The Good, The Bad, and the Willful Child

I am not sure how I ended up with two willful children. It could be my husbands bad genes,  something in the water, or it might be because my mother cursed me by saying " I hope when you grow up you have a child just like you." Either way I have had to become extremely creative in finding ways to get them to play on my team.

One of the hardest things I have found as a parent is discipline. With the willful child it sometimes seems like they are DARING you to show them who is boss. So my husband and I came up with a really creative solution. We came up with "extra chores" that the boys don't like to do. Thinks like "clean your brothers room," and take out the trash 3 days in a row." and punishments  like "no XBOX for 3 days." and " no TV for 3 days".  We have a total of 10 different punishments and chores. We typed them up on the computer repeating each chore or punishment 4 times. Then cut out the chores/punishments and folded each slip of paper in half and put them all in a beautiful cut crystal candy dish. We also added one "free pass" to the mix. And we explained to the boys that from now on when they got in trouble they would have to "pull a card" from my candy dish to find out what the consequences of their actions would be. You see my husband and I wanted our boys to learn that their lives are a direct response to their actions. Bad choices bad life. We also wanted them to know that every once in a while they will get away with something but that doesn't mean they will ALWAYS get away with things.

So here is how it works. The boys are punching each other  they both pull a card. I don't really care who started it they both know they aren't allowed to punch each other. They want to argue about it? Pull another card. I ask them to do or not do something and they purposefully don't do as I ask...pull a card. Each card that is pulled must be shown to the parent that told them to pull it and then put BACK in the jar. If we come up with new punishments we can add them to the jar.

It really has worked well. Most of the time I only have to ask if they would like to pull a card to get them to stop doing something. I never have to scream at them I can be calm at all times. The arguing has almost completely stopped. One day the youngest and most willful got to 5 cards in one day. But most days the boys are playing with the team.

If I can help another mom to get her kids to play on her team I want to hear from you.

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Something old, Something new, Something ON FIRE?

As June rolls around I can't help but remember my amazing cousins' wedding in Sun Valley Idaho. The wedding was memorable for many reasons, the beautiful scenery, the bride arriving by buck board to the open field, the pastor calling the bride by a name not her own. But I think the fire is probably the thing everyone remarks on most. But I am getting ahead of myself.

An out of town wedding holds its own challenges for people traveling with children. This wedding had been planed and anticipated for a year. We had made our reservations 4 months before the wedding. The date of the wedding was 4 days before my youngest sons 6th birthday so we had planned to make this an extended trip celebrating his birthday on vacation. But as most of my carefully laid plans this too went awry.

My husband is an only child and several months before we were to leave for the wedding his father had a stroke.  About 3 months before the wedding it became clear that his parents would need to move closer to us so that we could help with his recovery. My PLAN was find a house for his parents in our neighborhood, buy the house, move them in to the house and sell their house all BEFORE we had to leave for the wedding. No problem right? WRONG. Everything that could go wrong did and long story short I left for the wedding with both boys and without my husband, who was to stay behind to finish moving his parents into the new house. When we travel, I try to make sure that the adults out number the kids. I find this decreases my stress. But that part of the PLAN had now been discarded.

We arrived in Idaho on time and without incident so I guess I got cocky. I thought " I've got this. I can do this" the PLAN is moving forward. I will up with my husband in three days for the rest of our vacation. Everything will be fine.  Arriving was the last thing that went my way.

When I checked into the hotel with my two suitcases and two kids and no husband to carry said suitcases I discovered that there was no elevator in the hotel and our room was on the third floor. My suitcases, which I never have to carry myself,  probably weighed 100 lbs each. All of the sudden I realize that maybe I really do need my hubby.  I tried to get one suit case up the stairs but ended up paying a college student $20 to lug them to our room.  I imagine that he probably hides from women and children with suitcases to this day.  The first "wedding event" was a tea for the ladies for the bride. My father had agreed to take the boys to Mc Donald's to eat while my mom and I attended a women's tea. I left the boys  with my father at 11:00am. At 2:00pm when I went to retrieve my kids I discovered that Grandpa had forgotten to feed them and they were starving and bored. Not good.

