Secrets of Mommy-hood

On a good day, I’m fairly chipper. On an average day, I sometimes need to remind myself all I have going for me. You know: healthy family, great friends, fully stocked wine bar. Reading Gretchen Rubin’s, The Happiness Project, did help raise my happiness set point, but it also got me thinking, what were my Secrets of Adulthood? Did I have any nuggets of wisdom specific to raising children that once crystalized, would make life easier?

After much contemplation, I’ve developed my own Secrets of Mommy-hood. Some are things I wish I’d realized sooner and others have been stewing in mommy-brain for quite some time. Here’s hoping these help you, too!

Pack a snack

Now that my child is older and I don’t have to lug around the diaper bag, I’ve become so cavalier I usually forget to pack snacks. Naturally, I regret this since I’m always hungry.

Wear a hat

My daughter and I have skin that polite people describe as alabaster. In reality, we’re pasty-white and turn an unfortunate red with the mildest sun exposure. I’d rather be called a ghost than a sweat-hog.

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

Incentives work in our house, apparently. Why I didn’t tap into this little gem until the pre-school years I’ll never know. I blame my hippy friends for holding out on me.

Stop, drop and roll

When you can’t get anything done: stop, get present (I mean mindful ladies, not deliciously shopaholic) then roll around on the floor with your kids. They’ll love it and it instantly lifts everyone’s mood. Then you can get back to work (otherwise known as Facebook in my house).

If not now, when?

This one has come in particularly handy when deciding when to put the munchkin to bed, the right time to potty train or planning that much needed girls weekend.

If it is to be, it’s up to me

If I really want something done I’ve got to take ownership of it and not fob it off on my husband. That’s why we finally repainted our bedroom and got rid of our nasty carpet that had seen too many split bottles – milk, wine, does it really matter which?

If you think you’re being played, you probably are 

And the Academy Award goes to….no, not Meryl Streep, but your toddler! Children are brilliant actors. I’m not saying separation anxiety doesn’t exist, I’ve been to that rodeo, but the more guilt we feel about doing what’s right the less we do it.

After all, If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.