16 Things To Do in 2016

by Sara and Kim

It’s a new year and were back! And just like everyone else in the world, we’re thinking resolutions. But instead of the traditional resolutions, you know lose weight, be a better person, etc… we’re tackling a new year by coming up with 16 Things (8 for each of us) that we want to do in 2016. Things we can hopefully make a bigger impact in our lives and last more than just the month of January!

1. Get back to writing. Somewhere in the past year we both let our one true love of writing fall by the waste side – that will not happen again! Like we said, WE ARE BACK!

2. Establish a “No Tech Zone” for at least 1 hour per week. No TV, no iPad, no XBox – instead use the hour for reading, crafting, real playing, etc.

3. Cook more. I’ve read a million studies to know just how important the “family diner” is; And I’ve even seen first hand the true benefits. Every time we sit as a family, my kids are the first to say “so how was your day?” – that conversation starts with the food!

4. Be more charitable, but not just in the “traditional” sense. More along the lines of “paying it forward” like picking up the bill for the person behind me on line at the Dunkin Donuts drive through.

5. Get another 5K under my belt. Ok, ok, I know we said non-traditional resolutions, but this is not just about being healthy. For me it’s about holding on to that amazing feeling that I get when I cross the finish line… I swear they should find a way to bottle it!!!!

6. Spend more quality time with my husband and less time in two different rooms of our house watching two different shows.

7. Spend less money on “things” for my family and more time on creating and making memories with them.

8. And when I do finally get in a manicure or pedicure, choose the most loud, vibrant and obnoxious colors. Hey what’s that saying: “Make a statement without ever saying a word!” YUP, I’m in!

9. Read 10 books. I just never have time to actually read a book. But thanks to Goodreads, they are motivating me with their GoodReads Challenge).

10. Do a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Why can’t grow-ups have games too! A perfect activity for a snow-day and a great way to get the whole family off devices and doing something together.

11. Get a perm (why not). Well there are many reason’s why not to do this, but I may just have to give it a try and do something different and be totally OK with it. Wish me luck!

12. Learn to be more Mindful. This is a MUST DO and something I have been talking about for a while now, but I am committed to learning the skills and practicing the mindset to improve my stress. I am starting this weekend by attending a well-being conference hosted by New York Times best-selling authors Kris Carr & Gabrielle Bernstein.

13. Be more adventurous.  Maybe I will attempt to try things I haven’t done before such as hiking or boating with the kids.

14. Put down the phone when with my kids.  While I usually have my phone attached to my hip at all times, I am making a conscious effort to put the phone away during dinner, bath time and bedtime.  Anyone trying to reach me will have to wait!

15. Institute family reading hour on a Sunday so kids get to see us READ a book.  I keep reading articles about the impact that we as parents have on our kids in regards to being positive reading role models. So time to get out the actual paper books and all “see each other”reading.

16. Visit Savannah, GA or Charleston, NC — they are both on my bucket list and I am not putting it off this year!

So now we’re asking, are you with us??   We would love to hear what is on your 2016 To-Do list.   Tweet and Share @trainmoms using #2016todo.

Are you a social media mommy?

by Kim

I consider myself to be social media savvy.   In fact I’m pretty sure that’s what it says on my resume…BUT I have to tell you sometimes I truly wish I wasn’t.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Vine –I mean it’s exhausting!

I mean when did we start having conversations in 140 characters or less. I majored in communications in college, and I LOVE to write; but when I’m on Twitter, I’m reverting to my 16 year-old Valley-Girl self using terms like “OMG UR SO GR8!” (please forgive the Valley-Girl reference, I grew up in the 80’s!)

And those silly Facebook quizzes…let’s be honest I’m married to a great man – do I really need to take a quiz to find out WHO I WAS MARRIED TO IN MY PAST LIFE? And do I really need to know WHAT COLOR MY AURA IS?  I already know my favorite color is Green, so I think it’s safe to assume my aura is green too.

