Now that my beautiful daughter is 2 – I am faced with things I consider Mommy Fouls. The term can easily be defined as ‘the fouls made under the influence of Mommy. ‘ I coined the term last week during a bedtime battle. 

I couldn’t understand why my tot would not go to sleep. We had a busy day, she had a play date and nap-then I remember the timeline. Her nap was delayed because we went to the park later than usually. Ouch. This foul costs my team (hubby and I) valuable quality time.

Our Mommy Fouls include:

Packing:

Anytime I think I’m making a quick trip, it turns into an extended journey and chances are I either forgot snacks, water/juice or extra clothes/wipes. Recently, I’ve gone without the travel potty or public potty cover only to re-route my journey, purchase supplies or run home to regroup. This foul cost me cherished time.

Shopping:

Sadly, we have left items in the car after unloading. The most significant being eggs and ground beef. My sister is a Mama that takes everything inside in one trip. I take smaller trips; yet, we’ve both missed things in the chaos of unloading the car with children. The cost of this foul is time and money. Grrr.


During my Pre-Mama years, I left little room for errors. It annoyed me when I made mistakes and couldn’t understand how 98% was okay for some (I wanted everything to be perfect). Thank to my lovely daughter, I realize that shooting for a perfect batting average would drive me insane. So, my goal is to operate with less Mommy Fouls each day.

Which Mommy Foul can you relate?

I haven't blogged in quite some time! Luckily, my amazing sister has provided updates and magnificent blog posts in my absence. As you know, I got married in June, it was a beautiful day! Fast forward to now - I am taking four classes while maintaining my household and staying home with my two year old. My daughter attends a dual language pre-k.  She is making leaps and bounds in her knowledge. My stepdaughter is in second grade this year and my stepson is in sixth grade. Things around our house are always hectic!

I am still working on potty training my son. He is making advances but we still have not passed the milestone of poop in the potty. My daughter is having trouble sleeping at night lately. She is four going on twelve. Her mind doesn't slow  when it is time to go to sleep. I have tried many things but so far nothing seems to be working. 

I am still on my path of trying to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals we ingest and use on our skin daily. I finally made some homemade sunblock and I have to say I am thrilled with it! I have been juicing as much as possible as well. I also have been taking a yoga class once a week.

The hour of time where I can focus solely on myself has been amazing! I was starting to feel overwhelmed and I found myself just wishing that I could have just a tiny bit of time where no one was asking me for anything, where I wasn't breaking up a fight, or making what felt like the tenth meal of the day. I felt guilty for wanting to be away from my family. After taking this time I realize that it is beneficial for my family, if I have some time away to refresh. I have found that I am now a more patient mama. 

In addition to the yoga class, I have a statistics class twice a week; which has also given me a bit more time outside of the house. Interacting with other adults and being out of the house is such a new thing for me! Sometimes I feel like I fumble my words a little bit. I think being home all day with a toddler can do that to anyone. So far this semester I have three A's and a C. I'm hoping to pull off all A's and B's. I have nine more classes ahead of me before I graduate with my bachelor's. I couldn't more excited!

Now that I'm not planning a wedding and my life has settled down (as much as it ever could with four kids and a husband) expect to see more blogs from me! We would love to hear from you also!

What do you do to wind down and relax? How is the school year going for your kids so far? 

We try to keep abreast of the latest safety recalls by monitoring http://www.safekids.org. Here are the latest:

08/15/14 USDA: Whole Foods Markets in Massachusetts are voluntarily recalling ground beef products due to possible contamination with E.coli.

08/14/14 CPSC: Arctic Cat is voluntarily recalling snowmobiles because the fuel can leak from the fuel line assembly, posing a fire hazard. Units: 3,260

08/14/14 CPSC: Vornado Air is voluntarily recalling electric space heaters because they can overheat, melt, and catch fire, posing fire and burn hazards. Units: 79,000

08/13/14 CPSC: ESL and Interlogix are voluntarily recalling hard-wired smoke alarms because radio frequency interference can cause the alarms to fail to alert consumers of a fire. Units: 154,000

08/12/14 USDA: Perdue and its subsidiary Applegateare voluntarily recalling frozen chicken nuggets because they may be contaminated with small plastic pieces, posing a hazard to consumers.

08/12/14 CPSC: JCP Equestrian is voluntarily recalling HDR stirrup leathers because the leather can crack and break, posing a fall hazard to the rider. Units: 1,200

08/12/14 CPSC: CoScentrix is voluntarily recalling candles in metal tins sold at Hobby Lobby because the candle’s flame can ignite the surface of the wax and coating of the tin, posing a fire hazard. Units: 126,000

08/07/14 CPSC: Lea Industries is voluntarily recalling lighted night stands because the light fixture under the night stand may overheat and scorch a carpet, posing a burn hazard. Units: 520

08/07/14 CPSC: L.L. Bean is voluntarily recalling children’s sweaters because an extra button sewn on the inside tag may detach, posing a choking hazard. Units: 5,300

08/06/14 USDA: Zemco Industries Inc. is voluntarily recalling smoked sausages due to misbranding and undeclared soy, posing a possible allergen hazard to consumers.

08/06/14 CPSC: Vizio is voluntarily recalling 39- and 42-inch flat panel televisions because the stand assembly can fail and cause the television to tip over, posing an impact hazard. Units: 245,000

08/04/14 FDA: Seoul Shik Poom Inc. is voluntarily recalling ice cream bars due to undeclared eggs, posing a possible allergen hazard.

- See more at: http://www.safekids.org/recall/august-2014-childrens-products-safety-recalls#sthash.RTAW9H36.dpuf