Last Christmas a friend of mine told me about some advent activities for kids to prepare for Christmas. Each day we would do a new craft  correlating with the meaning of Christmas…and each day I would fool myself into thinking we were going to have fun no matter how horrible the last craft went. I like to call myself the anti-Martha…not by choice but by genetics. I am chaotic and unorganized and I just end up making a huge mess. The picture above shows my three boys with their crowns smiling because apparently they just forgot that 15 minutes earlier everyone was crying, crew was pooping on the floor, Sawyer threw a pair of scissors at me and I wrapped the whole thing up with an F-Bomb…Merry Freaken Christmas boys!!

We haven’t revisited the craft thing, but it is surprising to me that now that summer has come, I start each day thinking we are going to have a fun adventure…the truth is 95% of the time…things just aren’t fun…for us…the moms that is. Every time we leave the house I have great expectations of trying to recreate the amazing childhood I had with a very adventurous mom. And ALMOST everyday I am on the verge of tears ready for a hard drink by the time we get back to the car…Attempting a hot air ballon ride (tethered don’t get your panties in a bunch now), swim lessons, water slides, visiting the airport, parks, pools and playdates…we’ve done them all and each time I come away feeling like a monstrous failure - sure that all my kids will remember is pandemonium interrupted by brief bouts of me screaming…”no peeing in front of friends” … “don’t throw your brother down the slide” and my favorite “get your hands out of your pants!” (only moms of boys will appreciate that one:))

                           

The shocking thing is that every time we get in the car Sawyer gushes about how much fun we had…I’m just like really??? Were we just at the same place because I am sweating and questioning my sanity right now! After talking to my mom…well OK let’s be honest…after crying to my mom about what a horrible mother I am for not enjoying projects or outings (and we can add holidays and birthdays to the list) with my kids she told me everything she did with us growing up SUCKED! Camping, Disney vacations, trips to the coast, days at the lake…she said it was MISERABLE!!! My sister who has older kids now confirmed everything my mom said and that I had been feeling….YAY!! I’m not the bitchiest, most horrible mom alive!!! 

So in the name of creating “good memories” for my boys I will continue to endure the misery…I will lighten up and let them just play and have fun …and through it all, I will just hope they will block out the crazy woman yelling obscenities in the background and remember me as being the coolest, most adventurous mom ever…just like I remember my mama:)