Amanda Mushro — Page 23

We Lost Her Lovie. It’s Time To Panic

March 17, 2014 by amushro

Only a parent can understand the sheer panic and distress when a beloved “lovie” has gone missing. Whether it’s a thread worn blanket, a cyclopsed bear, or a filthy dirty rag doll, that “lovie” often means sleep or no sleep, cry uncontrollably or peace and quiet, a glass of wine for Mommy at night or drinking straight out of the bottle when the kids aren’t looking. As a parent, part of our duty is going on frequent expeditions for that special friend. So when we lost my daughter’s significant other, I went all Code Red, Code Red this is not a drill. Repeat this is not a Drill.

“Baby” was dubbed with her unoriginal forename long before my girl could even scream at the top of her lungs “Where’s MY BABY?” Since she was a tiny peanut, she could only sleep if Baby was by her side, well to be more specific, Baby had to be across her face. When I would hear my infant fuss or cry in her crib, I would roll over to my snoring husband, shake him a few times, then jab him really hard in the ribs (you know, just to make sure he was up) and say “Go put Baby on her face.” Within seconds of Baby being applied to her face, silence. That silence was only broken by the other cry that meant “Where’s the boob at, Lady?”

Even now when I peak in at my slumbering gal, this is how we find her

There is a strict policy for all guests: if you are in her bed, you must have a Baby on your face too.

Baby must can also be worn in times of stress, anxiety, fear, anger, or just hanging out.

Learning from other mothers, I knew it was imperative to have backup Babies, but no matter how hard I tried, Baby 2 and Baby 3 never made the cut. Their fresh faces and pink dresses were turned away for the muted attire and reeking Baby she has grown to love.

Our nighttime ritual always includes bath, books, and a Baby search party. Usually my girl has no idea where she’s left her beloved and my patience runs thin as we all search for her. “Baby needs to stay in your bed,” I tell her “No more searching for Baby every night.” She nods and I nod, but we both know that tomorrow it will be more of the same.

So last week when Baby went missing, I assumed it was the usual game, but this time Baby was nowhere to be found. After tearing thorough every possible hiding space, we had to abandon our search for the night. I assured her that Baby 3 would suffice. With a little sob, she agreed and went to bed with Baby 3 on her face. Surely Baby would turn up tomorrow, but after four days and no Baby, I started to think she was a goner. Could I file a missing persons report for Baby? If the officer was a parent surely he would understand.

Slowly she was adjusting to Baby 3, but I was the one longing for the original Baby. Even though that toy smelled like old milk and dirt and I was afraid to wash her for fear of decapitation from lack of stuffing, it was my baby’s lovie and the one thing she cherished the most in this world. I envisioned someday sneaking Baby into her pillowcase when went to a sleepover with friends or Baby finding her way into dorm room when she heads off to college. I was CRUSHED but my daughter was dealing.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to find Baby. The day she disappeared, we had a marathon day of errands so I called every place Baby had been. I grilled each person that answered the phone about Baby’s whereabouts. Nothing. In an act of desperation I searched the house high and low one more time. Nothing. Just before I gave up I remembered yelling at the kids for making their own bobsled team out of the old crib mattress and bed in the spare bedroom. I swung the door open and started searching the room. And there, wedged between the wall and the bed was Baby. Her half-smirk beckoning me to save her. I hugged that dirty little doll, tried not to vomit from her smell, and raced up the stairs to return her to her sleeping owner. I tucked Baby under my daughter’s arm and breathed a sigh of relief. Mommy:finder of all that once was lost.

The next morning my little girl came downstairs shaking Baby “Mommy! It’s Baby! She’s back!”

“I told you Mommy would find her! Oh God get her out of my face. I might puke, and this time I’m serious. If you lose her again, Mommy is not going to find her.”

I will ALWAYS find Baby for you, but for real, get her out of my face. She stinks.

Check Out the March Mommy TMI Vlog!