If you don't have boys let me explain. NEVER let boys get bored. Bored boys create havoc. Bored boys mess up the PLAN. So I quickly packed them up, took them back to our hotel, and we walked to the closest restaurant for "lunch".  By this time it was around 3 pm. So when we all met for the rehearsal dinner, two hours later, the boys were not only not hungry but they just wanted to go outside and play. So, again, as quickly as I could we got through dinner and got out of there.

The next day was the day of the wedding. After breakfast, I took the boys on a forced march around Sun Valley. Tired boys tend to not get bored. The PLAN is going to work.  I was still thinking I was in control. I didn't know that the reigns were slipping away.

The wedding was held in a field. To little boys sitting on a chair in a field is torture. They wanted to run and play and they realized that slipping away during the ceremony meant that mommy wouldn't get up and chase them down or yell for them to sit down. Being the family of the bride, we were seated in the second row. The boys slipped away and began running thought he field and yelling to each other about the stream they had found. I was trying to figure a way to get them back without making a scene when the pastor calls my cousin by someone else's name. I am hoping that everyone else will stay focused on the pastors mistakes and not notice the boys yelling back and forth. Next thing I know Josh has gone behind a tree to relieve himself. Except that behind to him was in front of the wedding party.  I wanted to crawl under my chair and die.  But of course I couldn't because we still had the reception to get though. The PLAN is starting to unravel.

The reception was held at the country club. My wonderful cousin, knowing that my kids would be the only kids there, had planned ahead. At each of the boys plates was a coloring book and crayons. YEAH! I am thinking that this will go smoothly now and maybe no one will mention Josh and the tree.  Maybe the PLAN is going to be okay

I wait a few more minutes and then I went to the catering manager and asked if I could pay for the table cloth that we had destroyed. " No" he says, " It is worth the cost of the cloth to be able to tell this story. I have never done a wedding where the table was set on fire before."  Great, now there is a catering manager in Idaho who plans to tell this story.  I begin to hope that people don't believe him. He is getting way too much happiness out of my shame.

Just before they are going to serve dinner, my cousin, the bride shows up and gives Josh a high five over the fact that he set the table on fire. She tells me " No one will ever be able to beat this wedding story." It now appears that the whole family will be going to dinner on this story for the rest of the summer.

I am still clinging to the idea that maybe no one will notice the giant char mark or mention the "tree incident" when after Dinner the best man tell me he was envious of Josh an Justin for their "play" time during the wedding. Well at least he hasn't mentioned the fire. Maybe he won't go home to Chicago and tell all of Illinois. That was the moment when I abandoned the PLAN and began to pray that I could just make it till tomorrow when I would meet up with my husband.

To this day I have people ask me "Did Josh really set a table on fire at a wedding?"  I hang my head and say "Yes..." and the story begins again.

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10 things I learned the hard way

I was going to call this 10 things I wish I didn't know, but by the time I got to number 10 I realized that I was glad I had these memories of my kids. Maybe I have lost my mind but there you have it....

1. Powdered sugar is very hard to vacuum out of carpet. My son Josh, who was about 4 years old at the time, was trying to help mom out. He had observed me putting carpet fresh on the carpet many times before I vacuumed. He saw the powdered sugar on the counter in the Kitchen and thought that it was the same thing. He proceeded to pour out the entire box on my navy blue carpet. It took months of vacuuming every day before I no longer had a white patch on my carpet.

2. The face and tongue have more blood vessels than any other part of the body and therefore bleed WAY more when injured. My first experience with this concept came when my oldest was just 10 months old. My amazing husband got up with the baby on a Saturday morning telling me to go back to sleep. He said "Let me watch the baby, you rest." Not 15 minutes later I heard a scream and my husband came running into our room holding our baby and both had blood everywhere. I had no idea which one was bleeding nor where they were bleeding from. Turns out the baby, who was learning to walk had bitten his own tongue. So My hubby and I rushed to the Emergency Room with me sitting in the back seat holding an ice cube on the babies tongue while he fought me the whole way. When the bleeding finally stopped the Doctor came into the room looked at his tongue and replied " Yep he bit his tongue." Since I had just paid $50.00 for that moment of brilliance I informed him that he needed to "Do something!" He told me that there was nothing he could do since the tongue was not severed. He told me no solid food for 7 days to keep particles out of the wound and sent us on our way home. We were not even half way home when I turned to check on the baby only to discover him PICKING the scab off his tongue and making it bleed again. I swear we looked like we had survived a car wreck we all had so much blood dried on us when we arrived home.