Not to mention being on Facebook makes me feel bad about myself with posts like MISTAKES PARENTS MAKE WHEN FEEDING THEIR KIDS, OR GET ORGANIZED THIS YEAR, DECLUTTER YOUR LIFE. I knew it, the camera on our computer is showing the world just how messy my house really is!  Oh, and don’t forget the pictures.  You know the “perfect” picture of your “beautiful” friend with her “perfect” family on the “beautiful” beaches of insert-Carribean-island-here — which has you questioning “What the h-ll are we doing wrong?! Didn’t she just come back from Aruba?!”

Sometimes I like to tell myself that the reason I stay on top of social media is to keep up with everyone else and to be relevant – to make sure when my kids start to use it, I’ll have an idea of what the h-ll they are doing; which is a good thing, right? (Though truth be told I think I could have gone all my life without ever knowing what Snapchat was, I mean what the h-ll!!!)

Ever have a conversation with a friend who says “Oh, I didn’t see it, I’m not on Facebook;” and after you blurt out the obligatory “OMG, really, you’re not on Facebook?!!” – don’t you have a ping of jealousy?  I DO. Life is easier without social media.

Ok, so your friend might be a little out of the loop, and g-d forbid she actually has to pick up a newspaper (or read one online) to find out what’s going on, instead of getting everything instantaneously in her “newsfeed” (oh the horror!) And she might be deprived of ever knowing which Singer/Diva she is (another Facebook quiz, which by the way, in case you wanted to know I’m Adele ) BUT I can tell you, she might just be a better person than the rest of us; managing to live in the moment and have more real conversations with the people around her.

But let’s face it, social media is here to stay.  What I need to do is stop beating myself up about all the time I spend checking it; and let’s be honest, the two, little men who call me mom don’t care that I’m on my phone using it, they’re too busy fighting over who is going to get mom’s phone first!   (LMAO!)

 

photo credit: pixabay.com

 

My life in rhyme!

Remember as new parents you’d wish it would go fast?

Praying everyday that you could just get past –those sleepless nights or piercing cries,

well I’m here to tell you that time surely flies.

Because I thought having a newborn was tough,

but as my kids get older things are still pretty rough.

Gone are the diapers, the bottles and such – but so is that sweet, gentle baby’s touch

It’s been replaced by rough house play – and potty words are now the theme of the day.

A little attitude and eyes that roll, some days it truly takes its toll!

“Yes mommy” has been replaced by “I’ll do it later”

I’m not really sure why they think I’m here to cater.

Even clothing fights hearing “I don’t want to wear that!”

— or now that it’s cold, G-d forbid I ask for a hat!

Supermarket trips with my baby in his seat – truly used to be such an easy treat

Nowadays taking the kids to the store – I can barely even get them both out the door.

Or when we do finally make it & we’re in the store

– you can guarantee I’ll hear “This is such a bore!“

OR “I want to push the cart” & don’t forget “Can we get this?“

I never knew I would truly miss

— going shopping alone or with someone who couldn’t talk

are they too young for me to tell them to go take a walk?

But parenthood we know is really just a test – one in which we can only do our best

So tonight I ask, please, please let me win- & help keep me out of the loony bin!

Are you down with M.P.P? (a.k.a. Mommy Potty Poetry)

by Kim

I’m sitting in pee again, look at me,

But I guess that’s what happens when you’re in a house of three…

Boys that is, though one of them should know better,

(Though I’m pretty sure he’s the one making it wetter)

As the only girl in a house my “potty” trips are always fun

Though sometimes they truly make me want to run…

Out of the house that is, so I can hide,

Screaming at the top of my lungs please, please stop this ride!

Because with their aim just a bit off and the seat ALWAYS up

I’m left sitting IN the bowl (smiling) and saying “YUP”…

“I’m the mother of boys, the only princess to use the ‘loo’,

I guess FOR NOW, I’ll just have to make do.”

What did you do at school today? NOTHING

By Sara

As most of you know, Kim and I just sent our children off to Kindergarten. We said our good-bye’s to our little guys as they got on this big bus, taking them to this big school with all new kids…and they come home to tell us NOTHING.

They walk in the front door and we have so many things we are dying to know —  from what they did, how they felt, to who they sat next too at lunch, and if they found the bathroom, but getting answers out of our kids is no easy task.