March 13, 2014 by amushro

Hey, Spring! Is that you? I can’t tell because I’ve been buried in winter for too, too long. Let me break out my short sleeve shirts, take my usual spot on the playground, and enjoy a little Vitamin D. Isn’t it amazing what a little bit of sunshine can do for the soul? For real, I feel like a new woman after a few days of sunny. warm weather. It also motivated me to get my March Mommy TMI vlog ready to share with you. Even better, I have my main man to help me this month. So check out my thoughts on luck, spring forward, and what you must watch on Netflix right now!

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Some Days I Feel Like a Legit Writer

March 4, 2014 by amushro

Sometimes I have these really grand ideas that I’m a legit writer. I’ll pack up my laptop and head out the front door to the neighborhood Starbucks for some quality writing time, but before I leave to find some writing space of my own, I mumble to my husband “Deadlines! So many deadlines!”

In reality, most of my writing takes place on my living room floor because the closest outlet it too far from the couch. Usually two kids are barking their demands of “Mommy, I need chocolate milk,” and “Mommy, I need you to wipe my butt!” as I attempt to make some sense on my blog. I hit save on the two words that I wrote with every intention of coming back to the post once the kids are in bed. However, I’m usually so drained that only nonsense comes across my computer screen past 8:30 PM.

This weekend I told my husband that I needed to write, he was in change of the children, and I was not to be disturbed. I snuck upstairs to work in my bedroom (laptop in one hand, coffee in the other, box of Girl Scout cookies under my arms). I opened the blinds on every window and started to click, click, click away on my next blog post. It was bliss. It was heaven. It was over in five minutes.

My daughter, who is just at the starting gate of potty training, decided that she needed to poop in the company of her mother. Better yet, why not do it on mommy’s bedroom floor! Where was her father, the one that was taking over the parenting reins this weekend? Well when I carried a freshly bathed girl down to the basement, I found both of my boy in front of the tv playing video games. Normally the poop on the floor and the blank stares during a video game would have been enough to send me over the edge yelling “I can’t work in these conditions!”

So no, friends, most days I don’t feel like a legit writer; however, this weekend I had a little boost to my legit writer ego. Not even fecal matter or Mario Brothers could bring me down. Because this weekend I found out that an essay I wrote would be featured in a book! That’s right, I’m officially a published writer and seriously considering only introducing myself that way to the new people I meet, “Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Amanda, published writer.”

The book is entitled Not Your Mother’s Book on Being a Mom and will be in book stores and sold online April 8. This book is actually part of a series created by the team responsible for the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. So this is a modern, edgy, snarky take on motherhood and I’m thrilled to be a part of it!

While I was relishing in my new found success, I found the reactions from my fan base (read: my family) to be my favorite part of this experience.

My dad asked how much they were paying me, my husband is excited to make-out with a published author (Pretty sure he just wants to make-out), my kids asked if I would read it to them (gonna need to wait a little while on that one, kids), but leave it to my own mom to have the best response.

When I told my mom I would pre-order her a copy she insisted she wanted to go to a book store, find it on the shelves, take it to the register to check out and tell the cashier “My daughter is a writer in this book.” Yup, pretty sure that makes me a legit writer.

February Mommy TMI–Best and Worst Valentine’s Day, Superstitions, and Mom Gold Medals

February 28, 2014 by amushro

Holy cannoli this month has flown by! I almost ran out of days to put together my Mommy TMI for the month, but I made it before March comes in like a lion because apparently more snow is headed our way. NOOOOOOOOOO!

Sigh, so here’s to spring coming fast and the awesome More Than Mommies for another great round of questions for the Mommy TMI!

How My Poky Little Boy Has Slowed Me Down

February 18, 2014 by amushro

If I’m moving, I’m moving fast. Fast, fast, fast. I talk fast, walk fast, think fast. Before my feet hit where I’m going, my mind has already been there and is movin’ on to my next destination. Fast, fast, fast.

So when I was blessed with a little boy to have in tow every day, it just seems fitting that the universe decided to give me not a fast mover and shaker like myself. Nope, my main man moves a little slower. Try Poky Little Puppy slow.

