact I prefer that they be that way instead of just wanting to sit quietly and play all the time. I love that when I ask them if they know Mommy loves them and they laugh and say "Yes" and I will ask who told them and they say "You did Mommy." I love when they "need me".

But I also know that I need a moment to myself. I need time to process silence. It makes me a better mommy to get a break from my kids and to think through things of the day. Taking a mommy break is totally fine. It is okay to say you need a break from your kids. Admit it. Free yourself from the thought that you have to want to be with them all the time. Tell your friends, they all feel it too. If they say they don't, they aren't being totally honest with you.

I just want to meet real moms, who don't have it all together, who need a break, love their kids to pieces, love their husbands, but are still willing to admit they can't always do it all.
I know I can't.

I would love to hear your comments and thoughts. And please know that you are in great company if you are a "normal" person like me :)

Lifting thoughts & prayers

Just putting out there my prayers for the families and students touched by the events at Virginia Tech. Praying for them as they seek comfort, security and peace after such an event.

The Food list has been updated!

okay. i have gotten a few new restaurants to update the free eating list. please keep sending me new ones to get the list the most accurate that it can be!

i live for free food :)
well . . . not really but i really like to not pay for kids meals.

please please please

if you have any new restaurant information - please post it for me! i need to update the list!