I spent the evening cleaning out my blog. Believe it or not, I have MANY post that I haven't ever posted. Mostly private/embarrassing/spiritual things. (I know, I am pretty much an open book so imagine how juicy they must be if they're too private for even me to publish?)
Anyway, I was going through my blog cleaning and posting a few that I don't know why I didn't post in the first place and copying the private one's on to my private blog that I started a few months ago as my journal-and deleting the half started never got anywhere post and I found this post. I wrote this in the December of 2008. I don't know why I didn't post it then but thought it was worth posting now especially with Mothers Day staring us in the eyes!
THE GAME OF MOM
I've often said to my friends that there should be a Mom Game. Like football or baseball but just for Mom's. No, not a league or anything requiring you to take more precious time out of your crazy days. A game you can play while your busy doing all your Mom things. Let me explain.
When a Mom does something amazing like a marathon day of getting kids to dance recitals, practices, performances, games, makes dinner, finds the lost ballet slipper etc there should be a phrase she can shout at the end of the day similar in exuberance to "touch down" or "home run". It could be "MADE IT!" or "HA, I'M STILL ALIVE!". In this game points will be given for all sorts of unappreciated Mom chores like:
Cleaning up barf without barfing herself
Finding lost things
Delivering homework/feminine hygiene products to school at a moments notice
Doing the laundry in ONE day
Remembering when your child is "this weeks super star" or student of the week
Sitting through any child production/performance more than once
Getting teenagers to school on time
Cleaning the bathrooms
Selling fundraiser items for child's team or dance group*
Remaining calm during all ER visits
Reading with 1st grader (or recently adopted English learning child*) nightly
Not losing your temper after telling your children to get to bed for the 10th time
Picking up flipping goldfish off the floor or out of the garbage disposal.
Anything you do for the PTA or as room mother
Driving carpool
Driving with a child with a learners permit*
And the list goes on...
In this game each activity/chore will be worth certain points and there will be no negative points as long as you and your children are all still breathing at the end of the day.
This way and the end of each day you can tally your points up.
Let's see today I...
Made breakfast +5
Remembered to send lunch money to school +3
Drove Carpool +3
Returned over due library books AND paid the fee +4
PTA Meeting +5
Started Laundry +3
Remembered child's orthodontist appointment +6
Picked up supplies to make school assigned Indian village +5
Finished folding laundry while making dinner & listening to child recap day in 3rd grade +10
Drove BOTH ways to dance class +5
Helped child with algebra +3
Bandaged both knees AND put chain back on bike +20
Got kids in bed before 10pm +5
For a total of 74 points!!
Every time you get 25 points you shout out a victory phrase like "Mom is great" and do a victory dance while the family cheers enthusiastically.
CLARIFICATION ADDED TODAY!
(All italic's and * items I added today!)
There are NO negative points!
Even if you burn dinner
Forget to sign permission slips
Call you child by the wrong name
Forget to give child required antibiotics
Correct homework....wrong!
Tape up a hem because you don't have time to sew it or don't even know how to sew or want to blow the dust off your sewing machine!
Drive to the wrong practice, dance class, pick up etc
Don't sign up to be a field trip chaperon for the fifth time this year
Space a birthday party invite
Write embarrassing things on your blog about your children
Yell, swear or lose your temper
Hide in the pantry to eat the last piece of cake
You name it.
NO NEGATIVE POINTS!
And this is NOT a competition with other moms! If you make 5 points and your friend makes 105....who cares! We have enough competition/guilt/feelings of inadequacy. This is a game to support and encourage this lovely and fleeting moment of motherhood! To add some cheering and funky chicken victory dances to the overlook and mundane chores you do each day. Hurray for us! We're all on team MOM!
What do you think? You want to play?
Cleaning up barf without barfing herself
Finding lost things
Delivering homework/feminine hygiene products to school at a moments notice
Doing the laundry in ONE day
Remembering when your child is "this weeks super star" or student of the week
Sitting through any child production/performance more than once
Getting teenagers to school on time
Cleaning the bathrooms
Selling fundraiser items for child's team or dance group*
Remaining calm during all ER visits
Reading with 1st grader (or recently adopted English learning child*) nightly
Not losing your temper after telling your children to get to bed for the 10th time
Picking up flipping goldfish off the floor or out of the garbage disposal.
