Ok, I have a good one for you… I know this lady, we will lovingly refer to her as Mama Dee 💕
Mama Dee is the funniest, most big hearted, loving person! She’s like everyone’s Mom and everyone’s cool Aunt all wrapped into one. And she is absolutely FASCINATING! I mean the stories that she has told me over the years are so impressive and cool and entertaining as h***! But, this story, has been my absolute favorite by far…!
Let me set the scene for you… we were all sitting around the campfire, drinking, talking, and swapping stories. Can you feel the fresh air and hear the crackling fire yet??? My happy place!
Anyways, the conversation had switched to technology. Phones, tablets, streaming, the internet, etc. Mama Dee starts telling us all about her grandson and what a wiz he is with technology.
“Oh, he teaches me everything, how to operate my smart phone, how to text, how to email, everything! If I have a question, he’s the first person I go to! Well, you guys know me, when I’m home, by myself, I like to be just as God made me, in nothing but my birthday suit. No kidding, the second I get home from wherever and that front door closes behind me, I immediately strip down and go about my business.” (All I could picture was this:)
“My Grandson being the techno-nerd that he is had gotten me an H-Box. What the h*** am I going to do with an H-Box?! Well, he told me that I can play games, or watch movies, I don’t know all it does, but he showed me some stuff it can do, and it’s actually pretty cool, I like it a lot! (We interrupted her and asked what an H-Box is). You know, that thing that plays video games and stuff. Oh, you mean an X-Box?! Yeah, that thing!” (We all laughed).
“So, as per usual, I’m hanging out at home. I had just made myself dinner and I sat down on the couch and popped on my TV. I look at the screen and go, “What the h*** is THAT?!” So, I put on my glasses, and look again… what the h*** kind of show is this? It’s just some old lady, sitting on a couch, NAKED! — when it hit me that somehow the video chat camera was on and it was ME! I fumble around on the couch trying to get up as fast as I could waving my arms around and yelling, “H-BOX OFF!!! H-BOX OFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!”
Ok, I’m legit dying by this point. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe, I was crying, and I’m pretty sure I did a spit-take during her story. Then, she continues…
“And if THAT wasn’t traumatizing enough, I just know there’s some picture somewhere floating around on the world wide web of my old a** naked as a Jaybird! Nobody wants to see THAT!”
Again, we were all laughing so hard we couldn’t breathe! We explained to her that it was probably just the camera that was on, it wasn’t probably streaming to anything… but she was convinced and honestly she is right. There could be a chance it was streaming, but hopefully not!
LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! 🎤 🎶 🎵 Are you ready for this?! Dun, dun, dun, dun dun dun dun, dun dun, dun dun dun dun dun… 🎶
Mom signed us up for cheer camp every year. I liked it when I was really small, but after that not so much. Well one year she signed my little sister and I up late, we missed the first day or week or something like that. So we were behind in the routine. But my mom convinced the high school cheerleaders who were teaching the camp that we would pick up the routine “in no time…” well we literally jumped into the deep end with both feet. The cheerleaders put my sister and I up front because we didn’t know the routine yet. Great.
The instructor puts one arm straight out to the side and the other on her hip and starts doing the cross kick. You know, like the Rocketts signature kicks. Well we were supposed to be partnered up in groups of 2, so my little sister and I were partners. I started imitating the instructor perfectly, by doing EXACTLY what she was doing. My little sister looked around at the other little girls and tried to put her arm up on my shoulder. I pushed her off and basically said, stop it, what are you doing…? Just follow along here – we have A LOT to learn, so pay attention! Well she just kind of stood there looking around at everyone, which i noticed, so I did too… the reason they had us all partnered up was because you were supposed to cross arms with your partner by putting one arm on their shoulder and the other on your hip… oh holy balls! The reason the instructor wasn’t doing this is because she was BY HERSELF! JUST KILL ME NOW.
So, once I realized this, i grabbed my little sister and whipped her around into position and started kicking as a pair like we were supposed to. I basically acted like she was the dork who didn’t get it initially when the whole time she was trying to very politely tell me how to actually do it! Ugh! What a sweetheart and WHAT AN ASS! But i was just so embarrassed and had previously learned to blame certain things on my sweet little sis lol to add insult to injury, I wasn’t kicking across my body like the instructor was. I was kicking out to the side. So right leg kicks right, left leg kicks left all while holding one arm straight out to the side with the other on my hip in the very front row of all the kids. Yep. I love this cheer camp thing 😬🫣🙄 Needless to say that was my last year doing cheer camp! Ra, ra, shish, boom, ba! Go, Team, Go!
