Sometimes you wonder what would happen if you suddenly disappeared for a time... what if i were abducted by aliens, would my kids even miss me at all or would their lives just keep right on going... as part of the "Mars Needs Moms" movie promotion, they've put the question to moms on Social Moms and I'm up for the challenge
Well, for the boys, since they are young and dependent, I have to say that there are ten really easy and practical things that they would miss, so that post would be really easy to write - especially since I am breastfeeding Erik - I'd be missed within a very short window of time... and since Liam doesn't qualify for bussing from school, as soon as class was over at 3pm and I wasn't there to get him, he'd know something was up...
What would be more interesting is what Robyn, my 12 year old would miss, in my opinion... so I am dedicating this post to what I think my tween would miss most...
10. Getting up for school on time... which would mean that she'd no longer be part of the News Team at school. An alarm clock with a hammer could be my replacement, because the three regular alarm clocks in her room certainly aren't doing the job... even the one that's positioned across the room... hmmm that could have something to do with the fact that she doesn't set them
9. Having clean school and after school clothes... she seems to think that either the laundry mysteriously does itself or that if she puts her stuff in the washer after 3 days of nagging, the laundry fairy will automatically move it to the dryer, and then fold it or hang it... and usually I do, only because I'm doing 4 other people's laundry... and her stuff gums up the works.
8. Food in the fridge - again, the shopping list on the front of the fridge is regularly filled with food and drink suggestions from my daughter - and her hollow leg... and amazingly, after her brothers and I get back from our regular trip to the grocery store, the fridge, freezer and pantry are full of treats and foods. The one thing I have to say is that she's taking more of an interest in cooking, so if I follow her shopping list requests, I sometimes get yummy food made for me, which is a huge treat and a good trade off...
7. Clean dishes to make the food and eat it from... she's getting better about at least returning the dishes to the kitchen sink or counter, but has yet to make the leap to actually putting it in the dishwasher, unless forced under duress... then again, I'm picky about how the dishwasher gets loaded, so even hubby leaves his dishes in the sink for me to do...
6. Nagging...this is a catch all thing, but I'm sure she'd miss me reminding her to put the dishes away, do her laundry... cause I know how much she loves it...
5. Personal hygiene... this is one of the things I currently nag on... she's still adjusting to the teen hormones and the consequences of that... nuff said?
4. Personal time - if there was no me, she'd be spending all of her after school time taking care of her siblings, doing the chores and waiting for hubby to get home to do her homework... Right now, she comes home, does her homework, helps with chores and then has enough free time to decompress, play on the web or take a bike ride...
3. A shopping partner - taking hubby out to buy bras, feminine hygiene products and dresses would not be fun...
2. A sparring partner - she and I can butt heads with the best them.. I know she'd miss our 'disagreements' and 'discussions'
1. But, honestly, most of all, I think she'd miss the hugs, cuddles and good night routine that we started when she was 3 years old and first came to live with us... a hug, a cuddle and the rhyme or not - "Night, Night, Sleep tight, Don't let the ___ bite, if they bite, squeeze them tight, they won't come back til ___ night"
We change up what's biting - everything from bugs to wild creatures, from monsters to little brothers... and how long it will be till they're back... but we still do it every night that we're both at home... or we can phone each other...
Writing this post has got me intrigued about Mars Needs Moms, so I'm going to check it out when it comes out March 11th.. maybe I'll even make it a 'girls night' and leave hubby home with the boys so Robyn and I can go...
About Mars Needs MomsProduced by the team behind “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” and “The Polar Express,” “Mars Needs Moms” showcases nine-year-old Milo’s (Seth Green) quest to save his mom (Joan Cusack) from Martians—a wild adventure in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D that involves stowing away on a spaceship, navigating an elaborate, multi-level planet and taking on the alien nation and their leader (Mindy Sterling).
Like Mars Needs Moms on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MarsNeedsMomsMovie
Walt Disney Pictures on Twitter: http://twitter.com/disneypictures
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”
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What I love about this DVD is that it walks Liam through all of the steps in going potty and reinforces the routine that his teacher and I have started to use. Since watching the DVD, Liam has made strides in telling us when he wants to go pee pee in the potty, and has even gotten a few drops to go, but he's still got some fears and anxieties over sitting on the potty.