My last experience with bloody faces was when my youngest was 18 months old. My oldest was throwing a pillow in the air and hitting it with his head. He and the baby were laughing while I watched them play. I turned away and when I turned back I watched in HORROR as a 3 lb hand held weight landed on the baby's forehead. He had thrown it in the air copying his brother, but it wasn't soft like the pillow as he soon found out. Blood began pouring out of his forehead. I grabbed him ran to the bathroom and applied pressure. Once he and I calmed down and I got the blood stopped we called Dad at work. I don't know why I always feel the need to share trauma with my husband when he is at work, but it is a good thing he doesn't have caller ID at work or he would just stop answering. I mean really what can he do from work? But I still call and say things like " You want the good news or the bad news?" Did I mention that he is an amazing husband and father? He always starts with "give me the good news." This time I answered "The bleeding has stopped."
"Okay...maybe I need to know the bad news now." He calmly asks. After telling him that I had watched as our child had split his forehead open, he told me I should call the Doctor and go see if he needed a stitch. I asked him if he thought I would be forgiven for killing this Doctor if he had the nerve to tell me " Yep he has a cut on his head." There was silence while he decided whether or not he would be expected to bail me out of jail since he did send me to the doctor. He replied make the appointment for after I get off work in an hour and we will go together.

Long story short, both my kids have facial scars and one also has a tongue scar. My hubby tells them "Chicks dig scars."  Another lesson learned the hard way.



3. Vomit can be easily cleaned out of most materials using a baby wipe.  My oldest child gets car sick...nuff said.
4. When you have young children, never leave home with out a change of clothes for EVERYONE. My oldest child gets car sick...nuff said
5.Sharpie, when used by one child to "decorate" another child, can be removed with baby oil. No need for the decorated child to wait for it to wear off. Especially when the face has been decorated the day before school pictures.  I learned this truth from another mom who took pity on me when she saw me shopping with the "decorated" child.  I called him the decorated child because when I caught my oldest child drawing pictures on my youngest child and I asked " What are you doing?" the oldest child told me he was "decorating" his brother. His little brother, who was about 2 at that time was so proud that his brother had "decorated" his face, arms, and belly. He modeled his new look for me. After trying unsuccessfully to REMOVE the "decoration" I gave up. I figured that by his 10th birthday it should have worn off. So I was wandering the isles of the grocery store with my "decorated" child in the basket when this nice lady says to me " Honey, you can get Sharpie off with baby oil. You don't have to wait for it to wear off."
"Really?" I said
"You don't really think you are the first mom to have a painted child do you?" She smiled as she went her way.

6.Magic erasers CAN erase almost anything. They work best on walls that your children have done murals on.

7. Almost any tantrum can be stopped by pouring a glass of water on the child having a tantrum. Avoid pouring the water on the face of said child.  This bit of advice came to me from a friends mother. She told me her pediatrician had told it to her.  I don't know if that is true but I do know that without that trick I would not have survived the terrible twos. Which by the way were really the terrible twos, threes and fours.

8. "Only used once" is a warning label.  When I was a teenager I went to a garage sale and saw a home waxing kit for sale with the sign "ONLY USED ONCE". I excitedly bought the kit and went home to wax my legs. I was either too stupid or too lazy to ask the lady selling the kit "WHY was it only used once?" So I get home, plug the machine in, and I wait for everything to heat up as I read the directions. I put super hot wax on my legs and, as it burned the skin, thought to myself "Wont it be nice not to have to shave." Then I grabbed the cloth stuck to the wax, which by this time had become one with my skin, and pulled. As the wax and the hair and the skin separated from my leg and the red welts appeared I wondered if maybe I had done something wrong. So I pulled the cloth from my other leg and experienced the same horror. I now KNEW why it was only used once. But when I sold this torture device at my garage sale I didn't put a sign on it saying "ONLY USED TWICE"

9. When you are mad, wear protective gear.  I have broken my baby toes 3 times on each side. I have managed to do that by not having shoes on when I was stomping around the house angry for some reason or other. I hope I have learned my lesson. My toes hope so too.


10."I am sorry" and "I love you" are the two most powerful phrases in the English language. NUFF said.


If it weren't for the hard way I might not have learned anything at all. Hope this made you laugh. And if you learned something well I am glad to have shared.

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Goodbye Buzz Lightyear...