So, yes, I’m going to try to give my kids every opportunity, but I’m also going to try and listen to them when they truly aren’t interested anymore. Which is hard, cause you also don’t want to raise quitters, ect., ect! Ugh, being a parent is HARD! Bottom line, cheer wasn’t for me and little sisters can be right … sometimes.😏
Check out the lastingsupper.com and the nakedpastor.com!!! The Featured Image for this blog is artwork provided by the Naked Pastor!
I truly believe finding the Naked Pastor was “A God Thing.” ❤️ Please read below for more info!
Hello Tired Troopers!
“I got the Holy Spirit! It’s a good train – you should get on it!”
Now, quick disclaimer: This is a pretty long read and I do get “Preachy” – pun intended! But, it is because it took me my entire life to unpack how my heart feels surrounding this topic and something like this is so complex that it can’t be a short excerpt. Please don’t freak out and start picketing after reading this blog… people freak over their religious beliefs. I’m not here to throw stones at any one religion, but I think religion, as a whole, has some major issues that man made, that I dont agree with. That said, I got the Holy Spirit! And it’s a good train – you really should get on it!!!!!
My God is accepting of all. I started saying “My God” after I came back to him. It’s a long story, one that I will fully explain later, but my Dad left our family. Yes, left, left. He didn’t run to the store and never come back. He methodically planned and chose to leave us, even when we were bawling, asking for an explanation, a reason why, and begging him not to. But that’s a much longer story for another time. His sudden departure from our lives was immediately followed by some other tragic events, and I had had it! I had been pushed to my absolute limit and just couldn’t take it anymore. I was broken. Everyone in our extended families (on both sides) had deserted us, and I was done! I was done with God. But, after I had the time I needed to heal, my relationship with God came out bigger, better, and stronger through all of it. It was after this that I started taking personal ownership of my relationship with him by calling him, “My God.”
Have you ever read the book, The Shack? Yeah, me either… but I watched the movie! And I bawled my eyes out because, man, I resonated with it! The Mom/Wife calling God, Mama?! That’s what My God is to me! And, yes, growing up in the church conditioned me to call God a “Him,” but your God can be anything you need them to be! My Mom, sis, and I just recently had a girls’ night, and we had a BLAST! We laughed and talked about anything and everything (as we always do), midnight margaritas were involved (as they always are), and we stayed up until the sun came up and birds were singing! Well, at one point the convo turned to religion, God, and spirituality. My sis said that she was having a hard time trusting God lately because Dad had severely let us down all those years ago and just recently her husband did the same thing, so she was just really feeling guarded towards all men and was worried that was bleeding into her relationship with God because he was a “Him.”
I looked at her and said, “I know the majority of religions have conditioned us to refer to God as a “Him,” but who’s to say that’s right? Why can’t your God be a woman? Especially if that’s what you need to make you feel more comfortable? Or a “they,” for that matter? Because, technically, God is comprised of the Holy Trinity, right? So, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all one in the same, so, really: God = They. Let that soak in for a second…” I could see the relief in her face, so ever since then I’ve been trying so hard to refer to My God as a “They.” It feels so right and empowering!
I truly believe that My God has a sense of humor. If not, don’t you think that with all the crap we do down here on earth that They wouldn’t just wipe the slate clean and start over? Like, well, that experiment sure didn’t work, back to the drawing board. Maybe this time Eve won’t eat the damn apple! My absolute favorite and subsequently the darkest one I’ve seen was a news article post of a man who fasted for 28 days because he was trying to prove he was “holy”… well, he successfully proved he wasn’t holy, because he died on Day 28 from starving himself. A profile named “God,” with the quintessential profile “God” pic of a brunette, handsome man, with long hair, a beard, and wearing white, flowing clothing, commented: “F***ing Poser!” I freaking died! My mouth dropped wide open, eyes went wide from shock, and then I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe! Theeeeeeeeeennnn I took a screenshot and sent it to my mom! 😅🤣😂
Anyways, please don’t hate me – I’m so not perfect! I’m very flawed, but I truly from the depths of my soul try to be the best person I can and give to my fellow people where I can! Whether it’s a simple smile, sending up a small prayer for someone I see, holding the door open, lending a hand, etc. I think you can have a dark sense of humor and still be a good person! I married a Marine after all! ❤️ And that man is my soulmate!
For context here, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt put it best when she famously said:
“The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!”
