Here’s Janelle’s family on a recent Costco trip that was much less eventful than the one she described in this episode!
As a mom, you’ve likely found yourself in some pretty wild (and often very “yucky”) situations that you never could have imagined before becoming a mother.
Join Saren and her friend Janelle for some good laughs as they share some of their craziest motherhood moments as well as sharing some of their tenderest experiences with the kindness that can be on the flip side of the craziness.
As we share the good, the bad, and the ugly with other mothers, we can learn to laugh through some of the chaos, realize we’re not alone, and find and express empathy and understanding.
Feel free to share some of your crazy moments in the comments below!
Show Notes
Learning Circles (program that helps you gather with other moms regularly to share stories and support)
Where are my Mary Jane’s? (Janelle’s blog)
Posts about crazy moments from Saren’s blog:
- Don’t Get Cocky
- 1000 Little Pinches Can Really Put you Over the Edge
- They’re Driving Me Crazy!
- Stretched in Different Directions
- It Always Works Out — In the End
- The Truth About My Life Right Now
Humor and Craziness in Motherhood (podcast with April and Saren sharing more crazy stories)
Music from Creations by Michael R. Hicks
Audio Editing by Christy Elder
My very first OMG moment happened 9 years ago, when my first son was still a newborn. I distinctly remember very calmly picking his nose for him to clear away the crusties, and after I was done and processed what happened, I got grossed out! I remember thinking, “You know you’re a mom when…”. Now I look back on that and laugh. I thought THAT was bad?! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, the insanity that is motherhood.
Jen: Yep, our level of comfort with “grossness” really increases as mothers! Thanks for sharing.
My craziest moment(s) is every Sunday at church, which I frequently refer to as a 3-ring circus, and I mean it. Our family (we have 4 boys under the age of 8) attends the small Spanish Branch here in small town western Colorado (Montrose). I have been sitting by myself during sacrament meeting for the past 5 years because of my husband’s various callings (bishopric/bishop/branch presidency/branch president) and his career (doctor) so I am used to it by now, but the rest of church is another story. My husband is currently the branch president, I am the primary president, and children in the branch outnumber adults by far. Few adults mean I quite frequently have been by myself in primary with all the kids, since we just have myself and a counselor called – that’s it. A typical Sunday would include me teaching a class while keeping an eye on the nursery kids at the same time during the second hour. The third hour would consist of conducting, teaching sharing time, and singing time (with no pianist of course) with the overly-active nursery kids running around the room. This is all done with all 4 of my boys (yes, a baby is included) needing my undivided attention at all times (thinking they deserve it more than the rest)…and all done in Spanish…all during lunch time (11-2) with starving growing boys. It would be easier if my husband was available to take the baby during primary, but between his career and his calling it is pretty much impossible. Like I said, a 3-ring circus.
When I come home after church all I want to do is take a nap, but that’s pretty much impossible. When I put the baby down for a nap that afternoon I am left to my thoughts, wondering how things could be better the next Sunday, wondering how I can get my children to need me a little less, wondering how those 3 hours are the worst of my whole week, wondering how I much longer I can last. Then, like clockwork, the Lord helps me realize that I am a part of something beautiful, that church wasn’t all that bad, that it’s wonderful my kids need me, that my kids are learning more and more Spanish, that we are surrounded by beautiful and giving people, that we have callings that require real effort and sacrifice, and that we are growing in more ways than we realize. Surely the Lord is preparing us for something greater down the road, I just hope it includes less 3-ring circus and more, well, sitting and listening. I would much rather have 6 callings in a small branch than be calling-less in a large ward. I would much rather be welcomed with hugs and kisses by all members when I arrive at church than to slip in and out without being noticed at all. It’s a worthy trade-off.
Bless you dear mother!!! I also have 4 boys, a physician husband who works 80-140 hours a week, and have had similar circumstances!! I have learned though to laugh more- and oh does it help! For instance our backyard is under construction. And for 4 boys and no outlet in the winter that equals chaos. So this last week when I found 2 different broken blinds from dodgeball ( inside- not an okayed activity for inside) , a small hole in our newly painted wall from a nerf sword and a broken frame ( also brand new)- all while my husband was in a 100 hour work week – I had to stop myself. I had to stop myself in my feelings of frustration and instead laughed!! Because if course my boys are feeling so cooped up right now- they have no back yard!! And I’d much rather have them around( broken blinds and all) then not! So I have learned laughter truly is the best medicine, cause motherhood will bring you these moments whether we like it or not.