This weekend while I was helping my boys clean their rooms and get rid of the clothes they have out grown, the Buzz Lightyear costume went into the donate bag.  When I saw it I was reminded of all the times Buzz Light year went to the grocery store and the cleaners with me.

I remember pushing the shopping cart that looks like a race car. Two active boys dressed in costume, Buzz Lightyear was the favorite, but I had several Jedi Knights shop with me as well. Those trips to the store seemed like a gauntlet. I had to cercumvent  certain isles to avoid the "mommy can I's".  Opps dont go down that isle there are cookies there, nope not that isle, the ice cream will cause a riot. One time my youngest cried so hard for ice cream that he vomited in the check out lane.

I was so relived when they were both in school and I could shop alone again. But now seeing the empty Buzz costume, I have to admit that I am a little sad to know that I will never shop with costumed toddlers again.  Being a mommy is a tough job. But those moment that were so hard to navigate are also some of my best memories.

Goodbye Buzz Light year, I hope some other mommy is as proud to shop with you as I was.

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The Father the Son and the Butterfly

Our Children… Are A Lot Like Butterflies… 

Have you heard the story about the caterpillar… or is it the story about the butterfly… or is it the story about the cocoon. I'm not really sure which one it is. I'm sure you're even more lost right now than I am. That's ok, it'll all tie together at the end. 

So, important one here… this story. This is not MY story, but one I've been told many times over… some of the best parenting advice I could offer... 

Ok… so… THE BUTTERFLY…

Once upon a time there was a caterpillar. It was a plain ol' caterpillar, but a caterpillar nonetheless. The caterpillar lived in a forest nearby a mans home. Every morning the man and his son would walk past the caterpillar and stare in wonder at the legs as they moved, watch it eat, and simply stand mesmerized for a few moments every morning on their morning walk. 

One morning, they came by the caterpillars branch to find that the caterpillar was gone and in it's place was a cocoon. "Oh, the man told his son… this is so exciting. This ugly caterpillar, is inside the cocoon and will soon be a beautiful butterfly." They continued on their walk. 

They did this for many mornings in a row. Until one morning, they came across the cocoon to find it moving. They watched as the butterfly struggled to break through the cocoon wall. The son looked at his dad and said, "Dad. Help the butterfly out of the cocoon." 

The father looked at the boy and said, "Son, sometimes things struggle for a reason. There is a reason the butterfly is struggling to get out of the cocoon." The boy again expressed to his dad that he wanted to see the butterfly and didn't like seeing the butterfly struggle. 

After they were done with their walk, the boy asked his father. "Dad, if I was a butterfly, and I was stuck in a cocoon, would you cut me out of it?"

The father told the boy, "No son, I wouldn't. Because I love you. Sometimes struggle is necessary. I love you enough to allow you to struggle when you need to." 

The boy didn't quite understand. Being young and naive, and thinking he was helping the butterfly, the boy went himself and cut the cocoon open so the butterfly could get out easier. 

The next day, both father and son walked by the cocoon, and found the butterfly who was sitting there on the branch, with flimsy wings, unable to fly. 

The father realized by the way the boy was acting that the boy had come and cut the butterfly out of his cocoon after their morning walk. 

The father asked the son if he had helped the butterfly out of the cocoon. 

The boy smiled and said yes. 

The father asked the boy if he was at all curious as to why the butterfly's wings were so sad and flimsy. 

The boy looked at the butterfly, and at that moment he noticed it too. 

"What is wrong with the butterfly's wings, dad?"

The father looked down at the son and asked him if he remembered him telling him that sometimes struggle is necessary. 

The boy said yes. 

The father explained. When a butterfly is in a cocoon. It is held tight and must fight and struggle to break out of the cocoon to freedom. The reason for this is because as the butterfly fights and struggles, his wings become stronger and when the wings are strong enough to fly, they are also strong enough to break out of the cocoon. 

The butterfly that has been helped out of the cocoon will never fly, because his wings were never developed and they aren't strong enough to support him or fly with. 

The butterfly will remain on the branch until a predator comes and then, because it cannot fly away when threatened, it will most likely die. 

The boy understood at this point. 

Many years later, the boy, being older and finding himself in the middle of a very hard life lesson called his dad. When his dad asked him if he would like his help, the boy simply said, "No dad. I think I am a butterfly right now. I need this struggle." 

