Mama Confessions

One of my online mama friends just posted a confession post on her family blog, and I loved it. We try so hard to chronicle the good times, but we tend to either gloss over or entirely forget the things we'd rather people not know about- hence the confessions title. I've got ten things I rarely speak or write about, and today I'm letting them out!

1. Sometimes I miss the freedom of a quick trip to the store. I miss wandering through the departments that are interesting to me--clothes, shoes, books, organizational tools--without the whiney toy chant from the kids.

2. I honestly think that Caitlyn is a genius. She is so interested in and knows so much about so many things, and she has an incredible memory. She also grasps abstract concepts in a way that no three year old should, and her language is remarkable. I try really hard not to sound like I'm bragging, but there you go.

3. Lorelei is at my absolute favorite stage. I love all of their ages and stages, but hers is the best. I love the sweet smiles, the constant milestones, the lack of back talk--I just love every bit of it.

4. The kids watch a couple hours of tv most days. They watch in the morning and in the evening. Some days they watch more than that. Hey, its Noggin or the Disney channel, mostly. So what if Caitlyn knows all the words to all the High School Musical songs? 

5. At least once a week, Jason and I make sandwiches for the kids for dinner, and we order in a really nice meal once they are in bed. A steak tastes a lot better when you don't have a 7 year old whining about how he doesn't like it or a 3 year old whining to go play.

6. Speaking of whining, I have zero tolerance for it. I know kids whine sometimes, but I loathe it, and I do everything I can to raise kids who whine as little as possible. It is the one thing that really grates on my nerves and makes me want to run screaming from my house.

7. My girls have an ungodly amount of clothing. Way. too. much. You know the scene in Pretty Woman when they are talking about how much money Richard Gere will spend in the shop, and he says it will be "reeeeaaaaallllly offensive?" They may as well have been talking about the girls' closet. 

8. I desperately wanted to have two girls. Of course, their health was my number one priority, but I very badly wanted to have sisters. I even had dreams about having a boy, then waking up and telling myself having a boy would be ok too. We've got boys to love, so I actually feel ok about wanting girls so much.

9. My very favorite time of day is bedtime. I love my girls, and I love that I can be home with them all day, but after 12 hours of kid shenanigans, I am ready for a glass of wine and time with my husband. And I love the winter because bedtime comes earlier and easier with the shorter days.

10. I regularly throw toys away or donate them. I cannot stand all of the plastic crap that comes with having kids. When pieces are lost and sometimes when they aren't, the toy is gone. If I am cleaning the house and there is a stray plastic french fry from the kitchen set, into the trash it goes. I also throw away all Barbie and doll accessories as soon as they come out of the box. When the girls are old enough to keep up with that stuff, I'll keep it, but for now, all of our Barbies are shoeless.