– “Amen, Sister!!!” ~ Tired Mama
I also have to admit that I am quite jaded with religion in general. Growing up, the churches that i was exposed to preached that they were all accepting, but even as a child I knew that wasn’t really true. You could feel it. If someone didn’t wear their finest Sunday best, they would be judged. If someone showed up late for the sermon, they were judged! If someone fell asleep and started snoring during the sermon, they were judged!!! (Lol)
I have a perfect example of this… my Great Grandfather was a Deacon at our family church. Now, my parents didn’t always attend. They were Christian, but (after their own struggles with God) they shipped my sis and I off to Great G’ma and G’pa’s every Saturday to spend the night and attend church on Sunday. Which, WTH, right?! But I have to say, it was magical being able to spend so much time with my Great Grandparents, and I feel so lucky and honored to have gotten to learn from them and have such a strong relationship with them AND develop my strong foundation in faith because of them! But once I got older and figured out it was also because my parents wanted to pawn us off for alone time, it really chapped my a**. Now, as a parent, I’d 100000000% do this and plan to with my mom (the new G’ma)! It’s your turn, Mama (or should I say G’ma?)!! Bye, Kids 👋! Have fun at Sunday School!
Shoot – I got off track here. Anyway, my Great Grandpa was a Deacon at our church. I still don’t know what this fully meant, but I know it was an honor that he took very seriously. Well, another Deacon’s daughter was engaged and wanted to be married in her family church. Their family had been going to this church for generations and was deeply rooted in all aspects of church activities and volunteering opportunities. They were a wonderful family – so generous and warm and welcoming! Well, her fiancé wasn’t religious. He was open to it, but hadn’t fully grasped what it meant to him yet, if anything. The Pastor denied their request to be married in the church because of this!
Excuse me?! What?! How is that “godly” in any way? You mean to tell me that the church is going to turn away a non-believer who was open to figuring out what his relationship with God could be instead of lying about it for a wedding ceremony of basically church royalty?! If a church princess was a thing, the bride to be was it! I know God, Jesus, AND the Holy Spirit were disappointed at this! Everyone did. Well, not everyone. It basically ripped our church in half. Half of us left because this is BS, and the other half stayed and continued to listen to the self-righteous teachings and preachings of the pastor that rejected a beautiful union. We were among those who left. My Grandpa had had it, so he took his family elsewhere to congregate.
Look, I think church CAN be a wonderful thing. It was for me as a child! But as I got older and started realizing that what I thought church was really wasn’t is when I started really paying attention to what was going on and questioning things. I was raised Christian, but mom told me when I was 13 that I could practice any religion I wanted. She just wanted me to have the building blocks first, so I’d have a strong foundation, but ultimately it was my decision. I. Was. Shocked!! All of a sudden, now it’s my choice?! No, this has to be a trick or some test of my faith… I’d better answer correctly! But I talked to her about it and understood that she believes that religion is a relationship – you have to choose the relationship for yourself. Well, at 13, I was NOT prepared to hear that. However, it really gave me a lot of confidence, because it showed me that my mom had the confidence in me to make this monumental decision on my own at such a young age. I will always be thankful to my mother for teaching me the foundation and to follow my heart and then giving me such an amazing gift as the gift of choice. This gift allowed me to start questioning the church and religion in order to figure out what my heart was feeling.
Here’s where I am now: I call myself spiritual. If I had to pick a religion, I’d say I’m closest to Christian, but I basically took the best parts of all the areas that overlap in each religion (that I know of) and try to live my life by those principles. Which all boil down to The Golden Rule: Treat all people with respect, we’re all God’s children, basically be the best person you can be and help others where you can. And, c’mon, with a life vision like that, honestly, how could you go wrong?
I do believe the Bible is flawed, because if you believe that God’s Word, aka The Bible, was transcribed by God through a human, well, humans aren’t perfect, so therefore the Bible (or any version thereof) cannot possibly be perfect, as it physically passed through man. And that’s talking about the original Day One fresh copy! Since then, it has been translated into every different language, and updated, and this and that, over thousands of years. So, yeah, the Bible is flawed. So I, personally, do not take it as 100% literal. However, the Bible does have wonderful teachings. But even so, those teachings are open to interpretation due to being flawed by mankind’s input over thousands of years.
Take the LGBTQ+ community, for example. Every Bible-thumping zealot will recite the verse, “Man shall not lie with Man.” But that isn’t the literal teaching! Way back when, this was transcribed in original Hebrew, which is a very complex language that many other languages have tried to translate with words believed to match, but those words did not grasp the full complexity of this teaching from original Hebrew. You can research this yourself. I’m sure no expert or scholar on the Bible or religions, but what I found was that the original text was warning against incestuous relations of any kind, which I think we can all agree is a condemnation. It was not talking about consensual, loving relationships of nonrelated adults of any kind. My God only sees love.
