On our last trip to the grocery store my eldest son announced he had to poop...immediately.  We pulled to the side of the road and Chris ran to a secluded area and proceeded to hold the boy like a chair to allow him to relive himself.  Minutes later Kylee pleaded for us to stop as she felt carsick.  (Knowing this is never a threat but always followed by vomiting, we practically threw on the e-brake.)  She and I rushed out of the van barefoot in an attempt to not defile the car.  The youngest had complained about a stomach ache for the most of the trip and though I thought it was nothing–I crawled lovingly back in the backseat to rub his tummy.  Moments later I was quickly awakened to the fact that he was not fully aware of his body’s signals as he yelled, “Stop the car NOW I have to go to the bathroom!” He too was ushered out of the car to take care of business.  3 children 3 stops…and copious amounts of hand sanitizer and wipes later we arrived at our destination.  (I guess I should mention it takes 5 hours to get to the grocery store–there are NO sanitary bathroom stops and there certainly was no option at the moment of their emergencies!)   We were quite the spectacle as many folks have never seen a white person “bare all” in the middle of the town or village in the attempt to not mess their pants and keep the car clean.  Bless!   After the 3rd stop, and hundreds of eyes staring wide at the crazy white bottoms flashed and the panicked parents wiping and washing and sanitizing…Chris and I both looked at one another and all we could do was laugh.  We even felt like we might have a new perspective on public restrooms in the US.   We thought the bathroom with the huge wooden key, a stall that doesn’t lock and the cloth hand dryer would be a dream compared to all of the options with no sinks, no toilet paper, squatty potties, and bathroom debacles we have encountered over the past year!

The things I have endured as a mom over the past 10 years have been quite incredible.  As a mother I have been humbled in ways that I cannot fully express, and have laughed harder at myself and my circumstances than I have in my entire lifetime.  This mommy thing is no joke…but one must laugh to get through and keep it real.

My sweet sister in law and several of our closest friends will soon become first time moms. In honor of each of them I have decided to spend the next week or so writing some of my most honest mommy confessions.

A tribute really to all the moms who are just starting out and to the moms who have been doing this for a while.  To the moms who are sleeping great and the ones who haven’t slept in months.  To the moms who work in the home and the ones who work outside the home. To the moms who shower every day and to the moms who WISH they could shower today. To the moms who have said they would do it one way and have chosen another.   I hope this week will provide just the right amount of humor and humility to give you the encouragement you need to keep fighting the good fight.  This is not for the weak at heart…but it is one of the sweetest gigs of our lifetime!

May You Be Blessing and May You KNOW that You are a GREAT MOM!

Jenni