Top Ten Reasons I Deserve the “Not Mom of the Year” Award

Although many people praise me for being a very “put together” laid-back mommy, I have to say (in my most Britney voice) “You think you know, but you have no idea.”

Despite my insane schedule of work, college, and a toddler I am often praised on the well-behaved nature of my adorable little man.

So, I decided to come clean and enter myself into Life Without Pink & the Mommyologist‘s “Not Mom of the Year” contest. Here are the top ten reasons why I’m so “NOT Mom of the Year.”

#10. I run out of diapers, and more recently it’s been quite frequently!

I try (try being the key word here) to make sure I have all the inventory needed for the house on a daily basis, but sometimes I just can’t keep up. I have too many other things to keep track of like assignments, bills, evaluations, etc., and sometimes it leads me to forgetting a few of the really important things needed for my son…like diapers.

I am so “Not Mom of the Year”!

#9. I’ve dozed off during perfectly wonderful mommy/son bonding time, because I was tired, or just too stressed to deal with him.

I never thought I would ever admit this, but there has been quite a few instances where Ms. Jo from Supernanny would have been quite disappointed with my parenting skills.

For example, the other night I was up late (blogging of course) because it is my only peace and quiet time when I can truly focus, and of course, Braxton woke up early that next morning. Not only was he up early, but he was quite the needy little chap. He wanted to “colourrrr peeassseee” and normally this adorable request would put an enormous smile on my face. But, due to my new-found anti-coffee kick I am on, and lack of energy to go to Starbucks for a tea, I was so not in the mood for adorable requests.

So, I decided to lay on the floor next to B (as he colored with his Aquadoodle) and “pretend” I was coloring. All the while, I was really snoozing on the floor, well “resting my eyes” as my Gram used to say. When Braxton figured out what I was really doing, he started to yell in my ear “Maaaaa. Maaaa, Mama!!!! Mommmmyyyy.” I quickly woke up and realized I needed to promptly tire this little man out so he would take a nap (and so could I).

I am so “Not Mom of the Year”!

#8. I’ve seen the following video and still give my son frozen chicken nuggets.

Although I occasionally have some pretty awful eating habits (that I am NOT proud of), I always prided myself on giving my son nothing but the healthiest food. Well, maybe not the healthiest food, but definitely healthier than what most children consume. He eats what we eat for dinners (I do eat healthy dinners it’s the in-between fast food eating habits that I am not proud of), because I refuse to be a short order cook or have the kid that ONLY eats macaroni & cheese and chicken nuggets. (For the mothers who have these children I am not insulting you! I give you credit for dealing with a picky eater. My husband is one, and it is not an easy job AT ALL!)

But, as well all know, eating healthy can be expensive! The people who say that” it ends up saving you money in the long run” have never had to empty a piggy bank to go grocery shopping. Braxton is the most amazing gift my husband and I have ever received, but he was also the most “unexpected” gift we ever received and financially it has not been easy.

Yet, you think after watching this bloody mess of a demonstration by Mr. Jamie Oliver, you think I would never let my son eat them again. But, I did and I still do. I do say I am more conscious of which kind I buy, but I still can only afford to buy what’s on sale. I think I need to start reading Frugal Mama’s blog more often! And, hey I ate frozen chicken nuggets & fish sticks (gross!) and I turned out okay, right?

I am so “Not Mom of the Year”!

#7.  My son has started speaking a lot more lately, but unfortunately before he said “Grammy” he said the s-word (and I don’t mean sugar!).

My husband and I try very hard to watch our “adult language” around our son, Braxton. But, as many of you can (hopefully) imagine it is not always the easiest thing to do. We thought, keyword is thought there, that we were doing a very good job of controlling our “adult language” until one day we heard Braxton say the darndest thing! He was playing with the Wii controller in the basement and pretending that he was playing Wii while my husband and I were in an intense game of Wii bowling. It was quite cute actually! Then, I had a bad frame of bowling and I said, “Awww man!!!” and Braxton replied, “Awww s_ _ _!” I am obviously editing this! So, I said (trying my best not to laugh) “Awww sugar.” He replied, “No, awww s_ _ _ _!” It was the most hilarious and embarrassing moment as a mother.

I am so “Not Mom of the Year”!

#6. I have let my son eat fruit snacks and/or popcorn on the couch for breakfast.

My son usually has a very balanced breakfast consisting of cereal, oatmeal, fruit, eggs, and an occasional homemade French toast. But, recently he’s been into waking up very grumpy (just like his daddy!). When he does wake up in this grumpy mood, he refuses to sit in his high chair and eat breakfast. He arches his back and straightens his legs so I cannot put him in his chair. I know he is only 22 months old, but he is a very strong little man. Then, he begins to scream and freak out and the only thing that calms his down is fruit snacks and/or popcorn (which he says so darn cute that you can’t resist), yet he always says, “Peaaasssse?” So, yes on a few occasions I have fed my son fruit snacks and/or popcorn for breakfast.