Now, please don’t message me trying to define what the Bible means by, “Man shall not lie with Man,” because, honestly, I don’t care. Here’s what I always go back to… Did you get to pick the color of your eyes? No. Did you get to pick how tall or short you would be? No. Did you get to pick your natural hair color? No. Is it a conscious decision you make for who you are attracted to? Do you wake up every day and say, I’m going to be attracted to men, or women, or both, or whatever? NO, YOU DON’T! IT JUST IS! JUST LIKE THE COLOR OF YOUR EYES! My God loves us no matter our color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or lack thereof! They are there for you no matter what! And They made you perfect, just the way you are!
It is an amazing feeling knowing God’s got your back! Like, I think this all the time… how do atheists go through life? Like, this is really all there is and then just nothingness? Is it a huge void, or what happens?? Or reincarnation? Seriously, you might come back as a bug?? And, again, not throwing stones at atheists or reincarnation enthusiasts – those are just as rightful a belief as any of the others. I just have those questions. Because what I believe (and have personally witnessed time and time again) is that God truly has my back. He bails my dumb a** out of so much crap, it’s insane!!!!!! It took me turning my back and walking away from God and religion to truly understand that it is a deep personal relationship that takes work and upkeep just like any other relationship. And it’s ok to be mad at God. It’s ok, because it’s a REAL relationship! And in a real relationship, if you’re mad or don’t understand, then speak up! Be mad! Get upset! Just remember that there’s love there, and where there’s love, understanding, and forgiveness, that trust will follow.
So back to God proving to me time and time again that He (or She, or They, whatever) has my back. I call it, “A God Thing.” Whenever there’s something I can’t explain, but it works out perfectly… that’s A God Thing. A chance encounter, serendipity, etc., THAT’S A God Thing! For instance, I started writing this blog late one night, just jotting my initial thoughts down for a rough draft. When I finished for the night, I literally thought, Wow, it’s going to be hard to find a picture to accompany this blog (because my beliefs aren’t traditional, but they aren’t nothing either… they’re actually quite simple and complex at the same time). Well, the next day my mom sent me the picture at the top of this post, and I went, Holy crap, that’s PERFECT! THAT IS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL AND WHAT I BELIEVE!!! What a perfect accompaniment to my spiritual blog!!! This is a little example of A God Thing! A small one, but they can be small. Shoot, most of them are small, but they add up BIG TIME! It took me years to start noticing them in my life, and I know I probably still don’t notice most, but I really try hard to identify them and give credit where credit is due by saying a thank you prayer! Remember, it’s a REAL relationship, so show your gratitude every chance you get!
If you experience a situation you feel is A God Thing, please pop over to my contact page and share! I’d love to hear and possibly share it on the page, “It’s A God Thing”. Check it out for more stories! And remember that saying thank you is more important than asking God for help – something I constantly have to remind myself of because I still ask for way more than I give thanks for. So give thanks when you realize God stepped in to help you out, because there are a million other times They do and maybe you just didn’t realize it! 🩷💚💙🩵❤️
Ok, so your kid fell down… “big deal“… DON’T FREAK OUT!
Now if it is a 911 emergency, then fine, it is a BIG DEAL but you still CAN’T FREAK OUT! NO PANICING! It only hurts the situation. Bare down and get through it for your kid and break down later.
But I’m not talking about 911 level accidents, I’m talking about the plague facing all new parents… they freak out over the tiniest things and in doing so make their children feel like they are physically dying when they aren’t! Ok, they fell and scraped their knee, they will be fine! Don’t freak out all worried because your kids will mimic your reaction and go from a minor scrape to holy s*** my leg has to be amputated. I’ve seen this time and time again and I want to shake the parents. You’re literally hurting your child when you do this! You are placing unnecessary fear into them. You are their north star, of course they are going to do what you do. So it will be hard, but remain calm and help them through it.
You know when you had to learn to resist the urge to pick up your kid every time they made a sound in their bassinet while sleeping?! That was hard, but you did it! This is just a bigger version of that, they’re growing and so are you! And in this next phase you need to figure out how to be ok with little bumps and bruises here and there just like you learned to be ok with all the crazy noises that came out of your kid as an infant. You got this! I have complete faith in you. Let’s cure this plague together!
Let’s help make our babies generation tough💪 not whiny little panicky pansies over every little thing!!!
It’s hard, my kids have already given me plenty of scares, of which I have initially gone, “Oh s***!” BUT a millisecond later I calm down, change my face and the tone of my voice and just try my damndest to talk calmly to them and smile and say oh you’re ok. I bet that hurt, but you’re so tough! And I can see it in their faces, they go from scared to questioning to huh ok that wasn’t fun, but I’m ok, to laughing with me. In a span of 5 seconds!
