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    10 Reasons Motherhood Is a Blast

    10 Reasons Motherhood Is a Blast

    by | Jul 29, 2019 | Family, Parenting

    Motherhood is a blast. Despite all the emotional chaos that motherhood brings with it, there are several things that make it more incredible than not.

    10 Reasons Motherhood Is a Blast

    motherhood is a blast of fun10. You have a reason to be forgetful.

    Particularly of names. You can call out multiple names, including those of pets, until you get to the right one. When your kids roll their eyes at you for forgetting their name (or, at least getting to it – eventually), you can tell them it’s their fault. They took so many of your brain cells with them at birth. That’s why they’re so smart!

    9. You will have at least two invisible children in your home.

    Their names are “I Don’t Know” and “Not Me.” These will answer you every time you ask your children who’s the villain of the day. You know, the one who left their cereal bowl full of milk on the coffee table in the living room. Or the one who didn’t flush the toilet after going number two. Who was it who practiced cutting their sister’s hair? “Not Me.”

    8. You are an instant dictionary-thesaurus-encyclopedia-cab driver-bank-maid-comforter-defense lawyer-personal chef-secret shopper-nurse-entertainer-and the list goes on.

    The moment you give birth or decide to foster or adopt or get married to a spouse who already has kids, you become supermom. Ruler of all things household and kids. Some days, it’s a wonder we get anything done besides housework and taking care of children. I truly admire you moms who work outside your homes or have special needs/chronic kids. You are not only supermom; you are Wonder Woman rolled in too!

    motherhood blast7. You will never be bored again.

    My mom always used to tell us, “There’s no such thing as boredom.” In other words, we could always find something to do to occupy our time and our minds. Read a book. Take a walk. Write something. Draw something. Play a board game. Dance around the living room. Watch a movie. Go outside and play. Give the dog a bath. Do the dishes. These are things we tell our kids to do when they come to us and say they’re bored.

    I promise you, as a mother, there’s always going to be something that needs doing. Boredom will not be a word in your vocabulary any more than you will allow it to be a word in your child’s.

    6. Embarrassing your children is so much fun!

    Have you ever been in a public place, such as the local drug store, and had your toddler son who is no longer breast feeding reach out and grab you and say, “Boobs!” loud and proud for everyone around you to hear? Or has your child ever told the pediatrician that their weight gain or loss is due to a poor diet at home because “there’s no food in the house?” When you know darn well that the cupboards and fridge are stocked full of things “I don’t want to eat that”?

    Insert red cheek emoji here.

    Sometime in the future, you will have an opportunity to laugh a bit at your child’s expense. I’m not saying be cruel or rude and embarrass them in front of their friends. But there will be conversations you will have to have with them when they are a bit older, and they will turn red in the cheek. And you’ll both get a good laugh out of it this time.

    5. Enjoy the roller coasters in life.

    I find myself laughing with my kids as much as I cry with them. Remember those emotions I mentioned at the beginning of this post? Motherhood is an emotional roller coaster. Those little aliens we call our own can bring us to tears in a minute, frustrate the tar out of us the next, and have us laughing our heads off a moment later. Even in the times when you think you’re about to lose it, life will take a turn and you will look back on those memories fondly. Enjoy the roller coaster. Have a blast!

    4. Family vacations will never be the same.

    And that’s okay. Someone will always be unhappy during family vacation. Whether it’s over where you go, what you do, or what you eat, there will be one who will have an issue. There will be an argument. Tears. Moments when you and your spouse want to throw up your hands and tell them they’re never going on vacation with you again. But all will survive, and you will find great memories in those vacations. And, there’s always next year.

    3. Family reunions.

    Have you ever watched those videos of military personnel reuniting with their children? I cry every time. (If you need a good cry, here’s one for you.) It’s no different for us with our kids, especially if you’re a military mom.

    Family reunions can be incredible, whether serving your country has taken you away from home for a season or you are simply reuniting with loved ones. It touches me every time my adopted daughter visits her biological siblings. When she saw her grandmother for the first time in a few years. I imagine I’ll experience the same tearful reunion when my son comes back from boot camp. Or a tour overseas. Family reunions are an incredible thing. Enjoy them.

    2. Sing-alongs. And other such fun.

    One of my all-time favorite reasons I love being a mother is the time I get to bond with my children. Whether it’s the proud-mom moments at their performances, sporting events, JROTC events, or graduations, or it’s the times we just enjoy each other as we sing in the car, see a concert or Broadway show, watch a movie, or play cards or board games, life is full of times to bond. And laugh. And enjoy each other’s company.

    motherhood blast1. It just is a blast.

    This may be a flat finale, but motherhood truly is a blast. It’s an experience you cannot trade for anything else on earth. Nothing else compares to it.

    Laying one’s life down takes on a whole new meaning when you stare into those eyes as they explore the world around them for the first time. As you let those tiny fingers wrap around yours for the first time. Sniff that baby-clean head and cuddle them close. When you meet your step-child or foster child or adoptive child for the first time and the nerves hit you hard. The wonder of the newborn and the wonder of the newly in-grafted child.

    The journey through their seasons of life.

    The letting go as they become independent and no longer need you as they once did.

    The season of the empty nest.

    And then, it begins again with the grandkids. And the great-grands. Which I hear is even greater than having your own children. As difficult as they may seem to process.

    Enjoy it. All of it. The messy chaos of kids. Have a blast!

    Why do you love being a mom? We’d love for you to join the conversation in the comments below!

