The Thing About Parenting...

You know, you read eight million books while you're pregnant + ask all of your mommy friends for advice so that by the time your sweet peanut comes into the world you think you're super prepared. Too bad you were wrong. The thing they don't tell you about parenting is that really you are undergoing more vigorous activities than Olympic athletes. No really, parenting legitimately should be an Olympic sport. Let me give you some examples why.
1} You give up sleep. Like for 18 years. Even if you're blessed with an angel baby in the sleeping department, guaranteed you will never sleep as well as you previously did. In the early days its out of fear/nerves. When you reach toddler-Dom it's because after the little one goes to sleep you have to be productive and REclean the house that your wildabeast destroyed all day or anything else you had high hopes of doing during waking hours. I'm not even going to breach teenage years, I know how bad I was so I am bound to suffer through some hellacious years with BK.
2} You get way more physical activity than you used to pre-baby ( even if you don't go to the gym anymore). I am constantly on the go with BK. For one, she has the attention span on a peanut so we are constantly changing activities. For two, she has the ferocity of a hurricane and creates similar paths of destruction that I continuously run around trying to clean up. Lastly, when IF you eat it is usually a much more wholesome meal. I cook better for BK. Toddler eating is a fight of its own, but on the days that she does eat I have to be sure to get the best food possible in her. Therefore you eat better too.
3} Changing a diaper 100% should be an Olympic sport. Once your child surpasses the age of four months they no longer lay sweetly and coo at you while you change their diaper very easily in about 30 seconds. They start kicking + bucking + rolling + arching, pretty much doing anything that makes it impossible for you to smoothly and efficiently change a diaper. You're forced to resort to extreme tactics. Bribery works well. The "evil eye" is hit and miss. Sometimes i enlist extra help so i dont get hit by a flailing limb. But at least once a month, at least in the summertime, you have to add in he dreaded diaper cream to equation. It's cold, it's thick, and its messy. Sounds fun right? It's not. Well not until I was introduce to Dr. Smith's Diaper Ointment. It has been our saving grace this summer, especially with all of our time on the go. We keep one in the swim/beach bag and one in the diaper bag. I highly recommend it!
And now Dr. smith's is available nationwide at Walgreen's stores, and you have the chance to celebrate their new venture! You can win a $50 Walgreen's gift card and a supply of diaper rash cream! Just enter using he widget below. You won't regret it!

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4} Children make EVERYTHING better. Literally everything. Though things may take more planning, the joy you get in return is SO worth it. I have never been happier. And hey, winning an Olympic medal must come in pretty damn close to parenthood.

So tell me, what were you surprised to learn about parenthood?

This post was sponsored by Dr. Smith's but all thoughts are my own.

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Whine-os vs. Wine-os

In light of the birthday bonanza week I figured I would still keep with the motherhood(ish) theme. Today I was watching the Katie show, yes that is what happens when youre a stay at home mom, or better yet when youre on vacation. The topic of today's show was "Mom's who drink while supervising their kids". I think for the most part they were refering to moms who drink socially on play dates, or possibly the mom that "needs" a glass of wine at the end of the day in order to keep it together.

*I suppose I should put a disclaimer, this post might be highly controversial. Honestly I just want to know how you mamas REALLY feel, all judgements aside. I promise to delete any negativity, that is not what we're here for. We're here to support eachother, to help, to life eachother up. Nothing else shall be tolerated.*

Here is my honest to God stance, and I truly hope I'm not flamed for this, but I'd rather have the truth be put out there. Yes I drink. Yes I drink {on occassion} when I am in primary control of my daughter.

Lets start with the easy stuff. Parenting can be taxing, I wont say it's hard because I love it, every.single.minute. #honesttoGod But some days are rough. Some days your baby is teething, or experiencing growing pains, or has gotten shots and is fussy. And all you want to do is give that baby some tylenol. But guess what? now there are studies saying you should not give them tylenol, so I try my hardest not to. And on those days, yes I have a glass of wine or a beer. Either way some sort of cocktail enters my body. And I beleive it makes me much more calm, more more ready to takle parenting tasks, and find wasy to appease my baby. I dont drink the point where I am inhibited, I drink where I might take a little edge off, or give my self a little courage to go into a very long & tiring night.

Do I drink a lot? Hell no. But truly what is the definition of a lot? I'm still 100% able to drive should an accident arrive, I'm still up after my children go to sleep (usually cleaning), I'm still thinking with a clear head. But yes, I did have a cocktail or two.

Do you think those cocktails render my parenting skills useless? Do you believe that mothers should not drink at all while on the job? Where do you believe the good line is?

Did your parents drink while in supervision of you? Do you believe this should be treated the same way any other profession should, as in we cannot drink on the job at all?

What's your stance?