Now my husband and I both help each other to not freak out and we’d sure praise one another when we nail it!!!!!!! But we also talk about how hard it is and try to laugh about it. We don’t pretend it isn’t super hard! And again, I’m not talking about serious accidents, I’m talking about every day minor bumps and bruises, scrapes and oopsies. If you help teach your kids that these are minor and not life threatening, panic situations, then they will follow suit. If you do the opposite and flip out over every little thing they will think they are literally dying and become panicky, wimpy, little hypochondriacs! Yikes! No one wants that! So let’s buck up for our babies and show them that accidents happen, but you need to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on! 💪 In doing so we will make confident little humans!
Around 5 months old my son started getting eczema at 6 months he looked like a lepper!
I’ve always had eczema and IT SUCKS! So my poor baby boy got it from me, ugh! If your baby gets it, don’t panic! I know it looks horrible, but it isn’t contagious and your kid will be ok! But eczema sucks, so here are some things you can try to help:
Look for any possible triggers. Like I said he started showing eczema at 5 months and around the same time I had a small flare up. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it, but when his got worse and mine didn’t go away I knew we were both having a reaction to something. So look for possible irritants. Use fragrance free EVERYTHING. I know its super fun to use the cute baby body wash and baby lotions that make your kid smell oh-so-good, but don’t. Trust me, the fragrance lotions and body washes actually sting and make it worse! Aveeno, CeraVe, Aquaphor, these are what you want! Whether it’s the regular tubs or the specialty baby products these brands make. Some even make some geared specifically for eczema! I started with the regular tub of CeraVe and Aquaphor, but it wasn’t keeping up with my poor baby’s eczema, so I bought some eczema cream by CeraVe. DONT GET HYDROCORTISONE CREAM OR ANY OTHER MEDICATED CREAM FOR YOUR BABY UNLESS IT IS PRESCRIBED TO THEM BY A DOCTOR! And even then, I’d get a second and third opinion. Those creams (which i have used my entire adult life) are much too harsh for babies. Many have steroids in them and temporarily weaken the skin they are applied to.
Check into using a gentile laundry detergent as well. We like tide free and clear. Also, baths can help, but make sure it isn’t too hot and limit how long it is. If you pay attention you can literally watch their eczema patches turn bright red the longer or hotter the bath is. Our poor boy lit up like a Christmas tree after 3 mins in the bath! Bright red patches everywhere!
Once I learned what works for my skin I was able to omit all exterior triggers except for seasonal changes, that always made me flare up until my body regulated. But stress still remains a major trigger for me. For example, when my volleyball team went to state my thighs looked like I had leprosy. It was really embarrassing. I also got teased a lot as a child because other kids didn’t know what it was and it was weird and looked bad, so they would tease me and say it was contagious. Like kids tease about fictional cooties that you CANT SEE, eczema, unfortunately is very obvious. So, please try to teach your kids whether they have it or not, that it is only severe dry skin that needs some extra TLC and it is NOT contagious! Cause if your kid is lucky enough to never have it, chances are they will know or see someone who does! It’s very common.
Slather lotion on your kiddo every time you change their diaper. Put it everywhere except for the diaper area (unless they have patches there), but chances are it’ll be everywhere but there. Now trust me, there are going to be times, multiple times, when you won’t want to take the time to slather on the creams, but please look down at their eczema patches and try to understand how uncomfortable they are! Your little one needs your help! And when you win the battle and their eczema subsides, remember you haven’t won the war! Eczema still lurks beneath the surface just waiting for a trigger or for u to back off enough for a flare up! So, maybe not every diaper change, but keep up with moisturizing your little ones skin! Preventative measures really help!
I use it as a bonding opportunity. I talk to them and give them a little baby massage. I try to make them laugh. Anything to make it a positive soothing experience. And just think, if you train your baby that slathering lotion on them is a good thing, it’s just going to make slathering them in sunscreen that much easier as they grow up! That right there is a cause worthy bonus!
But remember once you slather them up they will get very warm. So be careful zipping them into a onesie and wrapping them in a blanket, because they might get to hot and uncomfortable. Especially if you use a heavy gel like Aquaphor. Good news there is that once you get lotion, cream or gel on your naked baby they will be warm. So you can take your time getting them into their clothes. No need to panic rush because your baby is wet and naked. And it’s hard to get them into clothes when they’re damp and/or all motioned up, so at least you know you have some extra time! They will literally have a moisturizing body suit on, so you can take an extra minute or two to calmly clothe them. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about just put lotion on all over your body next time u get out of the shower then get clothed, it will be super warm! Try it before you do it to your kiddo.
One last tid bit… you can’t always see eczema, but it will still be there. It might just be too light to clearly see. You’ll still be able to feel it though and if you give them a bath their patches will seriously light up like a Christmas tree! So be diligent with the creams and lotions until your baby’s smooth skin returns to normal. Then you can back off and apply as you see fit. Your kid will be much more comfortable if you do! And a comfortable kid = less meltdowns! Win, win!