    How To Clean the Kitchen in 7 Steps in 7 Days

    How To Clean the Kitchen in 7 Steps in 7 Days

    by | Jul 29, 2019 | Cleaning, Homemaking

    7 Steps to a Clean KitchenAt least once a quarter, I thoroughly clean the kitchen.

    In my household, kids make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and don’t wipe down the jelly running down the side of the jar or the counter, where it landed. They make sandwiches directly on the counter, instead of a plate, and leave the breadcrumbs alongside the jelly. The pot boils over while they’re making themselves macaroni and cheese, and they leave the oily water residue stuck to the stovetop. The spice cabinet always has a sugary layer of spices coating the shelves. And don’t get me started on the inside of the microwave.

    It’s not for lack of training or being led by example. They’ve had sixteen years of it, on average. And they do their chores. They just don’t clean like I do.

    Here is a list of how to efficiently but thoroughly clean your kitchen. You can either attack it and do it in one day, or you can break the tasks into a week’s worth.

    1. The Refrigerator

    a. Throw away all expired or rotten food.

    b. Move all containers to the countertop while you clean the shelves and inside of fridge with hot water and dish soap and rinse it clean.

    c. Pull out drawers and wash with hot, soapy water in sink. Rinse. Return to fridge.

    d. Wipe down all sticky containers before returning to fridge. Small items fit well on shelves on door. Some fridges have room for milk and juice containers on door. I use the small drawers for butter, cheese, and sandwich meat. You can use a small Tupperware container for holding unused packets of sauce, dressings, etc. that you may collect from fast food restaurants. Vegetables always go in the larger drawers at the bottom of the fridge at my house.

    e. Wipe outside of fridge, including the top and the grid at bottom.

    2. Cupboards and Drawers

    a. Pick a side of the kitchen to start with and work your way around, top to bottom, one at a time.

    b. Clear out the cupboard or drawer.
    – If it’s a food cupboard, throw away expired items.
    – If it holds containers, be sure you aren’t hoarding things you don’t need. For example, toss plastic that came with food in it but keep regular, purchased Tupperware.
    – If it’s full of dishes, do you need that many? My mom was a teacher, and kids always gave her coffee mugs for gifts. Keep the favorites and sets, but box up the rest for the thrift shop or a yard sale.

    c. Wipe down the shelves and inside the drawers before returning items in an organized fashion.

    d. Wipe down the surfaces of the cupboards and drawers, including the top, doors, handles, etc. When you’re working on the bottom cupboards, you may want to clean the floors directly below them too. An old-fashioned hand-held brush scrubbing gets all the caked-up food drizzle and crumbs cleaned well.

    NOTE: If you have too many items to fit into your cupboards, consider purging the items or purchasing a rack or shelving to put them on, if your kitchen has space for more furniture. Everything should fit in a space. Your counters should not be so full of items you have no counter space. Maybe a few small appliances, such as a toaster, coffee pot, or Instapot tucked under the overhanging top cabinets. That counter space is for food prep and layout. It’s for having a cup of coffee with a friend while catching up. It’s not meant to collect piles of stuff.

    7 Days to a Clean Kitchen3. Stove/Microwave

    This is my least favorite part of cleaning the kitchen.

    a. Wipe down all surfaces and the oven door and drawer underneath.

    b. Clean the oven (use the self-cleaning feature OR oven spray).

    c. Clean out the drawer or broiler underneath the oven.

    d. Clean any hood over the stovetop.

    e. Clean out the microwave over the stove or on your counter. Clean the front of it (and the sides, if you can reach them). Wash the glass plate and return it to the microwave.

    4. Sink

    a. Do the dishes until they’re completely finished.

    b. Clean out the sink basin and the back and backsplash with something that will scrub it clean. I like to use a Scotch pad with dish soap and hot water OR an S.O.S. pad OR Clorox Clean-up and a Scotch pad and sponge or dishcloth.

    Note that there tends to be a lot of buildup on the back of the sink faucet base. Pay extra special attention to cleaning there and in the drains.

    5. Countertops and Backsplashes

    a. Clear the countertops of anything that doesn’t have to take up that space. Granted, we all have small appliances we like to keep handy, maybe some cookbooks, a dish drainer. Those are fine, as they usually tuck under the overhanging top cupboards. The object here is to clear the items so we can wash the backsplash and countertops before we return the necessary items to the counters.

    b. Use warm soapy water or a multi-purpose spray like Clorox Clean-up to wipe down/wash the backsplash around the kitchen. Do the same for the countertops, remembering to hit the lip of the counter that meets your backsplash.

    c. Dry the countertops (or let them air dry).

    d. Clean the small appliances before you return them to the countertop.
    – Note that toasters come with trap doors on the bottom to release the built-up crumbs from within the toaster.
    – You can use white or cider vinegar to clean your coffee pot. After removing all filters and grounds, pour one part vinegar to one part water (i.e. for a 12-cup pot, use 6 cups vinegar and 6 cups water) into the water container of the coffee machine. Run it like you are making a cup of coffee. Dump the pot and wash with hot, soapy water.

    6. Garbage Can

    a. Remove the trash.

    b. Use hot, soapy water to clean out your garbage can. Inside and out.

    c. Dry the can.

    d. Spray the inside with Lysol. I recommend doing this step each time you change the garbage bag.

    e. Insert new garbage bag.

    7. Floors

    Clean the floors last. Sweep and mop. Be careful to get all stuck-on nastiness off.

    Clean Kitchen in 7 StepsIf you’re feeling adventurous, pull out the refrigerator and stove and clean the floor under them, as well. I always do this once a year. You’d be amazed at how much gets trapped under these two appliances in that time. I also take that time to clean the sides of the cabinets and the wall that surround the appliances.

    Now you’ve got a sparkling clean and organized kitchen! Congratulations!

    For a FREE Printable Version of this list, click here.

    Do you have any favorite kitchen cleaning tips? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!