It's Only a Band-Aid

When L was about 6 months old, I experienced a true "oh crap, what do I do" parenting moment. In short...she swallowed a Band-Aid. Yes, folks, she literally swallowed a Band-Aid. Like the kind the pediatrician puts on your kid's finger just after a finger prick. This was just around the time L gave up her pacifier for her fingers (pointer and middle).  After a check up, we left the doctor's office and went home. I'm pretty positive the Band-Aid was still on when I put her into the carseat. However, by the time we were home it was off. I freaked out! I checked all over the carseat, her clothes, the car, but no Band-Aid. That's when I the "oh crap, what do I do" moment kicked in. How could I admit to my husband that I just let our new baby swallow a Band-Aid? And definitely not my mother. I was trying my hardest to prove to her that I was a great, not just good, mommy.  I watched L like a hawk for the next few hours. She was totally fine. I figured it had to come out one way or another. So I waited, and waited, and waited. Sure enough, the next day there it was....in her diaper. Still in the folded shape it was when the doctor put it around her little finger. Thank the LORD! All was well with L, so all was well in the universe.

Started From the Bottom, Now We're Here....

Before I begin dispensing parenting advice, I feel it's only necessary to share some of my "un"sucessful parenting moments. I'd rather start from the bottom and work my way up. Perhaps after I've shared some of these failures, you can respect me as a regular parent, and then respect me as a mommy who can share some pretty decent parenting tips.  So here it goes...

Oops. And she's only in Kindergarten.

So today was my first homework oops. As the parent of a kindergarten, I have to monitor all homework assignments. That includes helping L with homework and timely placing it in her backpack for school. It is supposed to be returned only on Fridays. Well....this mommy was away for two days (thank goodness for a mid-week work/play island getaway with the hubby) that I forgot to "timely" pack the homework Thursday night or early Friday morning. So needless to say, L went to school without her homework. Was this simple mistake going to be detrimental to her success in kindergarten or reputation with the teacher? hmmm. maybe. Regardless, I felt like crap. One simple task was overlooked and I felt like the dummy. Thankfully, L had an event at school this morning that I was planning to attend. I quickly flew into high gear, grabbed her homework and drove to school. I saw L on the basketball court with her class and hundreds of other students and parents waiting for the event to start. Amidst the blarring music, warm-up stretches, and counting down seconds before the event was to begin, I folded up L's homework into a small, crumpled up stack, ran up to her and shoved it into her tiny short's pocket. She looked at me like I was nuts as I told her it was her homework and she had to give it to her teacher once the event was over.
This wasn't a case of my dog ate my homework, but rather my mommy just forgot about her one simple task. Oops...

I'm a Mommy and I make mistakes

Hi.  I'm Jenny and I'm an imperfect parent. Actually it's worse. I'm not just imperfect but I make mistakes, a lot of them. Like all the time. But don't let my husband or daughters read this though. To them I'm perfect and I know what I'm doing. And I will defend that point of view until I'm blue (or pink because we're team pink over here) in the face. That's perhaps one of my biggest flaws - I hate to admit I'm wrong especially to my husband. Anyways, I'm digressing from the point of this blog.
I'm here to confess that I'm not perfect. This parenting thing is HARD! I've read the books - Babywise, Healthy Habits Habits Baby, How to Behave So Your Preschooler Will too, etc- and yet I'm constantly making mistakes. Don't get the wrong impression of me though. I'm a well-educated woman.  I have a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and I'm a Florida licensed attorney and a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator (with my own business Family Focused Mediation, Inc. - check out that blog and website too www.familyfocusedmediation.com familyfocusedmediation.blogspot.com).  My credentials make it sound (to me at least) that I should have this parenting thing down pat.  But the truth is, I don't.
Let me break it down further. I have a 5 year old daughter, *L, and a 2.5 year old daughter, *M.  L just started kindergarten and M just started preschool. And they rock my world! For the better obviously. But more so, they've made me become a very introspective person. My mind is constantly racing with new ideas, inventions, cure-alls, and just stuff! And yet with my cranial neurons continually firing off new things, I get nothing done. Even worse, I forget things and I'm racing to get it done at the last minute. I'm so much better at dispensing advice, then actually using it for my own well-being.
And that my friends is why this blog was born. I like to think I'm great at helping others deal with their parenting issues - nursing advice, sleeping tips, correcting bad behavior, etc. Even bigger than that, I greatly enjoy guiding others with their family issues. I'm the third child in my family and the only girl, so naturally my birth order gave me the ability to mediate my brother's quarrels (still to this day) and help "keep the peace" over all.  But expect some funny/awkward/truth-telling parenting moments of my own.  I'm sure you can relate. Parenting is hard, it even sucks some times, but in the end, it's worth every, single, stinking moment because my kids are my everything.