Flush then wash your hands please!!

Please tell me I'm not alone in the struggle bus of kids not flushing the toilet or washing their hands after using the bathroom. I can not be the only one!

You would think after every single time they come out of the bathroom and me yelling from across the house "FLUSH THEN WASH YOUR HANDS PLEASE!!" They would get it, but sadly hasn't sunk in quite yet.

So in my effort to try to yell across the house less, I made a couple signs, laminated them and everything, taped them to the doors and mirrors of the bathrooms my kids use the most.

Yeah, 1000000% ineffective 😂😂😂

Month later from putting up the signs I'm still yelling across the house " FLUSH THEN WASH YOUR HANDS PLEASE!!" I say please so its all good folks.

I'm not even joking you that the bathroom Gods heard my sorrows and frustration and the clouds parted, entered P.U!

You guys no lie P.U is a little device that sits on the back of your toilet and has a motion sensor (no video people, don't worry) and when your done a message plays to remind your kids to flush the toilet and wash their hands for you! No more yelling across the house! P.U. does all that for me!! Best of all I can record myself saying whatever I want!! YESSSSS!!!!

A friend of ours created this amazing product and it's literally genius! P.U is what they call a potty training assistant, I call it a parents best friend.

They just started a kickstarter campaign to get this product into as many home across the globe and I for one am excited to support and see this happen!

Check out the Kickstarter and make a pledge!

Check out the P.U facebook page to learn more and watch some hilarious videos of what you could say with your P.U device! 

This isn't sponsored I just think this is a freaking genius idea and wanted to share!!

I've been a Mom for a decade

Sometimes I don't feel old, and then today I woke up with a 10 year old daughter. Yeah I feel slightly old now.

How quickly 10 years has flown.  Evelyn has grown into a unique and beautiful young lady. To tell you the truth, its kinda scaring me a little. I don't know what lies ahead but I know it will be full of fun, interesting, amazing adventures with this girl. 💗

20 years young mother & baby girl

30 years young mother & grown up girl

Summer by the hour in gifs

5am: When the poking me awake starts. 

me to me: 

6:00 am: me

kids

7:00 am: kids

8:00 am: kids still hungry

9:00 am: kids

10:00 am: kids

11:00 am to 5:00 pm: me

5:00 pm to 7:00 pm(bedtime): kids

  me:

Kids sleeping: me

repeat:

I love my kids, i love my kids, i love my kids, i love my kids, i love me kids....

Are you a better mother for my children?

I was helping a friend at church with one of her boys, I just happened to be right there at the moment, he is the cutest spitfire with a big fun personality, and my friend jokingly said, "I swear he was supposed to be your child, Erica" I laughed and then went about my Sunday.

It got me thinking.

How often do we feel like someone else would be a better mother for our children?

I love my kids, but yes, they can be the worst. But, why do we feel like because our children are not listening, throwing a tantrum, or whatever thing they are doing that drives us nuts, someone else would be a better fit to mother them?

I'm just thinking about loud here, but maybe, its because I get get so burnt out with my kids that the idea of someone else taking care of them is a glorious thing.  Maybe, its that in general kids tend to listen better when someone else is giving them instruction (maybe that's just mine), or helping them do things. Maybe, its that I tend to have a little more patience with other peoples kids than my own.

Do I really want someone else to mother my children? no. Do I believe that there are people placed in my life at certain times to help in my mothering journey and visa versa? yes.

I am glad I have other women around me that I know would be good mothers for my children. I'm glad to have that piece of mind to know that if I need them, I can count on them to mother my children, to protect and love them.

.

One of the many reasons why I love being a member of my church is that I have that built in tribe everyone seems to be seeking. Any connection whether through church, a facebook group, instagram friends, twitter etc. are great places to find women with like minded goals, and values. So many amazing women in the world to connect with!

I hope that in whatever stage in life you are in right now, that you can find those women that help your life be brighter, and happier. It literally can take a village to raise children, a helpful hand, or a listening ear. There is NO better mom for your children then yourself, but there are plenty of helpers

Have you thought someone could be a better mother for your children?? 

