Maybe Matilda: Worlds Toughest Job (they ain’t kiddin)

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Worlds Toughest Job (they ain’t kiddin)

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cardstore.

Folks, I cringe to think back on this true story now. I literally criiiiiiinge. But I’m going to nut up and tell you anyway. Don’t hate me for it. I knew not what I said.

Back before Forrest was born, when we were living in Iowa while Jeff was in chiropractic school, we somehow ended up as the unofficial neighborhood babysitters for all of our school friends who wanted to get out for a date on the weekends (because what else does a young couple have to do in Iowa on a Friday night, really, besides watching another couple’s kids?).

On one such wild Friday night, we showed up to babysit a friend’s 2-year old daughter and found that Mom had left us an unbelievably extensive set of instructions for the evening. Typed instructions. They listed everything from approved dinner foods to an incredibly detailed bedtime routine, including such tidbits as a bunny song to sing as we hopped her up the stairs to her bedroom, a specific scripture verse to read her after we laid her down, and which song (even how many verses of the song) we should sing to her in bed. It remains, to this day, one of the most impressive and meticulous child care manuals I have ever seen. (And don’t tell my friend, but I skipped about 90% of that bedtime routine. I think the 10% I followed was “put child in pajamas” and “lay child in bed.” #rebel )

Here’s the part that makes me cringe: I actually said, out loud, to Jeff (not in a malicious or mean-spirited way, but absolutely matter of fact) that as a stay-at-home mom, our friend probably hadn’t had anything else to do that day and must have enjoyed typing that guide up as a way to pass the time.

Guys. Guys. I’m dying here. I truly thought she was bored silly. I seriously thought before having children and becoming a stay-at-home mom myself that they must have so much free time on their hands, so little to do, so few demands in their lives, that they woke up each day thinking to themselves, “Well gosh, what should I do today? Maybe I’ll use up a few hours typing up an instructional babysitting guide! Bingo! Thank goodness I thought of something, anything, to while away the hours!”

*criiiiiiinge*

Boy have I learned my lesson. Being a mom is rarely, if ever, boring.

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I’m sure you’ve seen the World’s Toughest Job video by now, right? If not, please do watch it. So fantastic. I laughed and cried, truly. (How long can I blame my out of control emotions on pregnancy and postpartum? 4th trimester 4eva, baby!) In case you haven’t seen it yet, American Greetings created a job posting based on everything moms do under the title ‘Director of Operations’ and posted it all over the web and newspaper listings. They ended up with only 24 inquiries on the job (the applicants, of course, did not realize they were applying to be mothers), and you’ll love the applicants’ reactions during their job interviews in the video.

It got me thinking about some of the toughest parts of motherhood for me (which just happen to be attached to some of the biggest mothering rewards). In no particular order:
- Time. It requires so much time. In almost 4 years, I still have not quite adjusted to spending the majority of my time on someone other than myself, and I’m starting to doubt I’ll ever really get used to it. (Buuut, all that time creates so much love and such a sweet bond and friendship with these little stinkers. I know I’ll never, ever, eeeveeeer regret the time I’ve spent on and with them.)
- Sleep. Or rather, not enough of it. I still miss sleeping in on the weekends, the lazy mornings spent reading in bed, staying up late and knowing it doesn’t matter because you can sleep as long as you need the next day. (Buuut, seeing those precious faces in the morning is a pretty decent wake-up call. And peeking in at them when they are sleeping? Pure bliss. I swear they transform into cherubs the second they go to sleep.)
-
Putting many of my own goals and dreams aside to make room for the kids. There are things I could be doing and things I could have right now if it weren’t for the kids. (Buuut, I doubt there’s anything else I could be doing right now that would be more important to me than focusing on these two little boogers. And though it’s sometimes tough to think of the things we could have and do if the kids weren’t in the picture, I would never ever wish them away, and, cheesy as it sounds, they are my new goal and dream—the biggest and most important I’ll ever have.)

So, to give back to the amazing moms in our lives who hold the title of World’s Toughest Job, Cardstore is encouraging you to take the extra step to celebrate mom this year . . . and one great way to do it is by creating a personalized card just for her.

Adorable personalized mother's day card!

I love how the card I made for my mama came out, and I know I might be slightly biased, but I think it may just be the cutest Mother’s Day card of all time, thanks to the adorable children gracing it. Just look at those stinkers!

personalized mother's day card

And to take a few worries off your plate, here’s a nice little morsel of convenience for you: after you personalize your card (complete with your own message and signature), Cardstore will print, stamp, and mail it straight to mom for you!

Head on over to Cardstore.com and use coupon code CCF4249 (valid until May 5) to make a Mother’s Day card for just $2.49!

Is there anything you think American Greetings left out of their World’s Toughest Job listing? Head over and let them know what you think they should add!

MomKissingBaby

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cardstore.

51 comments :

  1. I love the frames that you got! Oh and I love the picnic back pack and quite a few other things... and barely looked at the website haha.

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  2. I would love the personalized leather family story photo album for my mom
    jjak2003 at gmail dot com

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  3. I would love to have the personalized bath caddy!

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  4. My mother would love the family tree birthstone necklace.

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  5. We have so much wall space that needs filling. PICK ME! *fingers crossed*

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  6. I love their jewelry! Maybe some earrings?

