30 Days Of Thanks, Mommy Edition

Ah, November, a time of thanks. It is a Facebook tradition to celebrate all that we, and I guess by we I mean FB users, are thankful for each day by posting a "Day of Thanks" status update.  You have all seen them, and most of you probably post them (right?), and many of you cannot keep up with them and then are forced to post multiple thanks in one day:

 I'm behind, so Day 4: I am thankful for my family. Day 5: I am thankful for my health, blah blah...

Don't get me wrong; I am not judging. I too started with good intentions and then slowly forgot about the "Day of Thanks" post.  I also think it is pretty safe to say we are mostly all thankful for the same things: God, health, family, friends, children, church family, pets, etc.  And I am no different. I am certainly thankful for these same blessings I have in my life. I believe God is almighty, powerful, merciful and is my hope. I am thankful for his love for me and my family and for the salvation he has insured for me through Jesus Christ. I am thankful I have a loving husband, amazing children, wonderful parents, a beautiful home and a secure job.  But I am also thankful for the small, seemingly insignificant things as well. And as a mom, I am thankful for a whole plethora of things, ranging from medicine to cartoons, SO here is my list of my 30 Days of Thanks, Mommy Edition.

I am thankful for...

1.A doctor's office that is open on the weekends. My kids ALWAYS get sick on the weekends.  Why? I have no idea; it is one of the mysteries of the universe, up there with missing socks in the dryer.  When we were younger, most doctor's offices were closed on the weekend and a parent's only option was to go to the ER, and though that still happens occasionally, the fact that the offices are open 24/7 is a huge blessing. 

2. Pack N Plays.  Now that Sawyer is 18 months old and into everything, I am constantly on the move chasing after him.  I cannot trust him; as soon as I take my eyes off of him, he ends up in trouble.  More than once I have found him stirring the toilet water with his hand or sitting fully dressed in a wet bottomed bathtub. If it weren't for a Pack N Play, I would quite possibly never be able to take a shower in peace. 

3. Spaghetti-Os: Hear me out. Saying Ryder is a picky eater is an understatement, and unless you count french fries, he eats zero vegetables. So, even though you holistic health conscious moms are silently shuddering (along with Jennifer Foster), I somehow feel justified in feeding Ryder Spaghetti-Os because they claim to contain 20% of a child's needed daily vegetable intake, and they even come with meatballs, which boosts extra protein, or you can opt for Spaghetti-Os Plus Calcium. I see this meal as a win win. 

 4. Five Point Harness Car Seat: Sometimes, I am going to be honest, I go somewhere simply so I can strap my kids into the five point car seats where I know they will be safe and so that I can relax for a few minutes without having to worry that one of them is into something that he shouldn't be. Don't act like you have never done it.   

5. Mickey Mouse Club House: I swear I sing the Hot Dog song in my sleep, but it is like baby crack, and my kids will quietly watch it every time.  Thank you Disney Jr. 

6. Disney Jr App: Number five brings me directly to Number six. If you weren't aware, Disney Jr has an app that is free (bonus, because I would totally pay for it) which allows my kids to watch unlimited episodes of Mickey Mouse, as well as other favorites including Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Doc McStuffins on the go.  Now my kids will not only quietly watch TV at home, but in public as well, which is a lifesaver when we go out to eat.

7. iPad 2: Alright, this is another extension of Numbers six.  We wouldn't have the joy of watching the Disney Jr app is we didn't have an iPad (or my iphone or Shaun's droid for that matter) to watch it on.  I must say, I am very glad to be raising my kids in the digital age.  Otherwise, I might never get to enjoy a meal in public.  Not in peace at least.

8. Daycare and the wonderful women who work there:  I am a full time working mom, so my children must go to daycare. I would like to be a stay at home mom, but I have to admit, I love my job, and it provides my family with many luxuries.  This means my kids must go to daycare.  There are times I wish it weren't this way, like when they pick up every illness floating around, but seriously, I am very thankful for them. They (ECA --shout out in the Bluff) take great care of my boys; I have formed friendships with the workers and totally trust them, and honestly, if it weren't for them, my trips to Wal-Mart would be painful.  They do a yeoman's job.

