So I got this idea to get him a water table to help us stay entertained and cool through the last half of the summer. But those fancy little tables cost anywhere from $30-$200 — a bit too much for our budget. I talked to Mr. Dad and made a plan involving some scrap wood and a rubbermaid bin. Here’s what we came up with for less than $10.

(What is that face?! Adorable!)

It’s really just a very simple design. I would share a how-to tutorial, but, well, Mr. Dad made it and I didn’t think ahead to make a tutorial. Sorry, but maybe you can get a good enough idea from the pics.

And my favorite part is that when we are done, I can just snap the lid on and it’s all put away until next time.

And when the hot weather is past, I plan to bring the little table inside and convert it into a sensory table like this adorable garden from Pepper Scraps.

Yesterday was a bad day. One of those days that I wish I could erase from the history of my life. At the end of the day I was ashamed of myself because I was repeatedly angry with Superman, my 1 1/2 year old son. At this age, it’s not like he intentionally tries to make my life miserable. He’s just trying to learn about the world the best he can and he’s dealing with some big ugly molars pushing through his gums (making him more than a bit grumpy). I should be more understanding and patient, but some days I’m not.

So what do I do when I find myself in a funk?

Clean the house. Cleaning makes me feel like I am accomplishing something but sometimes tends to lead to more frustrations as Superman tends to “un-clean” right along-side me.

Take a shower. Taking a shower gives me a moment to meditate. Even if Superman is playing in the water at my feet for the moment he is happy and entertained and I can breath and let the running water pound my neck and shoulders into relaxation.

Have a tickle fest – Laugh! Although laughing is the last thing I want to do on my grumpy days, it’s usually the best thing to help turn my mood around. I just start tickling my son and let his contagious laughter sink into my soul.

Pray. Prayer with true intention is the most effective and the hardest thing for me to do. This is where I have to truly humble myself and admit out loud that I can not do it. That I need help. But when I finally humble myself enough to truly seek my Heavenly Father’s guidance, I always feel peace enter my heart and renewed strength to press on in the journey of motherhood.

When I am sitting in a restaurant and there is a child jumping on the bench of the next booth over, hollering, and throwing things, I can almost guarantee that the parent is somehow absorbed in their own concerns and mostly ignoring the child.

When the choice of parenthood is made, the choice to make certain sacrifices is also made – period. The obvious sacrifices are sleep, money, and time (and often mom’s fantastic physique). But less obvious sacrifices include seeing movies on the big screen, dining out in fancy restaurants,  staying out late with friends. “There are times and places where children should not be, for their sake as much as the other people involved.” (Simple Mom) And yet some parents still insist on dragging their kids into such situations and then have the nerve to blame their children for bad behavior. I ask is it really the baby’s fault that he is being asked to quietly sleep through a movie being played at decibels which could break the sweet dear’s eardrums? Or is it the toddler’s fault that she is being told to sit still and quiet in a boring restaurant as her bedtime grows near and the adults are being completely self-absorbed? And if you were a child and had no other means of direct communication wouldn’t you scream and throw a tantrum too? I know I would.

My concern is not how our society views children but how our society raises children. Until we learn better parenting skills then children bans will happen, and I’m okay with that. What I am not okay with is the bad parenting that lead to the bans in the first place.

I call out to parents everywhere for better parenting. Accept the sacrifices that must be made to raise well behaved, happy, rested children. Rise to your duties as a parent and take pride in it. Be prepared to visit family friendly restaurants during early dinner hours and save the fancy dining for date night (when you leave the kids with a sitter). Be willing to wait for the movie to come out on DVD and watch it at home. Plan your outings around naps, meals, and bedtimes. Kids that are fed and rested are happier and almost always behave better. And if not, then get that child out of the situation as quickly as possible! Know your child and know the limits, then act accordingly!

In the middle of a really strange dream (which I no longer remember), I hear Superman wake up and begin to cry. Hubby is already up so I let him rescue the little guy while I gradually wake. Eventually I groggily stumble from the room and am greeted by my dear husband and son, with little smiles and a “he really stinks” comment.

“Already? Really… (sniff sniff). Oh, yes! That sucks. Here I’ll deal with it.” (I was obviously still half asleep or I wouldn’t have volunteered.)

I take the half-asleep-half-awake child in my arms and head back to the changing station. Thinking to myself, “oh man, he really stinks! What a way to start the day… this really sucks…. usually I get at least a couple hours to enjoy my child be for he reminds me how disgusting babies can be.” Little did I know…

I open up the pajamas, get blasted with the raunchy smell of overflowing diarrhea, and begin to call for back up before I even get a look at the engorged sogginess that was once known as the diaper. Amazingly the diaper did it’s job well. Although the diaper was completely saturated from one elastic waist to the other and barely keeping back all the crap from seeping down the legs, the pajamas escaped unscathed.

So after using probably half a container wipes (yes, seriously) and tying up the engorged semblance of a  diaper in a grocery bag and then another grocery bag for good measure. I was feeling pretty good about life again… for about one hour… then it happened again… and again…. and again… several times throughout the day.  Add to the diarrhea the inability to keep any food in the stomach and you come up with a pretty miserable kid. But toddlers, they aren’t smart enough to stay near the toilet or at least a barf bucket, so you end up with a  pretty disgusted and miserable Mom too.

So that was my day… hope yours was better!

p.s. Superman seems to have pretty much recovered today, he’s just a little tired and extra long naps are always a-okay.

My husband has pointed out that I have lost all ambition. Last night he said, “I want you to be more than just a stay at home mom. I want you to have ambition and accomplish something.” If you are a stay at home mom, please do not misjudge my husband. He is right in this situation. He is usually very suppportive of what I want, but I think that part of him finds it belittling to be married to a woman who never finished a college degree and would probably find it difficult to get a job cleaning toilets, let alone a job that commands a little more respect.

So I begin my journey to be more than just mom, without giving up the joys of being home with my children. I know I want to go back to school and work but I also want to do so from home. I don’t know how it will all work out and I don’t know where this journey will take me. I’m not even sure what this new blog will turn into. But I trust in God to guide me and give me strength and hope that he will open opportunities and possibilities before me.