Capture Motherhood

I was recently tagged in a photo on Instagram by a company that I follow Regalo Baby about capturing motherhood

Capture motherhood with us by sharing your favorite quotes, stories, and pictures. Simply tag us @regalobaby to share and use the hashtag #capturemotherhood. (@airkaka @oursmalltownsquad @alytoash @_mama.woo_ @sahmclothmom @jojoremy We love your IG accounts and would be excited to follow how you #capturemotherhood) . . . . . #tinymoments #uniteinmotherhood #momsunite #momlifeisthebestlife #candidmotherhood #our_everyday_moments #strongmother #momentsofmotherhood #mynameismama #mom_hub #ourcandidlife #simplychildren #illuminatechildhood #parenting101 #bestofmom #letthembelittle #teammotherly #writeyouonmyheart #motherhoodinspired #ig_motherhood #motherquotes

A photo posted by Regalo Baby (@regalobaby) on Oct 13, 2016 at 5:50pm PDT

I love the words they posted "I didn't lose myself when I became a mom I found myself."

Its something that I've been thinking a lot about lately so it was fitting and exciting when they tagged me to share how I capture motherhood.

My younger self never had a definitive plan as to what the future held.  All I knew was that some day I would be a mom.  It was a natural transition for me, but I did have to give up a lot to be able to be a mother.  Social mental, financial. Being a mother takes, and takes, and takes.  Sometimes it takes so much that you feel like you never get anything back.  In just the past couple years I was forced to stop and look at things much differently in all areas of my life.  Things that seemed to be one way, ended up being another.  I had to build myself up more than I've ever had to in order to be the mother and the person I wanted and needed to be.  My perspective on motherhood has changed so much since then and I am glad I've had to change.

For me capturing motherhood is about the spontaneous fun, the mundane and the down right boring moments.  Moments of chaos, and moments of calm.

Its the little mom fails. Getting ready to feed your baby a bottle then dropping it right on his face.  He doesn't want to be near you any more, so you make it work.

Losing a battle with a 3 year old about wearing a winter coat when its 90 degrees outside and he's sweating, but it makes him happy.

Having a continuously messy home even though you swear to your husband that you spent at least an hour cleaning it, oh well.

My squad 💕

A photo posted by Erica Jenkins//Good Job Momma (@airkaka) on Oct 5, 2016 at 10:56am PDT

Seeing your kids have a love for the same thing (technology) and play nicely together.


Being a mother is my job.  Just like if I had a job outside the home, and I bust my butt everyday.  Its hard, its lonely, its worth it.

Thank you Regalo Baby for inspiring this post today.  If you want to join in capturing motherhood use the hashtag #capturemotherhood and tag @regalobaby  on Instagram

the other mothers

if you are a mother please read it. if you aren't a mother read it anyway. :)

 

the other mothers

(its a little lengthy but worth it)

 

i am so guilty of comparing myself to other mothers.

 

i should be taking them more places. i should sign them up for special activities. i should dress them up more. i should have their hair perfect every time we go anywhere. i should dress like a real mom. i should be back to my pre baby weight already. i wish i could look like "so and so".  why can't i live like them?  i'm never going to be good at that. i wish i could be crafty, good moms are crafty. why can't i teach my kids to do what that kid does? why can't they act like their kids?

 

 

Marvin J. Ashton said, “There is a natural, probably a mortal tendency to compare ourselves with others. Unfortunately, when we make these comparisons, we tend to compare our weakest attributes with someone else’s strongest. Obviously these kinds of comparisons are destructive and only reinforce the fear that somehow we don’t measure up.”

 

so unbelievably true. i guess what i'm trying to say is. i'm not a perfect mom, but i'm a good one for my kids.

 

i'm hoping that i can remember this and stop try to be something that i'm not. which is okay.

 

which reminds me....

"I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be than me." the lessons you can learn from Disney movies is amazing. thank you wreck it ralph for teaching me that. :)

 

i hope that as mothers we can be whatever mother we want to be with out feeling inadequate or pressure to be something we aren't. we are the best mother for our children.