9. Pacifiers: What a perfect invention, a plug for a baby. Genius.

10. Disposable Diapers: Now, I know some of you moms love washable diapers (probably the same moms who cringed at the Spaghetti-Os), but those are not my style. I am very thankful I can take that pile of poop, fold it up and throw it out. No scraping, dumping, soaking, wringing out, or washing necessary.  

11. Washable Magic Markers:  Ryder thinks he is an artist, and maybe he is (gets it from me) but sometimes, he creates his masterpieces on my walls or even on his own body.  The other day I came home, and he had drawn blue lines all over his body. I asked what they were supposed to be. He said (as if it was a stupid question) "my bones!"  Luckily, they washed off easily in the bath tub later that night. 

12. Play Doh: Not all moms are down with the mess that kids can make with Play Doh, but me, I LOVE it! A can of Play Doh will keep Ryder occupied for hours, and it is one of the only play activities I really enjoy doing with him. Play Doh is fun. And it vacuums up pretty easily too. 

13. Hokes Bluff Drug Shoppe: I want to give thanks for the sweet pharmacists and staff at HB Drug. They ALWAYS help me out when I need it. I swear, I have joked that I want Candace to be my pediatrician because I trust her judgment more than the doctor's on certain things. In fact, I still drive from Southside to HB for my prescriptions.  Walgreens may be open later, but there, I am just a number, and at HB Drug, they know me by name and treat me like family.   
*(I do want to note, however, that I have had good experiences at Rainbow City Walgreens.)

14. Happy Hiney from Hughes Pharmacy: This is an amazing diaper rash cream, and believe me, I am an expert. It may cost 12 bucks for a teeny tiny jar, but it is like gold when my baby's bottom is raw.  I never like to be without it. 

15. Munchkin Microwaveable Sterilizing Steam Bags:  These nifty little inventions allow me to sterilize Sawyer's pacifiers easily and quickly. I keep a bag on my counter, and as I feel the paci's get dirty (after hitting the floor or having gone out in public with us) I put them in the steam bag. Once I start running low on sterilized pacifiers or when my bag gets full, I add a few ounces of water and pop that baby in the microwave for 90 secs and BAAM! Sterilized. If not for these bags, Sawyer wouldn't have had a clean pacifier past 6 weeks old. 

16. TUBES! Okay, I know I haven't had the best luck with tubes. Ryder has had 6 sets, 4 in the past year alone, and Sawyer has also had tubes.  Both boys had troubles including constant draining, staff infection, etc, BUT without tubes, it would have been so much worse. I swear, I think if my kids had been born before tubes were a routine process, they may very well have ended up deaf. 

17. Peanut Butter: Without peanut butter, Ryder would never get protein. It is a staple in our house. 

18. On Demand from Charter and Netflix: Thank goodness for instant access to kid friendly television shows. This keeps my kids happy and keeps me from having to buy 18 billion kiddy DVDs that will be watched nonstop for a month and then forgotten about. 

19.  Breastfeeding: I know I am known as the breast feeding weirdo in my circle of friends (heck, probably in my family too) but I believe in it, and enjoy it for the benefits of health and closeness it has provided for me and my boys. It has also allowed me to connect with a group of women through a support group held monthly at GRMC. They have become friends with whom I share a common bond. The benefits have been great--no bottles, no formula, no washing or sterilizing, no carrying coolers, as well as a reason to take a break with my baby, and there is almost nothing in a baby's small world that nursing can't fix. I wouldn't have made it through our ear problems last year in one piece if it hadn't been for nursing Sawyer at night.  Give it a fighting chance ladies...

20. Baby Monitor's: This seems silly, but it allows me to sleep peacefully knowing that even though my baby is in the next room, I can hear him clearly and loudly through my monitor. Otherwise, I might be so asleep he would scream for hours before I realized it.

21. LeAnn Browning: Does this one make you laugh? It is legit. Without her I wouldn't have the beautiful pictures to document the growth of my gorgeous family.  She is an amazing friend and an excellent photographer. If you haven't used her, you should. 