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I would write more. But I think this story pretty much says it all. 

I implore you to let your children struggle. They will need to fly away some day. 

With love… 

Franki 

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Mom's and Daughters

I was born a daughter. My job of being a "good" daughter was always definded my mother telling me what it meant to be a "good"  daughter. When I went to college I was still being defined by her but I was starting to define myself as a person as well. One day I met Prince Charming and got married. Everything changed.
Now I was a woman, wife, daughter in law and daughter. How could I possibly please everyone at the same time? Who did I need to please first?

 Then I had children and it became even more difficult to manage what I needed to be first. I have chosen to be a wife and mother ( in that order) and everything else is on a first come first serve basis. I usually don't please everyone. Actually,  I am lucky if I please ANYONE. I say that because I want you to know that it is okay to not please everyone. In fact, it is impossible to please everyone all the time. Some people will never be pleased. So it is REALLY important to decide who it is most important to please and when. Sometimes it is in the best interest of your children to not please them. Sometimes I have to put myself first. If I cease to fight for myself I will cease to be myself.


I admit though that the hardest person to not please is my mom. I love her and I know she loves me but sometimes her desires conflict with what I know I need to do to put my husband and children first. Where does the line between being a daughter and being a mom go? How do you tell the person who taught you how to BE a mom that you think she made some mistakes and that you don't want to do those things with your children? I am a pretty secure person but no one can make me feel insecure faster than my mom. I don't believe she is trying to make me feel bad it just seems to happen. I think to myself the same woman who taught me "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all" has made an art out of saying things that are not nice to me.


 So I wonder if my Grandma did the same thing to my mom all her life. So now my mom thinks that she needs to say crap to me. Is it possible to change the pattern even as you are mired in it? I hope it is. It is probably not easy. Change never is. But I am making that change with my kids. Wish me luck.

And if you know where that line between daughter and mom is could you let me know?

Mothers Day Madness

            As we all know, one of the most important holidays is right around the corner! (Pause as all the mothers freak out about which important holiday they forget)  MOTHER’S DAY of course!  So many mothers neglect that holiday because they are so concerned about worrying about everyone else, they forget to think about THEIR day, a day where they can be appreciated, pampered and spoiled!
            I remember growing up Mother’s day would always sneak up on my mom.  She was never prepared for it, never had anything to wear, most of the time because she would completely forget about it.  Well, I’m going to serve not only as a reminder to you, but a guide as well!  Provided below are simple, easy, and excellent wardrobe tips for you to look amazing.  I’ve divided up the wardrobe suggestions trying to keep in mind the different age groups or the age of your kids, as well as the types of events that might occur on this amazing day!

1.     LUNCH DATE!  So whether you have a little toddler and your husband is taking you out.  Or your adult children decide to surprise you for a Mother’s Day lunch the guidelines are relatively simple.  Because it’s a daytime look, I suggest setting aside your favorite blouse or top.  This could maybe be a top you’ve saved for “special occasions” that never seem to come up, or maybe a color that you enjoy to wear that you know is flattering on you.  Once you’ve picked the top of your choice, depending on climate and personal preference you can pair these with denim capri’s, shorts or cute skirt.  But don’t rule out the power of khaki as well, for a dressier look.  If you’ve picked a darker color i.e. plum, lapis, forest green, you will want to add a contrast, so think about paring it with a casual pair of khakis, or a lighter denim wash.  Vice versa, if you pick a lighter color i.e. pink, yellow, baby blue try pairing it with darker denim this will really allow the colors to POP!  As far as footwear goes, if you want to wear flats, try throwing on a jeweled sandal, basic colors work (silver, gold, black and white). Wedges are also a huge trend this season, so if you’re the heel wearing type, trying throwing on a neutral wedge to put the outfit together for a super cute spring/summer look!  Accessories are simple, earrings and bangles!  If you choose to wear rings make sure it stays within a day time look.  No need for a cocktail ring at lunch, the only ring with diamond on it should be your engagement ring!