My daughter Olivia is no exception.  She came home from her first day at Kindergarten and I started in with my enthusiastic questioning, and all I got from my her was, “I don’t want to talk about it.”  Sound familiar?

WHAT? I have been sitting by the door for the last hour, anxiously awaiting for you to get off the bus and tell me everything, and this is what I get?  So I start begging for some answers. No luck.

Maybe she is hungry. So I bring out the snacks, hoping a little nutritional recharge will help get her talking. Keeping to the topic, I ask, “So, who did you sit next to at lunch today?” Her response, “I don’t know.”

Ok… So I sit and wait. Then I try another one, “Did you meet any new friends?” Her response, “no.”

After a few more failed attempts, I realized where this was going.  So I said, “I understand if you don’t want to talk, but do me ONE favor… give me a thumbs up if you loved school, a thumbs sideways if you thought it was just ok or a thumbs down if it was horrible.”

I got a Thumbs Up and a BIG smile.

So while I didn’t get many words, I got a sign that told me everything I needed to know.

Happy Back-to-School!

DO NOT DISTURB: Kindergartener in training

by Kim

 

In just one (very short) week, this beautiful, little boy, my first-born will start Kindergarten; and though I can honestly say that I’m over the moon excited for him, I’m also filled with so many other emotions…worry, sadness, fear (just to name a few, because trust me I could go on & on!), and I’m trying to contain all of it without projecting my craziness onto him.

But as my husband pointed out to me the other day (and to ALL of my neighbors) it’s as if I have my son “in training” for the Olympics as opposed to the first day of Kindergarten; and of all the stupid things to stress over, I’ve most worried about him eating and his damn lunch box. It’s gotten to the point that over the past few weeks I’ve had him practicing, (yes, I said practicing); making him do things like:

• open a cheese stick
• put his straw in a juice box
• unscrew/re-screw his water bottle
• lift the tab off of a yogurt drink
• open/close the container that goes inside the lunchbox

You don’t have to say it, I already know it’s crazy; but you see it’s not that I don’t doubt he can do it (or will eventually be able to do it), OR that there will be someone at school to help him, it’s just for the past 5-years, it’s been ME & only me; and knowing in the back of my head that once he mastered these things, he wouldn’t need me anymore.

Kindergarten is one of those big milestones in life; it signals a change; it’s the beginning of an end: when I have to start sharing this beautiful, little person (that I created ) with the rest of the world, and let the baby that I once knew grow up…and selfishly I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.

So for now, we’ll keep up the training for the “Lunchbox Olympics” — besides we’re knee-deep in the “juice box jungle” as I’ve intentionally purchased an assorted variety, all featuring different openings – don’t need him getting cocky just yet!

 

Mom Confession: My Kids Gross Me Out!

by Kim

 

And after spending a few days on vacation together as a family, I have a confession to make… my kids gross me out sometimes!

For example,  when they combine all of their foods into one meal, you know the pickle, mac-n-cheese, peanut butter sandwich with a vanilla milkshake to wash it all down… I’m not sure if my oldest is a five-year-old with strange taste buds or a very pregnant woman.

Or when we’re playing a game of “I Spy” to pass the time at a restaurant and instead of using primary colors to describe something, you know, RED, YELLOW & BLUE, they use words like “I Spy something with my little eye that’s POOP color” – really? POOP color?!

Then there’s the obsession with public restrooms; it’s over the top!  My little guy LOVES to go check them out just to tell me how “disgusting” the bathroom is; while my older son LOVES to go in to wash his hands so he can smell the soap.  Even if it’s “gross” he’ll share it with me “mommy smell this, it’s gross!”

I’m also completely grossed out by their over abuse of “The 5-second Rule“;   I mean yes we’ve all been known to break it from time to time, but these two put me to shame!  Even when I’m screaming at them to put it down, my little guy just laughs and puts it in his mouth anyway!

Oh, and I’m sorry that I just don’t share their love for wet, sandy, slightly boogied Doritos…I guess it’s an acquired taste!

Don’t get me wrong, I love them, I really do, I just never realized how gross they are!

#MommyLovesUBoys!