Anything you do for the PTA or as room mother
Driving carpool
Driving with a child with a learners permit*
And the list goes on...
In this game each activity/chore will be worth certain points and there will be no negative points as long as you and your children are all still breathing at the end of the day.
This way and the end of each day you can tally your points up.
Let's see today I...
Made breakfast +5
Remembered to send lunch money to school +3
Drove Carpool +3
Returned over due library books AND paid the fee +4
PTA Meeting +5
Started Laundry +3
Remembered child's orthodontist appointment +6
Picked up supplies to make school assigned Indian village +5
Finished folding laundry while making dinner & listening to child recap day in 3rd grade +10
Drove BOTH ways to dance class +5
Helped child with algebra +3
Bandaged both knees AND put chain back on bike +20
Got kids in bed before 10pm +5
For a total of 74 points!!
Every time you get 25 points you shout out a victory phrase like "Mom is great" and do a victory dance while the family cheers enthusiastically.
CLARIFICATION ADDED TODAY!
(All italic's and * items I added today!)
There are NO negative points!
Even if you burn dinner
Forget to sign permission slips
Call you child by the wrong name
Forget to give child required antibiotics
Correct homework....wrong!
Tape up a hem because you don't have time to sew it or don't even know how to sew or want to blow the dust off your sewing machine!
Drive to the wrong practice, dance class, pick up etc
Don't sign up to be a field trip chaperon for the fifth time this year
Space a birthday party invite
Write embarrassing things on your blog about your children
Yell, swear or lose your temper
Hide in the pantry to eat the last piece of cake
You name it.
NO NEGATIVE POINTS!
And this is NOT a competition with other moms! If you make 5 points and your friend makes 105....who cares! We have enough competition/guilt/feelings of inadequacy. This is a game to support and encourage this lovely and fleeting moment of motherhood! To add some cheering and funky chicken victory dances to the overlook and mundane chores you do each day. Hurray for us! We're all on team MOM!
What do you think? You want to play?
10 of my blog friends said something...:
You crack me up ! how do you do a private one ? as for some I wish for them not to read things ( if you know who I mean ....
Your two cute and funny Wendy! your posts always bring a smile to my face.
I wanna play, maybe we should start a score board so we can congratulate other moms on breaking 5,000 points and so on!
would I lose points by crashing my daughters stroller into the curb and throwing her out of it? If not, than I will play.
Christine-To make a private blog just go private and don't invite anyone!
Heidi-I'm glad I make someone laugh. My family thinks I'm not very funny.
Stacy-The score board is a great idea but I don't think there's a mom out there that wants to come up with the board or the many, many scores-each mom just needs to give herself points. This way what is difficult for one mom can give her lot's of points while the same thing another mom may just score low as it's no big deal to her. (Like picking up flipping goldfish! Really high points in my book!)
SnakeRW-Did you not see the part about NO NEGATIVE points. She's alive right? NO worse for the wear? And very little witnesses to blackmail you. However, I DO like brownies! JK
I would like to play. I would add a few other things like a sponsor. Utah Football Underarmour. We should have a set amount of money we given to spend somewhere like Target or Nordstrom's so we look good while we are a mother. I wouldn't even mind a coach who could coach me along, like "this is when you need to be patient" or "this is the bedtime 2 minute drill" and a "good job butt slap"
Whew! When I read this last night I got dizzy at all the negative points that would add up (I think I was let Dylan throw a fit in her room at the time...) so I chose not to play. Now, game on!!
And rather than calling my children the wrong child's name, I tend to call Duncan Mushi (the dog, and visa-versa. Without this new clarification, it would have been bad point juju for sure!
Oh yes, SKH-we do need sponsor's and coaches to talk us down or up or psych us into getting back into the game!
Shannon-I NEVER call my child the right name. I thought it was the double ee's on my girls and now I have two boys that start with A's. I've gotten to the point where I just say "Hey, you know who you are and you know I'm talking to you!" I know you can't do that with toddlers but it's something to look forward too!
I'm in for sure!!
Touche', my friend! Happy Mother's Day.
Post a Comment