I didn't sign up for this

You remember when you had all these dreams of how lovely motherhood would be?
You'd look at your baby and he/she'd look at you and then he/she would coo at you and you'd smile. (Happy music playing) Then the diapers would be minimal and you'd both sleep good hours and you'd feel rested enough to shower, wash your hair, AND shave your legs? You'd never smell like vomit or poop, that you'd always get a shower, and would never have to figure out how to fit into your pre-pregnancy jeans?
Then the reality kicked in and it could be as ugly as the Uma Thurman movie Motherhood's attendance numbers.
Lack of sleep, missed bathing days, leg hair long enough to braid, and all your clothes have vomit stains on them are the gold standard, but don't look at these things as something horrible. I don't' want to sound all Julie Andrews and Raindrops on Roses on you, but no mother, I don't care what they say, hasn't gone through all of this in some form or fashion.
Having such a false sense of what to expect, is well, expected. Motherhood is as beautiful as it is ugly, fun as it is miserable, and memorable as it is those moments you'd want to forget. No matter how old or well behaved your children are, there are parts of motherhood that aren't enjoyable.
Even though my children aren't babies anymore, there are days I find myself saying "I didn't sign up for this part." I didn't sign up for the headbutting, the having to explain every single thing, or the middle of the night stomach flu, but I do know that children very much want to learn, they want to be heard, and they don't want to be sick. I can't be mad at them for wanting to understand what I'm trying to get them to do, but I can get very frustrated when they still don't do what I've asked them to do.
Parenting is the ultimate on the job training and it lasts a lifetime so you're allowed good and bad, wonderful and horrible, memorable and forgettable days during the journey. Don't beat yourself up if your children aren't perfect. Honestly, who wants perfect children? I don't. I want kids to keep wanting to learn, but I know with that, I'll get days, moments, that I just didn't sign up for as a mother.
I'll keep going though, keep trying, and that's what makes a Supermommy.

What's a Supermommy?

Hello All you Mommies and Daddies out there!

I wanted to make something very clear. This isn't a site where I tell you everything you need to do to get everything done in a day.
I don't do brain surgery while preparing a roast.
I don't reupholster my own furniture.
I don't grow my own vegetables, I don't wear pressed shirts, pencil skits, heel and pearls when I vaccum, and I don't get by on two hours of sleep.
I'm a real person who's more than aware of how hard it is to juggle or balance it all that life requires from us, especially when you add in being a parent.
I understand that week long plans can be cancelled at the last minute because a child is sick or the car won't start. I know that I'm human, flawed, and going to make mistakes, but I don't worry about them or freak out too often when I have a less-then-perfect moment.
So, what's the point of this blog if I'm not going to offer ways to get through your day with lightening speed and still have time to work out for two hours with an incredible manicure?
To emphasize one thing: We're all human and to explain what being a supermommy really is.
Supermommies (and Daddies) are people who get to the end of the day without running away to Taiti or who can still look at their families and say, "I really do love you, but you do drive me crazy sometimes.
Supermommies are women who sacrifice their own sanity at times in order to care for their families.
Now, I'm not talking of mommy sacrifice we see in movies like The Blind Side, Terms of Endreament, or Steel Magnolias. Sacrifice doesn't have to be as extreme as giving up a kidney or your child. It can simply be giving up who you are for several hours a day to care for others, but allowing yourself to be you.
Supermommies are those who still know who they are at their core. They remember who they were before marriage and/or babies arrived. They know there are times when they have to give some of that identity up for the sake of small (and not to small) ones. And yes, they sometimes lose their way to themselves, but they try very hard to get back to their woman-ness, their essence of who they are as a person, not as a wife, mother, partner, teacher, neighbor, PTA volunteer, carpool captain, coach and the numerous other things we do everyday. No, I mean the artist, the musician, the lover of John Hughes movies, the runner, the chocolate lover, or the girl who loves herself.
Supermommies are human beings, in need of some me time every once and awhile, a woman who'd like to go to the bathroom without someone banging on the door or standing right there as she poops. She's a woman who understands that she didn't sign up for everything about motherhood, but understands she's strong enough to get through it. It may not be graceful, but she will get through it.
So for all you supermommies out there, looking forward to hearing from you and talking to you.