 

My Post 3-Day Weekend Confession

by Kim

After a 3-day weekend with my kids I have a confession to make….

HI my name is Kim and I’m a “yeller”!

There I just said it. I was told that admitting it is half the battle. BUT I was also told that it would also make me feel better; you know coming “clean” about what my family already knows to be true… and well, let’s just say it doesn’t.

In the parenting community, we “yellers” go by many other names; maybe you’ve heard of “The Screamers” (No, NOT “that kind”!) or “The Shouters”? Yup close personal friends of ours, in fact, I’m pretty sure we’re all related. (Distant cousins perhaps?!)

It’s just that with a defiant 3 &1/2-year-old, a “Know-it-all” 5 year-old, a husband who truly has selective hearing, and a cat who likes to throw up everywhere (leaving me to ALWAYS be the one stepping in it with my bare feet) – sometimes I’m just not as “calm” as I would like to be.

No matter how cool & composed I try to be, after I’ve said something for the 10^th time in 2-minutes, my nerves get a bit rattled, and let’s just say my kids seem to react better to direction given at higher volumes.

Is it bad? H-ll yes! But is it working, (again) H-LL YES!

We’ve got 8-months to go but I already know what I’ll be adding to my list of New Year’s Resolutions!  Until then, G-d, please give me strength just to make it through the summer without loosing my voice!

 

Can you relate? Are you a #YELLERTOO?  Let me know I’m not alone!

When Mom Guilt Backfires

By Sara and Kim

What is the definition of mom guilt?  Is it the lengths we go to make our kids happy, when actually we are REALLY trying to make ourselves happy?  And let me first say that there is NOTHING wrong with that… except when it backfires.

The best thing I can relate it to is when you throw a surprise party for a friend, to only find out they hate surprises more than anything.  That is how it feels when your mom guilt moment backfires right before your very eyes.  You put a lot of thought into it, you are super excited about it, you reveal it… and then comes the unexpected WHAMMY!   As working moms, we sometimes feel that the little things we do should count the most, but when they don’t we feel worse than if we did nothing at all.  It is a feeling of utter frustration.  But what we have learned most about being moms, is the importance laughing, sharing and learning from everything we do.  This way we can keep  coming up with new ways to enjoy special moments with our kids, and hopefully they won’t all #backfire!

So on that note, here are some of  our most backfired mom moments.  We want to hear yours too.  Get them off your chest.  Trust me, it is honestly liberating!  Tweet us @trainmoms using #backfire.

Our most backfired mom moments:

1. You come home for work with a present for your kids…and they complain that it isn’t the one they wanted! #backfire

2. You come home early from work so you can pick them up from school…and they complain they wanted daddy to pick them up or they want to stay at school. #backfire

3. You spend all day whipping up their favorite meal…and they now don’t like it and won’t eat it. #backfire

4. You have been traveling on business and you get home just in time to put the kids to bed… and it is the witching hour and your kids are in complete meltdown mode. #backfire

5. You take them to a restaurant for a treat…and they spend more time playing under the table than talking to you and eating. #backfire

6. You reward your child by letting them watch ONE show or play ONE video game…but as we no there is no just thing as ONE in a kids mind. Tantrum time! #backfire

Share your most backfired mom moment with us. Tweet us @trainmoms using #backfire.

10 Surprising Places Moms Get Work Done

by Sara

10 Surprising Places to Get Work Done

Life of a working mom can be hectic to say the least.  We are pretty used to being yo-yo’s, quickly shifting gears from work life to mom life, but what happens when those worlds collide?  We get CREATIVE.  Whether you are working from home, an office, the road, on vacation or taking a day off, we all know the work never stops — but what matters is how creative you can be in order to get the job done.

We polled our fellow Train Mom readers and here are some of the surprising places they get work done.  Have any more to add?  Tweet us @trainmoms #places2work

Top 10 Surprising Places Moms Get Work Done

1) In the school parking lot
2) In the department store fitting room
3) In the gym lobby
4) At the nail salon (pedicures are ideal for a hands free hour).
5) At the playground
6) In the restaurant bathroom
7) At a traffic light
8) On the beach
9) At the hair salon
10) On the train ( but of course)