P.S. My NICU Baby Buddy found out that my son had eczema and gave me a bunch of her breastmilk freezer supply to use in the bath to help soothe his skin! Bless her!!! Because I wasn’t producing enough milk to even feed both my babies, let alone have some left over for baths!!! I used some for his baths, but I actually ended up using most of it to supplement my supply and fed it to my babies. Bless you woman!!! We are so much stronger together, I’m so lucky to have her as part of my tribe!
Ok, so I’ve been seriously impressing myself lately. My reflexes are on point! Like I’m making crazy quick catches and saves that I wouldn’t have ever been able to do before becoming a parent! My hubby has noticed he has this new gift too! Is it possible we both were bitten by some radioactive super spider or something?! Devine intervention?! An evolutionary survival upgrade?! Has anyone else experienced this? U become a parent and instantly get catlike reflexes?! Like super spidey senses?!?!?!
I can catch stuff WITH MY FEET! MY FEET! MY FREAKING FEET!!!!!!!! I dropped a glass in the kitchen and without looking I put my foot out and caught it with my foot against the lower cupboard! Whaaaa? And it wasn’t an isolated incident either! My baby dropped their bottle and I put my foot out and caught it before it hit the floor… um, huh. It’s a little scary, but super cool too!
When we first had the kids I constantly said that parents should automatically grow a second set of arms. Like as in some weird evolutionary thing. Because 2 hands and 2 arms just doesn’t cut it sometimes, then you tack on a second or third child, yeah nah! But, unfortunately even if that does become a thing someday, we definitely won’t see it in our lifetimes. So, maybe the super spidey senses is the evolutionary gift we get as new parents. It isn’t as great as a full on second set of arms would be, but hey, I’ll take it! I’ll take all the help I can get!
This Finding Nemo activity mat was a hand-me-down from my bestie, Tulip Mama. At the time I was thankful, but I honestly didn’t think our kids were gonna use it that much. Which is why we didn’t buy one, but why we were so thankful. Cause if it’s free, why not?! So we tried it and our kids loved it! Go figure lol something designed for babies that babies like… whaaaaaat?! Lol and it pays music and flashes lights too. The songs aren’t that bad, but the underwater sounds is my personal favorite!!! So calming and comfy.
The clown fish, Nemo, even has a wimpy fin on the right side! As a major fan, I’m impressed with this level of attention to detail! And I’ve had plenty of time to sit and stare at this thing well lay and stare cause we put it on the bed, but I’ve really noticed the little details, like they put textures on everything! Even the little stars hanging off Nemo look smooth, but they added little bumpy dots around the edges.
My hubby lovingly named this “going to the beach”.
Now anytime the kids need to be worn out or are fussy we say, “Let’s go to the beach!”
If you haven’t, you have to try putting your activity mat on the bed!!! It’s so much better than the floor!!! And the finding Nemo activity mat has a tall border around the back, so it’s really secure! I feel completely comfortable having my kids take a nap in this on the bed right next to me. So, so nice!!! Then if one or both wake up, they usually just go back to playing with the toys hanging above them. SO, SO NICE!!!!! Usually them swatting at the toys and clanking them together is what lets me know they’re up again… and it’s time to play!!!
This has saved us multiple times! Meltdown? Let’s go to the beach! Need the kids to get energy out and then immediately take a nap? Let’s go to the beach! Even just saying, “You want to go to the beach?” Puts a positive spin on any meltdown, hey every little bit helps!
My hubby perfected the magic concoction for guaranteed sleep…
Step 1: Setting the Finding Nemo Mat up on the bed.
Step 2: Lay the kids on the mat under the hanging toys with blankets/sleep sacks to stay warm.
Step 3: Turn the mat music box on and set it to the “boogie song” trust me, you’ll know what the “boogie song” it is for this particular mat. There’s 2 sound modes, boogie songs or underwater/beach sounds.
Step 4: Warm up the kids Warmies in the microwave.
Step 5: Wedge the Warmies between the kids. We started doing this for their safety to create safe separation for their flailing, uncoordinated arms swinging around. They kept smacking each other. The Warmies were perfect for this. Plus, you warm them up and they smell of lavender, yum!
Step 6: Let the kids play with the hanging toys until the boogie songs stop playing (it has an auto shut off).
Step 7 (if needed): if the kids are still awake, then turn on the underwater/ocean sounds AAAAAAAAND BOOM! Sleep City!
P.S. After discovering the Warmies and how much my kids love them, I started gifting them to all my fellow Tired Trooper friends and they are the #1 favorite by far! Everyone I’ve gifted these to has said how much they and their kids love them!!! Highly, highly recommend! There are choices for everyone and they constantly come out with new ones!