While he reserves this tortoise like speed for our walks to the car in a parking lot, down the long hallways to his preschool class, and his usual morning routines, he isn’t always slow. He feels the need for speed when it serves him best: beating his sister down the stairs to get his little hands on the iPad first, if I offer up a dessert (super-fast if it’s ice cream), or if I’m yelling STOP as he runs into the ocean or a pool. He already has that selective hearing thing down.

His snail’s pace wasn’t noticeable until his sister came along and he lost my hip as his major mode of transportation. When he moved up to the big brother role, he had to hoof it next to me and I’ve been slowed down ever since.

If you see me moving towards you at lightning speed, take a look a few yards behind me, that’s where you find my boy. Just strolling along, no sense of urgency, taking it all in.

Daily I plead with him to pick up the pace; however, my pleas fall upon those little ears with selective hearing. When I’m on the move, he’s behind me hop, hop, hopping on just the blue floor tiles at school because the white are full of “hot lava.” If I’m darting down the mall, he will be dragging his feet and trailing his hands down the wall making sure to touch every crack and crevice.

“Buddy, come on! Hurry up! You are killing Mommy!”

“But Mommy, I’m just a little boy and my legs don’t move that fast.”

“Look alive, pal. LOOK ALIVE!”

“Mommy, I am ALIVE. Wanna play I spy?”

If there is one thing I’ve learned as a mother (besides my amazing abilities to pass back juice and Goldfish crackers to my backseat passengers while never taking my eyes off the road and that no one tells you that your feet get bigger with each pregnancy), if you can’t beat them, join them. So goodbye fast, fast,fast days. You can find me strolling alongside my guy, playing I Spy, and checking out the view from his perspective.

Now someone tell me what we do about this selective hearing.

Valentine’s Day:Time to Return the Love

February 14, 2014 by amushro

Happy Valentine’s Day, lovebugs! I do hope someone special is going to shower you with delicious candy, heartfelt cards, a few foot rubs, and maybe something shiny. Well even if you just get a few dead flowers from the last bouquet at the grocery store, remember: it’s the thought that counts (whatever).

I’ll be honest, my husband rocks Valentine’s Day Every. Single Year. I’m pretty amazing at planning this hearts and flowers day for my kids, but when it comes to him, I usually drop the ball, big time. So this year I’m changing all that. This year, I’m going to end this day saying “Valentine’s Day…Nailed it!”

Wanna see how? Well head over to Felicity Huffman’s site What the Flicka? where I am the sharing my Valentine’s Day plans. Take notes, friends. Take notes. Click right here to be magically transported.

Felicity Huffman's What The Flicka - How I Plan To Make My Husband's Valentine's Day

A Little Help Potty Training with Me-ify Potty Star App

February 6, 2014 by amushro

This is a sponsored post for Me-ify Potty Star App and Mom Select; however, all opinions are 100% my own.

When the great big ball dropped in NYC to signify that 2014 had begun, I proudly announced to my husband (after a New Year’s smooch) “2014 is the year we go diaperless in this house!” This was quite a brave statement for a lady that had a few too many glasses of wine at the New Year’s party, but I meant it. In 2014 there will be no more diapers in this house. It’s time for my two and a half-year old to be potty trained! Lucky for me, she is ready, I’m ready, this ain’t my first rodeo, and this time we are using a Me-ify Potty Star app on my iPhone to encourage her and keep her interested in potty training.

Since my little gal is crazy about playing with the apps on my phone, this is right up her alley. What I really liked is the app had plenty to keep her entertained and keep potty training on her mind. The app was fun, interactive, and kept her coming back to play again and again. I hate when the kids lose interest in an app quickly and we have to delete it after a day or two. Even my son jumped in to play with Me-ify and his sister.

When we were setting up the app together, she really loved that we made the character that stars in the songs, games, and stories look like her. You can record your child’s name so that the songs and stories include extra personalization. Really cute!

Since consistency is so important when potty training, even the language the app uses can be tailored to the words you use for body parts and number one and number two. Honestly, I never would have thought about the words used, but imagine how confusing that could be for your kids if too many different words were used!

The setup was really easy, but the real fun started when my daughter played around and came across the songs (all silly and all dealing with potty training)–she loved them. The story that had her as the star—she giggles every time she hears my recorded voice say her name. And the games that let you have “target practice,” or the bathroom find and seek. Both of my kids liked the games and I hear them giggle during “target practice.”

