i was such a good mom before i had kids

before i was a mom...i vowed to let my kids eat anything they wanted. my ideal menus went a little something like this: bowl of ice cream for breakfast, 4 fruit roll-ups for lunch, french fries and twinkies for dinner. with a bag of cheetos spread throughout the day for snacks. yum!

now i know that watching my children enjoy fruits and vegetables and healthy meals brings my mother-heart much satisfaction. and also...ice cream, fruit snacks, fries, twinkies, and cheetos bring my mother-heart satisfaction.

before i was a mom...when i saw kids throwing a fit in public--i judged that mom. yes i did. i knew that only spoiled kids with lazy parents cried in restaurants and grocery stores and the post office line. i was overwhelmed with how many rotten kids were out there in the world!

now when i see/hear a crying child i want to cry with them. i know that missing your nap ruins your day. i know that the post office is not where a kid can be a kid. and i have compassion on that mom...no more judging. 4912 trips to restaurants and walmart that ended in MY tears in the car taught me a thing or two.

before i was a mom...my kids were going to be dressed like a gap ad every time--EVERY TIME--we left the house. no hair out of place, matching shoes and hairbows. we were going to be the head-turning family. i'm not vain, i'm just...okay, maybe i'm vain?

this has soooo not worked out the way i planned! at first, with just 2 and 3, i had much more control. they were young enough that i did all the wardrobe shopping and outfit matching. i felt like my kids were head-turners for sure. but now...it's more like i hope people aren't looking. :) some days all we can do is meet the "no naked at school" requirement...

before i was a mom...i had visions of play-doh spreads and hours in the sandbox. oh what memories i would make with my calm and delightful children as we spent our days squishing in brightly colored goo and building castles fit for a king! 2 things i couldn't wait to have and do with my kids.

what a joke! play-doh has been restricted to the driveway with the sidewalk chalk. and we only owned a sandbox for 3 weeks... after the entire contents of the turtle found it's way into my home (one shoe-full at a time) it took up residence at goodwill. did you buy it? :)

before i was a mom...costume-wearing that lasted for weeks on end and velcro character tennis shoes baffled me.

and they still do.

huh. some things never change...