P.P.S. My twins are now over a year old and we still use this activity mat to get them to take their mid-day nap… It’s STILL A LIFESAVER!!!! Shout out to Tulip Mama, who has gifted me so many hand-me-downs that absolutely saved us! And I plan on handing them down to my sister! I’m so, SO lucky to have her and her family as part of my tribe!
Let’s talk family meal time! Well, not every family meal, but special family meals used as a learning and creative opportunity with a responsibility kicker!
Snapshot: We take turns for family dinners letting one family child at a time “be the waiter or waitress” for the night. This includes having somewhat of a say on what is served, helping prepare the meal in some way, setting the table, arranging where family members sit, and finally serving the meal and acting as the waiter the entire duration.
I know some AMAZING people who are COMPLETE A** HOLES to waiters and waitresses and I DONT GET IT! Like, ok they are in the hospitality/service industry, but my friends, IT👏IS👏A👏CHOICE👏. Not to be a servant, but to serve others. Just because they are bringing food you paid for does not give you or anyone the right to be an a** to them. Seriously I’ve NEVER understood this mentality or behavior.
Even my MIL does it and the day when my babies, her grandkids, step up and say “Grandma that isn’t nice, we don’t do that,” I’M GONNA BE SO PROUD I MAY BURST! Because I’ll know that they understand what serve vs servant means AND that they are strong enough to stand up to an authority figure for something they believe is right. AND I CAN’T FREAKING WAIT!!!!!!
This also gives them a huge sense of responsibility. They have to make the final decision of what everyone should eat, (I’m going to provide a few choices for them to choose from initially). So they have to consider, what everyone likes and doesn’t like. They have a hand in the preparation of the food, so they experience the work and love that goes into a dish that they can be proud of! Then, they run dinner! So, they are responsible for setting the table, seating family members in a courteous and thoughtful way, dishing up everyone’s plates and physically serving the plates (younger kids might need help here), and finally before they sit down to partake in the meal themselves, they need to ask, “How does everything look? Can I get anyone anything else?” Then, they get to lead the family prayer and (probably with a reminder from a parent) they need to ask throughout the meal, “So, how is everything tasting? Can I get anyone anything else?” And serve as needed. And I do believe that the family members should be honest about their answers here – if Johnny doesn’t like the mushrooms, maybe say something that they liked about the meal, then, the fact that they aren’t super crazy about mushrooms. Then, the next child who gets to be the waiter should take that feedback into consideration when helping to plan the family meal. Or you can help them use that ingredient to try and transform it into something that is well liked, etc. Creativity being the main goal there 😉.
Have fun with it, maybe let them work a few days on a fun centerpiece to accompany the meal, or a menu to hand out, or place cards. Maybe teach them a “fancy” accent to use while they play the waiter (can you even imagine your child doing a fancy French accent?!), ask them why they chose this specific menu, or why they chose to sit the family in this specific arrangement. Etc… this is 100000000% a learning opportunity, but it needs to be first and foremost FUN! It’s finally a chance for the kid to be in charge and proud of this important responsibility! And a really nice way to get kids excited about all different kinds of food!
And don’t limit it to just immediate family, take little opportunities to open it up to grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, family friends, etc.! I bet you’ll get some crazy astonished guests and a lot of compliments on how impressive and amazing your kids are!!!
If you feel overwhelmed, start small and work your way up. Shoot, start off with letting them host an imaginary tea party even. The world is literally your oyster here! And an oyster is a great example of what you can aspire to work up to!!! Can you imagine your child deciding on their own to put something like oysters on their dinner menu?! I can’t tell you how excited I am to try this with my babies as they grow up! Such a fun learning activity where they get to be in charge!!!
Looking into the future… I firmly believe everyone should work in the hospitality/service industry at some point in their lives. Especially starting out because IT TEACHES YOU SO MUCH!!! For more info see my blog, Be The Waiter For Real!