Yes – when you have a choice between laughing and crying, laughing is usually the better option! And wow, boys do get so cooped up in the winter and I’ve been there and done that as far as having no back yard to send them to. We finally figured out that it works wonders to do a daily after school walk around the block – they can chase each other, ride scooters or skateboards, or just walk but we now do a couple loops around the block most every day before dinner. They are SO much better behaved when they’ve had a chance to work their wiggles out. They often fight me on going on a walk but as soon as we’re out there, they love it. We do it no matter the weather and it saves my sanity and prevents lots of holes in the walls, I think!
Jeni: I sure can relate to your three-ring-circus church experiences! I’ve found myself in such similar circumstances at church when I’ve been in charge of things and at community and school events where I’ve committed to helping. But I haven’t had to do it all in a different language as you have. Hats off to you! Your attitude is inspiring. It is a real blessing to be needed – even if it makes for some very crazy moments! Thanks so much for sharing.
Hey ladies! It is so great to hear your voices. I miss you both a ton! I loved this podcast. As you know I have many crazy stories with my 8 fun crazy kids but the one I thought of was when my two older boys were 2 and 3 years old. I was on the phone with my sister and doing laundry. I walked up the stairs into the living room to find my boys trying to make chocolate pudding on my white carpet. They had taken a package of chocolate pudding and a half gallon of milk and dumped them on the carpet and then proceeded to mix it into the carpet with their fingers. I just stayed on the phone and said, “talk me down sis, just talk me down!” Luckily the carpet was an area rug so I was able to take it outside and hose it off. I never got it looking new again but it stayed in the living room a little while after that mostly to protect the carpet under it. My boys just wanted chocolate pudding. It is funny now to remember but at the time I remember feeling very overwhelmed. My boys are teens now and those stories are so fun to tell them. We all get a good laugh and they love to hear about all the crazy things they did to make my life frazzled. I hope they remember them when they have kids so they think, “Mom went through all this and survived. I can too!”
Hi Julie! This totally reminds me of a time when I was out running errands and I came back to find my husband frantically scrubbing the new living room rug while a very odd smell wafted in the air. It turns out that while he was in the other room, our 2-year-old twins had dumped the very odd combination of basalmic vinegar and vanilla all over the carpet. The smell faded over time but we still have some nice brown spots on the carpet to remind us of that day!
My latest crazy kid/mom moment was just this past weekend. In an effort to try to get to bed earlier I completely FORGOT to be the Tooth Fairy. My son was so sad in the morning. I forced a guilty smiled and said I was sure the money was there somewhere. I hurried to my wallet in my dark bedroom (my husband works graves and sleeps in the day) and counted out 3 ones and stuffed it next to his mattress. I told him to go look again and be certain it wasn’t there- it might have fallen- then I went to help my toddler with something. A minute later I checked back in with my son who told me excitedly that he found the money. “The Tooth Fairy gave me $23!” he said. My jaw dropped. A $20 had stuck to one of the ones. :/ Instead of joining him in his joy, I spent the next 20 minutes explaining to a very disappointed 7 year-old that the Tooth Fairy had probably dropped it and it needed to be returned. She had never given that much before. We needed to be honest. “Why can’t I just return the $3?” he asked. Ugh! Now I felt even more guilty because he was an unhappy and because he was not making the right choice! Didn’t I teach him better than this? LOL Eventually he wrote a note and left the money in the mailbox. I “called” the Tooth Fairy and a few minutes later we checked the mailbox where he found the note and cash gone, replaced with a reward of Pokemon cards. (I always keep some on hand in case of emergencies.) Not the finest hour for either of us, but he was definitely VERY happy at the end of it and we both learned a lot too! Like double check the money before you stick it in the bed!
Eva: You reminded me that I need to get on our Tooth Fairy. My daughter Eliza has exactly 9 baby teeth (including some molars) in a little box by her bed now. On occasion, she’ll mention that the Tooth Fairy sure has been taking her sweet time. And I mentally resolve to take care of those teeth that night. But then I forget! And then she forgets. And then it’s been months and then another tooth falls out! She’s 11 and knows the truth about the tooth fairy so it’s not a huge deal to her. But you know what, I think I’m going to go slip a $20 bill into that tooth box right now, before I forget again!
I loved this podcast and all these sweet stories in the comments. I have so many moments like these. We lived in NYC for 8 years and had 3 little kids there. I feel like most of my life outside my apartment was me attempting to herd cats. And strangers were either incredibly sweet or horribly unkind in their comments while I was navigating my double stroller and keeping my oldest from scooting herself into a busy avenue. I choose kindness and hope that someday I can help a mom who is juggling lots of little ones and needs an extra hand.