I am so “Not Mom of the Year”!

#5. I have let my son watch inappropriate (for his age anyway) reality television.

Hi, my name is Rebecca, and I’m addicted to reality television. And the other addicts reply, “Hi Rebecca.”

One of my many addictions is reality television! I hate to admit it, but I find joy in watching other people’s crazy lives, regardless of whether they are real or not. My husband tries to crush my dreams every time he sees me watching any sort of reality television series, especially his favorite (HA!) The Hills. But, I don’t care what anyone says! I like to think they are real because it makes TV more interesting to me.

Although we have a wonderful Tivo system in our basement, it is very hard to reserve time for that spot in the house. My husband likes to unwind and play video games, which most of the time I don’t mind. But, it seems that every time I want to watch a show on MY (yes it is mine-a previous Christmas gift that seems to have been taken over by my husband) Tivo, he is playing video games. There has also been several instances where HIS shows were conveniently recorded and MY shows were clipped or bumped.

Due to this debacle that we experience more often than not, I am forced to watch all of my favorite reality shows at their assigned time slots. Sometimes this means that B is exposed to housewife drama, rehab meltdowns, and an occasional cigarette-smoking swear from the crab boat captain. (And I wonder why he said the S-word!)

I am so “Not Mom of the Year”!

#4. I have fed my son fast food in a crunch, despite the fact I’ve ranted since his birth that he would never taste fast food…EVER!

Last semester was probably the most hectic semester of my life! I had just started a full-time position at a special needs high school, was taking six classes at Rowan University, and I was trying to spend every minute I could with B because I was having serious bouts of mommy guilt. I felt like I never saw him. I would leave the house at 7AM and not return until after 8PM and most of the time Braxton was either on his way or already in bed when I would get home. This was at least three nights out of the week and weekends (when I would get most of my assignments done for my SIX classes), so as you can guess I was seriously feeling baby-withdrawal.

Due to the lack of time that I had, I occasionally would get to the point of the tumbleweed cabinets. This meant no food to make for dinner. So, I would pack B up in the car and head on over to the local McDonald’s and get him a happy meal (with milk & apple slices of course). You see, if the grocery store had drive-thru I would be ALL OVER IT!!!!

The milk and apple slices made me have a little less guilty about feeding my son fast food! Especially after I had watched the movie Super Size Me.

I am so “Not Mom of the Year”!

#3. I’ve had a baby-sitter at the house ask me where I keep Braxton’s clothes, because she was unable to find any clean clothes in his room.

“Umm…yeah, I have been moving stuff around lately. I’ll make sure that his clothes are laid out for you.”

In reality I’m thinking to myself, OMG! I must be the worst mother in the world. She can’t find any clean clothes because there are none! During the insanity of finals time I got to the point where doing laundry didn’t quite fit into my schedule. We are fortunate enough to have had enough clothes to get us through close to two weeks, but I had no idea that B was fresh out! I was so embarrassed, no wait I was MORTIFIED at the fact that there were no clean clothes for my son. I just have to tell myself (sometimes on a daily basis) that my hectic schedule now is for the future benefit of my son. I’m praying and hoping that he does not recall my lack of presence now, although I remind myself that he WILL forget if I miss his first T-ball game.

I am so “Not Mom of the Year”!

#2. I let my son destroy the living room so that I can get my school work (and most recently blogging) done in peace.

Please be aware that I am literally ten feet from him while he is doing this, so he IS SAFE!!!

I am so “Not Mom of the Year”!

And the #1 reason I am not Mom of the year is (drum roll please)…….

When my son sees a glass of wine he says, “Mommy. juice.”

I am by no means an alcoholic! But, due to my hectic schedule and the fact that I have a toddler with lots of energy, I like to have a glass of wine to unwind at the end of the day or with my dinner. I have actually really gotten into pairing wines with different kinds of meals and trying different blends.  I have a glass or maybe two in the evening, but nothing crazy. It just blew my mind when Braxton said that. I’m guessing it’s because every time he tries to take my glass I say, “This is mommy’s drink honey, no thank you.”

I just have to remember everyday that kids catch on quick and they do say the darndest things!!!

I try very hard to be the best mom I can be and at times I achieve that goal, but not everyone is perfect and that’s OK! So, I hope all the moms out there relate to some of my reasons as to why I am so “Not Mom of the Year” rather than judge me.

Thank you to Tina from Life Without Pink and Mary the Mommyologist for the chance to confess my mommy mishaps and my husband thanks you too (he says you’ve already saved him thousands in therapy!).

I truly love being a mom and my little family!

Just a thought.

(Photo courtesy of Alison at Lucidfoto-Check her out!!!)

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