2.     DINNER DATE!  If you are taken out to a dinner date, the wardrobe will have to change a bit from your day look.  Whether it’s to your favorite family restaurant or to a 5 star steak house, it’s YOUR day so I would definitely stay on the dressier side, but I’ll break it down according to restaurants!

a.      Favorite “Family” Restaurants.  These restaurants usually consist of family favorites, mom and pop Italian restaurants, our favorite Dim Sum restaurant.  Just because this isn’t a 5 star steak house doesn’t mean you can’t feel like a queen on your day!   If you’re the dress wearing mom trying wearing a shift dress, or you’re classic LBD (Little Black Dress).  Throw a cute cardigan or suite jacket over it and you’ve already dressed it down.  When accessorizing use studs or very simple hoops/chandelier earrings.  Throw on your favorite ring, and a bracelet or too.  If you’re a separate’s kind of mom, feel free to throw on your favorite blouse or again that blouse you saved for “special occasions” and pair it with a high waist pencil skirt.  If skirts just aren’t your thing, no worries! Matching it with a pair of your favorite slacks is just as easily acceptable.  Pair with flats or heels according to preference!

b.     Five Star/Dressy.  If you know that you will be treated to a more upscale restaurant, guidelines are for the most part close to option “a”.  With this option though, lose the jacket!  Now is the place to wear your sexiest yet mommy appropriate dress.  Feel free to accessories with more fashion forward or dressy items.  Remember, if you wear a beautiful chandelier earring, make sure to keep the necklace VERY simple, and likewise if you wear a very elaborate necklace, keep the earrings simple.  These two accessories should frame the face not overwhelm it.  In terms of rings and bracelets opposites attract!  Meaning, if you wear a cocktail ring on your left hand, make sure to wear your bracelets on your right.  We don’t want to look to heavily accessorized on just one side.  Heels can be as high as you’d like, and although I know we have many flat wearing mom’s (let’s face it running in heels after a toddler doesn’t sound easy).  You might want to opt for just a kitty heel, meaning a heeled shoe that’s three inches or less. Just to keep the look dressier.

I hope that all of my suggestions will make preparing for your special day that much easier for you.  Less time fretting means more time to enjoy Mother’s day with your loving family.  Thanks mom’s for all of your love and support and I hope that you all have an amazing Mother’s day.

BUT WAIT, I have a Mother’s day present for all of you.  If at any point in time any of the mothers out there have any fashion oriented questions for me here in FASHION PHILE, leave a comment or post and I will be happy to at make sure they get answered!

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Ok, so I had a Baby, Now WHAT?!

I remember when I decided that I wanted to have a baby. My husband and I rationally discussed the steps necessary to creating a perfect little family. It may have been the last rational thought I had for several years.

First I got pregnant. All those hormones made me CRAZY. I completely lost my mind. But I did what I had always done when embarking on something new...I took a class. Actually I took many classes. I took them on childbirth, basic baby care, baby first aid, advanced baby care, and a nursing class so that I would feed my baby from my body exactly the right way. Then my oldest son was born....

What they don't tell you in class is that the class REALLY doesn't prepare you for actually having a baby. I think BUDS/SEALS training would have been more appropriate training for  bringing home the baby. Hell week, where the SEALS stay up for days straight is more like that first few months with a new baby. I went to college, so I was convinced that I understood sleep derivation. I was completely clueless about how long the sleep deprivation would last. By the time my little bundle of joy was sleeping 6 hours at a stretch I had put eyedrops in my nose, diapers on the baby backwards, fed the dog a bottle, and hadn't showered regularly for months. I kinda looked like a refugee. Torn, stained sweat sweat pants, greasy hair, bags around my eyes, and a constant look of bewilderment.

When my baby did begin to sleep 6 hours at a stretch the fog began to clear and I then began to think about why my baby did this or that. Was I doing everything right? So I did what any college educated woman would do...research. For me that meant hanging out in the baby isle of Target looking for other women who had babies a little older than mine. When located them I would ask them " what does it mean when my baby does..., how do I... and how come you look bathed and well rested?" I was ready to take advice from ANYONE, even my mother. If someone had told me to dance in the moonlight wearing a pink tutu I would have. I was that desperate.

Eventually, my baby started to sleep thought the night,  and I started to bathe more regularly. I then began to feel like I had a handle on what I was doing. But those first 6 months, I was a basket case. I felt incompetent and overwhelmed. I relate this story because I know that I am not the only one out there who felt this way. I want other moms to know my babies survived my incompetence and are now smart, healthy, loving little monkey's on speed.

Now you know why Real Army of Moms was created. I wanted a place for us moms to go, to laugh, support and bitch about the hardest job you will ever have.

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