22. Friends With Kids: I have been lucky to have a large group of friends who all have wild kids (this is a compliment).  It makes life much more enjoyable to have friends who are fun and who all understand when your kids melts down in public, instead of giving you the evil eye like you can't control them.  I love my girlfriends; I have fun with my girlfriends, and I really whole-heartedly enjoy every second I get to spend with them and their kiddos.  Ladies, you know who you are; thanks for the friendship and the shoulders on which I can lean when my kids drive me nutty.

23. My wonderful family members who offer to help out with the kids: I am one lucky momma.  I have an amazing family. I have a husband who is a great dad and loves his boys tremendously, parents who help with my kids and help with my daily chores, a mother in law who helps my entire family out in numerous ways, sister in laws who lovingly offer to babysit. I even have extended family, aunts and uncles, (that's you Scarlett and Gary) who help me with my kids by allowing me to have parties at their house in the summer. I love my family. I have been blessed (even if mom does lose my kid every now and then while babysitting or put buttermilk in his cereal or peaches in the sippy cup).  

24. Sit N Stand Stroller: If you have a small kid and a big kid, you will agree that a Sit N Stand stroller is FABULOUS! It may have a crappy turning radius, but it sure makes life easy by allowing the baby to have a comfortable seat and providing Ryder with a big boy seat, something that has been a life saver when going on outings to places like the Georgia Aquarium or the Birmingham Zoo.

25. Tear Free Shampoo: I think we moms take this for granted. My kids are not still when I wash the shampoo out of their hair every night.  With tear free shampoo, I don't have to worry about getting the suds in their face.

26. Nebulizers with Albuterol: OK, this one is controversial because it has its down side, but if it were not for breathing treatments, my poor boys would be miserable and would have very labored breathing when they are sick (like always). It may not be fun to deal with, but I am thankful for the medical help it provides in making my boys feel better when they are sick.

27. Washable Bed Pads: Ryder typically throws up in the bed on average of twice a month. He has tons of congestion and if he coughs for more than a minute, he pukes everywhere (be aware of this if you ever ask him to spend the night, BTW).  He also still sleeps in a pull up, which occasionally leaks.  I HATE changing sheets, especially if I just changed them and then he has an accident, SO I always put sheets on the bed, then I put a washable bed pad where he sleeps and finally, tuck a flat sheet over it.  This way, if he has an accident, I simply pull of the top layer of sheet and bed pad, throw it in the washer, and the fitted sheet is clean and in-tact. I call this the Throw Up Plan, and I have perfected it. It cuts down on changing sheets and makes my life oh so much easier.     

28. Oatmeal: I think if it were not for oatmeal, Sawyer might starve to death. Well, that and Carnation Instant Breakfast.

29.  Fashionable Flats. I love clothes and shoes. I particularly love high heels, but as a momma, I learned real quick why moms get a bad rap for the way they dress.  Sometimes with kids, in order to function and maintain control, you must dress comfortably. It would be a disaster taking my kids to a place where I would possibly need to bust out in a run to catch a kid who has gone AWOL on me in public. But now that cute flats are all the rage, I can chase kids while looking adorably in fashion. A definite plus. This is one trend that I hope continues.

30. Blogger: Why am I thankful for my blog? Because, my blog allows me an outlet to vent my mommy frustrations to an audience that understands.  If I post every frustration on FB, then everyone who is my friend has to see it. So the guy from school I am friends with has to see my mommy rant clogging his FB Timeline (which I am not going to lie, does happen), but if I write a blog about my nervousness or anxiety concerning parenting, then I can simply share a link and only those who are interested have to read. I can connect with other moms and maybe help somebody else out with one of my mom problems or someone can leave me a comment or send me a message and make me feel better about whatever it was I was writing about, so if you have a comment, please feel free to post it!

BONUS: 

And Finally, I am thankful for my boys, Ryder and Sawyer: Without my two precious boys, none of the previous 29 reasons of thanks would matter or exist, for me anyway.  They are my world; I love them more than my own life and am more thankful than I could ever express in words for them.  They are my true blessings this Thanksgiving.

So, what are your Thanks for the month?