Overall, we both really liked the app. The personalization is great because it allows the app to use words you will be using during potty training (this really helps with consistency). The cute games, stories, and songs encourage your kids and keep potty training on their minds. Finally, there is a star chart that helps your kid see their progress and success while training.

So bring it on, we are ready for potty training and no more diapers!!!

You can find Me-ify on Itunes

Vist Me-ify’s website to learn more

Where ya’ been? Whatcha been up to?

February 6, 2014 by amushro

I’m a lucky girl that other people let me write on their websites. I mean most times when chatting with my husband I think he just tunes me out. And lord knows my kids don’t listen to me. So it’s nice that I can blah, blah, blah on the interwebs, you know?

This week I ‘ve been hanging out at What the Flicka? where I share my makeups and breakups with my running shoes

Felicity Huffman's What The Flicka - Breaking Up and Making Up with my Running Shoes: This Time It’s Serious

And I was chatting it up on the DC Ladies about getting ready for Disney!! Yikes! That reminds me, I need to go pack for Disney!!

The-dc-ladies-parenting-Where-to-Start-When-Planning-a-Trip-to-Disney

On My Honor: Real Life Lessons Learned as a Girl Scout

January 31, 2014 by amushro

Yesterday two Girl Scouts, all decked out in their snazzy green uniforms, came to my door selling cookies. Sashes proudly displayed their numerous badges that were surely earned with great dedication and pride, and just a few steps behind them was their mom, patiently waiting and smiling as her girls made yet another successful sale. Not only do I love Girl Scout cookies (seriously could there be anything more delicious?), but the Girl Scouts organization truly holds a special place in my heart.

“You know,” I told the scouts, “I was a Girl Scout too, and my mom was my troop leader.” The youngest piped up to exclaim “Our mom is the troop leader too!” I waved to her mom and told the girls “Well you are very lucky. Be sure to thank her.”

Immediately I started thinking about the life skills learned while a Girl Scout. Who would’ve thought some of the most valuable skills I learned came years later when I became a mother thinking about my own mom and troop leader.

While there are badges for photography, music, and gardening, there really should be one for multi-tasking and making it work. Because to make my Girl Scout years fun-filled and full of smiles, my mom surely earned those badges.

The camping, the songs, the crafts, my mom loved it all, but she really cherished that her own mother was her troop leader and that she could do the same for me. While digging through photos of her Girl Scout days, I found this gem. Check out my super stylish mom at camp (first row, second from the right):

When it came time for me to become a Girl Scout, my mom was all in. Even though she already had a full plate with a million other responsibilities, she jumped in and planned each meeting and activity with such thoughtfulness (or at least it looked that way) and skill (again, it really did look that way). Even a troop full of girls that really hated to be outdoors earned a few more badges than they thought they could.

Mother/Daughter sleep away camp with matching shirts? You betcha!

While my grandmother painstakingly sewed each and every badge onto my mother’s sash, my mother had no time for that nonsense. She hot glued those bad boys right on, and if one popped off, she’d just fire up the hot glue gun. Sometimes you just have to make it work.

But more importantly than badges or camps was the fact that my mom knew being a Girl Scout was something I loved and she wanted to be a part of something I loved even though it made her already hectic life even more bananas. So maybe the most important life skill I learned as a Girl Scout was not how to make jewelry or line dancing, but being present for your kids, being a part of what they love, and using a hot glue gun to make it work.

The Girl Scouts have declared February 7-8, 2014 as National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend! This special event is a great opportunity for Girl Scouts to share the importance of the Cookie Program and what it does for the girls and their communities! Through this effort, Girl Scouts hope to show when we buy a box of cookies, we’re helping the girls learn important skills like goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics— skills essential to life and success!

So if you love the Girl Scouts and Girl Scout Cookies (and I know you do), join them for the National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend February 7-8!

Want to learn more about the Girl Scouts click here

To learn more about the Girl Scout Cookie Program click here

You can also find the Girl Scouts on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest