Is anyone having FUN??

I had one of those evenings. You know the kind. At least I think you do. Let's just say I hope you do. I don't want to be all alone out here in one of "those" kind of evenings. I mean, that's the point of this whole friggin' venture - not to be alone feeling, you see?

I mean, why, when I think I'm being a cool mom, do I get slammed by my insane children?  

An early evening walk to buy some fun workbooks, a pack of brand-new crayons, a fresh pad of drawing paper and then a spontaneous idea to eat an impromptu Golden Arches dinner turned into screaming, crying and general nerve-grating behavior.   

Why? WHY?

It's pointless to try and analyze exactly went down to try and reach a rational explanation as to why the magic went "Poof!" into the early evening air...

...it just did.

'Cause that's what happens with the three young kids that rule my life.  Sometimes the magical moments evaporate faster than I can say "Happy Meal." 

After the last whiny one finally fell asleep, I laid back on the couch with my arm over my eyes and I thought "I feel crappy. My life is soooo damn good and I still feel crappy."

I had one of those moments when the to-do list floods my brain and drowns any chance of my mood breaking through to the surface. And I wondered when I will ever ever ever feel "on top of it all" again.  

So - to combat this evening of crushing blows to my mommy self-esteem where my voice ended up sounding way harsher than I ever really want it to sound, I decided to pat myself on the back.

Hell yeah.

I dug deep and decided to pull out a lil' award that my bloggy friend, Em, bestowed on me a little over a week ago.  

Here it is:

Yeah, that crying whiny face is pretty much what my kids ended up looking like tonight so it's all just perfectly appropriate.  

The details of this award dictate that I list ONE thing I do NOT like about myself as a mom and SEVEN things I DO like about myself as a mom.  Or something like that.

1) I don't like that I yell and that my voice sounds mean sometimes when I do. I think if I were on that show "Supernanny," I would watch myself on that little DVD player and I would hear my voice and I would melt into a pile of embarrassment.

Moving on.....seven good things?

1) I like to dance with my kids to fun music.  We were just shimmying, funking and groovin' it up to Chris Cornell's new album yesterday.  It was awesome.

2) I like to kiss and hug on them endlessly.  And they like it too.

3) I like to make them breakfast.  I like the idea of giving them eggs and bacon and jelly toast to fill their bellies and kick-start their day.

4) I like to tuck them in at night.  I like knowing they are safe and sound in a clean cozy bed. 

5) I like to hang outside with them in the yard. I like to push them on the swings, watch them jump on the trampoline and generally just applaud them when they say "Look at me mama!!"

6) I like to listen to them. I love any story from any part of their day or night. A dream, a nightmare, a school moment - anything.  If they want to chat, I'm there to listen.

7) I like to do spontaneous fun things with them even when it backfires on me. A trip to the pier, an outing to the pony rides, a last-minute backyard playdate with a group of friends, a Sunday afternoon at the park - I like to get out and have fun. With them.

That was marginally difficult. 

And now I am supposed to hand it out to other mamas. Well, come on now - if 

you're reading this post, you deserve this award. Plain and simple. If you're a 

mama making it through the day and loving your kids inside out, then take this, 

it's yours too.

Don't you know that's the point by now?

That you are ALL "Moms of the Year!?"

I certainly hope you know that. But in case you need a little reminding, I'm 

reminding you.

But just for kicks, I'll call out a couple chicks who I've been thinking about as 

Moms of the Year recently -

Kath - my dearest friend who is dealing with life stuff with the strength that a good

daughter does. You are SOOO Mom of the Year. Do you know that??

Heather from The Extraordinary Ordinary - every time I go over there, I'm all 

blown away by her strength of expression as a mother and as a woman. Incredible.

Sticky from Not Too Sticky - she just jumps off the page with her sincerity and her

love for her family. She is honest and real and I love reading her.

And finally - Nature Lovin' Super Mama. She is another chick who inspires me with

her honesty and her enthusiasm for life and her surroundings. I think I'm living 

vicariously through her. Check out her scene if you need a change of pace and a

shift in scenery.

Okay all you mamas - happy Mom Of the Year Award Day.

Thanks for helping me pull myself out of this lil' ol' funk.