Welcome back to The Confessional everyone. It’s Sunday, and time to confess our mothering sins and guilt. Today’s confessor is a very dear friend of mine, who just happens to be an EXCELLENT mother of two adorable boys. I love reading the confessions each week, and connecting with other moms from around the country. I love breathing that little sigh of relief when I find out I am not the only mother to do certain things for which I am less than proud….So, sit back and relax, get your daily dose of validation, and get ready to confess. To check out all previous volumes of The Confessional click here: Confessional Archives. Let me know if YOU would like to confess, and I will get you on the schedule! Here we go…

Father, forgive me…

  1. My kid’s have Top Ramen for lunch a couple of times a week.  No veggies mixed in, no reduction of the salty mix-in, just Top Ramen.  At its awful finest.
  2. While reading to my kids at night, or before naps I often “accidentally” turn 2 (okay, okay, maybe 5) pages at a time.  My 3 year old (Ben) often catches it and I’ll say “Oops”.  My 1 year old (Sam) never catches it.
  3. My house usually looks decently tidy – on the outside.  Inside the fridge, the drawers, the cupboards, under the beds, or anywhere else hidden, there is chaos.  I just don’t have the time or energy to care about those secret layers of scum.  This strategy works pretty well until your mother-in-law asks you for a Tupperware with matching lid and it takes you 2 minutes to find it (true story!).
  4. I have recently gotten into couponing.  It’s fun.  I like a hobby that saves me money.  But maybe it has gone too far when on a trip to Target in the pouring rain, I hurried to put my coupon binder in the car before my two children.
  5. I taught my little boy how to pee sitting down.  It’s cleaner that way. Now that he is almost 4, he is now peeing standing up and I miss the good ‘ol days.
  6. The worst time of day for me is 5:00pm on days my husband works late.  I am snappy with my kids, emotional, and prone to yelling.  A few days ago, Ben looked at me and said, “Mom, you need to go to bed.”  It was so true.
  7. Recently my kids were sick with ear infections and the flu.  It was terrible and I hated seeing them in such pain.  It was one of the longest 2 weeks of my recent life. The only good thing, however, (and I can’t believe I’m going to admit this…) was the multiple extra-long naps during the day.  Yes, they were nice.
  8. Just yesterday, on our way home, my son told me he had to pee.  It was rush hour; we were right where I-5 South meets Mill Plain; we were in a hurry.  I gruffly pulled off the freeway and was going to haul the boys in to Walmart.  Suddenly, I realized I could simply have him pee on a bush.  So we did!  And yes, other people saw us.
  9. I watch America’s Next Top Model.  It’s one of my favorite shows.  After it is over, I often “stomp” the catwalk, a.k.a. our hallway.  The kids probably think I’m just pretending to be a soldier – again.
  10. My husband has been pretty busy these days and I’m sure he could use a break now and then.  Nevertheless, as soon as he gets home from work, I dump the kids on his lap and say I need to “use the bathroom.”  It’s a great place to read a magazine!
  11. We used to live in Alaska and it would take about 10 minutes to get myself and Ben, as an infant, dressed and ready to go.  I got so sick of it, that now my kids don’t wear their coats as often as they should.  They’ll often be shivering, just because I didn’t want to take the 30 seconds to slip their coats on.  But, they won’t die.  We live in Washington.  So, my sins continue.
  12. Speaking of which…On a more serious note:  I want to confess too often putting on a fake, “I’ve got it all together” mask.  Like my cupboards, I often look clean on the outside, but inside am full of jealousy, selfishness, pride, envy and brokenness.  This is why I’d like to finish with one of my favorite verses, Psalms 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  I’m so glad that Jesus ultimately hears my daily confessionals!  But thanks for listening to this one.  Whew, I feel better!