How Pixar and M&M’s Save my Sanity

There no doubt about it: mom’s have super powers. Who else can carry a purse, diaper bag, camera bag, cell-phone, iPod, every toy known to man AND a child [or two…or five!] without missing a beat. We can blog, tweet, answer emails, talk on the phone and answer the unending stream of questions that flow continuously from our children. We keep track of the finances [at least, I do in our home], the grocery list, the doctors appointments, play-dates, social events, meal planning, and our husband’s work schedules [and our own for those working mamas!] while still keeping the house at least semi-clean, clean clothes [if if there aren’t many] in the closet and food on the table.

Growing up, I watched my mom tackle various activities without ever missing a beat. I always wondered if it was something that she was just equipped with or if all Mom’s are that way. Now that I’m a parent and my social circle pretty much only includes other mom’s, I’ve realized that it’s just something we develop. I don’t know if it’s the toxic aroma of the never ending dirty diapers we experience in the first several years months or the lack of sleep that does it. But somewhere between seeing those pink lines for the first time and our first week of sleep deprivation mommy powers set in.

Being parent to a toddler, I have learned that, despite how it appears to the outsiders, Mom’s have their own secret arsenal of tips and tricks that tend to make things that the ‘non-mommy’ outsiders deem impossible, seem just a little bit more practical.

For those ear-splitting minor tantrums thrown in Walmart, I grab a bag of trusty M&M’s and my son is occupied until checkout time. If he isn’t digging the chocolate, there is nothing that a bag of Cheetos can’t handle. For that trip near the toy aisle that turns into World War 3, I head over to the Hot Wheels/Matchbox section and pick up one of those 79 cent cars. [Maybe that explains why we have over 150 of those things lying around…] I figure what’s 79 cent in comparison to a major freak-out and the stares of the elderly people who feel they deserve to shop in peace and quiet?

For those days where my son really wants to give credit to the “terrible two’s” stereotype, these guys save the day:

Doesn’t matter which one I turn to: Buzz & Woody, Marlin & Dory, Sully & Boo, or good old reliable Lightning McQueen; when these guys hit the screen, mommy is officially free of any kind of parenting duty for at least a half hour. These guys also make bath time 100 times easier. Did you know that Walmart carries GIANT bottles of Toy Story, Cars, and Finding Nemo children’s body wash/bubble bath?! Little Man got some from his grandparents for Christmas and bath time is a BREEZE. If I tell him we are going to take a bath with “toy tory” bubbles, it takes no time to get him stripped and happily playing in a tub of soapy delight.

I also learned quickly that when packing a diaper bag, you really don’t need all that crap that we first time mom’s carry around. We got a HUGE diaper bag as a shower gift. I mean, obnoxiously huge. Big enough to actually put my child in had we wanted to [no I would never do that…but he would have fit]. We quickly downsized and starting cutting the corners where we could. We kept a “backup bag” in the car with spare diapers, wipes, and clothes. That way we only had to carry a small bag with essentials with us. Now that the little guy is older and walking on his own, his stuff goes in a cute backpack that he gets to carry. He feels like a big boy, and mommy doesn’t have to break her neck [or shoulders, or back, or arms] trying to carry enough junk to supply an army.

While all of the mommy secret’s and sanity savers out there aren’t always things to be proud of [like bribing coaxing my child with M&M’s to behave while we are in a store long enough for me to get groceries] sometimes we just have to do what we have to do. If us mom’s NEVER bent the rules a little bit, would we really get anything accomplished?

What about you? What are some of your shameful [or not so shameful] mommy secrets?

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