Yep… that was me… after what felt like the hundredth negative pregnancy test I took…
Hello Tired Troopers,
Now if that wasn’t your experience, congratulations! Seriously! I’m very happy you didn’t have to go through the heartache and anxiety that comes from having trouble getting pregnant. BUT it legit takes all the planets aligning AND a miracle to actually conceive! I’m not joking either…
Remember that crappy VHS tape from sex-ed in grade school that explained everything that needs to happen in order to actually fertilize an egg?! Well years of growing up with young friends having “woopsies” and “surprises” reinforced with TV shows and movies making getting pregnant seem so damn easy washes away the lame, realistic, clinical rendition of how many things have to go right to finally conceive! THEN a million more things have to go right in order to carry a baby to full term! Which is something I wasn’t ever able to do. I lost my first pregnancy, then I had preemie twins. My babies are happy and perfectly healthy now, but they weren’t full term. I’m incredibly lucky, but all the planets didn’t align for me to carry them to full term… I guess all but one or two actually ended up in a straight line. Mine kind of zig-zagged there at the end…
This isn’t to discourage anyone, that is not my intention. I truly believe that hope and faith are the only reasons we were finally able to have kids. Well that and not giving up, trying, trying and trying again sure was fun. And sometimes it wasn’t. Sometimes it felt more like a job and very clinical… not romantic at all. The longer it took to conceive the more and more pressure was put on “the act”. And sometimes that’s how it felt… like an act.
I just want you to realize that if you’re having a hard time conceiving that you’re not alone! If you’re having a hard time carrying a baby to full term, you’re not alone! Like I said, EVERYTHING has to go right a million times over to have a baby. First, you have to conceive, then the little thing needs to hang on and make it to at least viability. So please, please, don’t feel like there is something wrong with you or your partner. Or even if there isn’t a partner in the picture. You are just perfect and if you want children you will have children. Whether that’s in the form of conception, in vitro, surrogate, adoption, borrowing your sisters kids, borrowing your friends kids, etc. And if you choose the borrow route YOU GET TO HAVE ALL THE BEST PARTS OF PARENTHOOD THEN YOU GET TO GIVE THEM BACK and happily go on doing WHATEVER YOU WANT WHENEVER YOU WANT… Until you borrow them again… 😉
But whatever you choose or whatever comes out of it, it will be wonderful and perfect. Just because the picture doesn’t look like you thought it would or the journey wasn’t quite as you expected doesn’t mean you weren’t meant for exactly where you are and what you have or what you will have someday. You are perfect just as you are. You just keep being the best person you can be and you will never go wrong.
All my love and hopes for you! Keep going! Your stars and planets will align, I promise ❤️ it just might not be exactly how you originally planned, but it will be better than you ever imagined!
My sister told me about Cold Naps. Cold napping is a Nordic practice of allowing babies and young children to nap outdoors in cold weather—often below freezing—to promote deeper sleep and strengthen the immune system. Children are heavily bundled in warm clothing/wool and kept in strollers, usually in temperatures around 23°F.
Now my twins were preemies born in August. They didn’t get to come home until September. Once they were home we couldn’t help but treat them like Faberge eggs for a little while, so the thought of cold naps was pretty daunting!
Especially since the doctors and nurses scared the crap out of us to help keep our kids safe. They literally told us not to have anyone over to meet them for the first 6 months, then not to let any other kids meet them for the first year! Um, what?! So, we got through the holiday season and into January. We had a very mild winter with hardly any snow. So in January we started taking the kids on short walks outside. It was brisk, but nothing close to 23 degrees, it was more in the 40s I think. We just bundled them up really good and checked on them constantly the first few times. Three of my absolute favorite items to use were Carhart coveralls, these booties & cloud 9 sleeping bag things!! And I’m telling you, these items are AWESOME! First of all, these booties actually stayed on my kids feet! They never kicked them off! Second of all these coveralls were amazing, they’re so cute and not too hot. Just a great mid-weight layer that you can adjust with blankets, etc. But my absolute favorite are these bags from Cloud 9!
When I purchased these bags I was actually thinking about how I could use them in the car in the winter in my kids car seats. Because I don’t care how old or young you are a super hot car or super cold car SUCKS when you first get in. So that’s why I got these. They have a back panel that velcro’s and let’s you bring the straps of the car seat or baby carrier through so your baby is still 100% safe. NEVER EVER EVER STRAP YOUR BABY IN WOTH THE STRAPS OVER A BIG JACKET OR BLANKET, ETC. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH YOUR CHILD COULD BE EJECTED LIKE A ROCKET. ALWAYS STRAP YOUR KIDS IN PER THE MANUFACTURERS DIRECTIONS. That said, these bags allow you to strap your kid in safely, but also keep them totally bundled up. I also loved that if the kids get too hot they can kick them open if needed. Super cool! Well I haven’t used these in their car seats yet, but they work the same in their stroller AND I LOVE THEM!!!
Once my kids were all bundled up, I’d throw a beanie on each, give them their pacifiers and they were good to go! So much so that without fail our babies would fall asleep on the walk! This is how we ended up starting to do Cold Naps! Or our less extreme version of Cold Naps. But it got us outdoors as a family, got Hubby and I some much needed exercise and the babies some fresh, crisp air and sunshine! Bottom line, be careful, use common sense, but don’t be afraid of the cold… it could be just what your baby needs!