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  7. I left typed instructions for my MIL when I was in the hospital having Baby #2. She only saw him every few months, so I figured she'd probably appreciate it if I let her know his routine, what foods he likes for snacks, etc. I gave the same list to my friend who watched him until MIL arrived. I told her to ignore everything except MIL's phone number. haha!

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  8. Very cute card! I wish I would have seen your post on Saturday! I want to order one but I don't know if it will come in time :(. How long did it take yours to come?

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  9. So true! The hardest thing about being a mum is giving up being 'selfish' ....

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  10. Because I have a daughter, and am raising my step-grand-daughter, its a little complicated to explain the situation or get personalized gifts. I like that some of the jewelery isn't "mom" specific, so I could personalize a piece that fits my unique situation. And i love the seed a month gift for my mom who is always in her garden. PERFECT!!

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  11. I love that photo gallery frame set. We're expecting our first child and I am fully prepared to pepper our house with photos of the little guy.

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  12. I would totally get something that would pamper her, like the personalized bath caddy! :)

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  13. I don't wear jewelry often (not even my wedding ring) but I've wanted a birthstone necklace for awhile now. Who am I kidding? You know me, I'd just send it on the house!

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  14. I would love to get my mom the
    tea over ice gift set

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  15. Personalized Stonewear Pie Plate. My DIL makes the best pies. She would love this. She's not my mother, but she's the mother of two of my granddaughters.

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  16. So fun to shop at Red Envelope! This Mother's Day I'm coveting their nested ring holder and eberjey lady godiva robe. Fab!

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  17. I
    received a red envelope gift when I had my son, and have loved the company since!!

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  18. I love the personalized items like the pillows are necklaces!! :)

    Megan
    TBLFOR3.BLOGSPOT.COM
    Adelm1me@cmich.edu

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  19. *gasp* You didn't!!! Well now I guess we know why Karma sent you Forrest first. ;-)

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  20. "Just a little bit." Ha. I love your kid. He's just ridiculously entertaining for me, and Internet stranger.




    I love the frames on your wall. And I love that it takes the guesswork out of hanging a gallery wall.

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  21. Love this! Just made several jars for my children's teachers for their end of year gifts. Of course mine aren't nearly as pretty as these.


    I agree with several others on here. You do have to be cautious about what oils you use, and where you purchase them from. I represent a highly reputable company (no, this is not an ad), that offers essential oils that are 100% natural, no fillers, no synthetics. What is important to know when purchasing an oil, is that the ones you buy in the local craft store are going to be made with fillers and synthetics, and can potentially be harmful to you when used topically, aromatically and internally. Likewise, any oils that you purchase from Amazon, Etsy, Ebay, etc, though they state that they are from a particular company, what's in the bottle can easily be replaced with a product of lesser standards. I highly recommend that you research essential oils and purchase ones that are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade oils, safe for external use and internal consumption (please read all labels before using internally).

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  22. If she isn't behind the stitching device then different regional crafters, sewers and cottage market are creating her beautiful goodies to inventory the store with. william also shares like oriented makers and musicians to generate an uplifting room stuffed to the top with small animals, homewares, inspiring artwork and special points to cause you to look VISIT US at 17 WILLIAMSON St. BENDIGO - BOB IS NOT OPEN PUBLIC HOLIDAYS ***NORMAL SHOP HOURS *** Friday and Wednesday 11-3, Saturday, Thursday and Friday 11-5, Saturday 11-3 and Wednesday 11-3 EASTER ONLY OPEN SATURDAY 11-3. Tues 11-3, wed 11-5, thurs 11-5 ANZAC DAY CLOSED then straight back to normalcy hours.So go to --handmade gift ideas

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  23. To know more information visit anniversary gifts because Press mine simply because There exists a stunning fresh demonstrate bleaching the wall surfaces with frank:) The particular gifted Dale Harris plus Leah Hartley get introduced aspect 2 in their delightfully nice festival encouraged "Quircus" array using fresh images plus beautiful credit cards available at this point with frank plus in the frank internet gallery. With Today till Come early july a 13th.

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  24. Love this, but stupid question-where do you buy the scented oils?

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  25. You need to use a liquid oil, so as long as you warm it up before making it and before use, I think that would probably be fine.

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  26. This is GREAT! I think I will add some lavender buds in there, give it that little bit extra. Thanks so much!

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  27. How long do these sugar scrubs last for before they go bad?

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  28. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CTXA6X2/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_830wub1F1VX9Z
    I bought these when I started a home crafting business (I sell online @ caughtupincrafting.etsy.com as well as at craft shows). At the time I was planning to use them for bath salts and bath bombs. I now use them for solid perfumes as well. Thanks to this tutorial, I'll probably try out this scrub tomorrow and have them ready for my show Saturday. They're perfect to round out holiday gift sets (the salts, bombs, and scrub <3) or even to make small ones for loyalty gifts.
    As for the link above, those oils work MUCH better than the ones I got at Michaels (I should've been more patient lol) and arrived fairly quickly (I think about 5 days from the time of order). These are packaged beautifully with a pamphlet detailing proper care of the oils as well as some uses. The glass bottles seal off very well and all of the scents are distinctive. It's also nice that the label is on the bottle, not the lid, especially if you're like me - I have a habit of not immediately recapping while I'm blending because I get caught up in the work. I had problems with the ones from Michaels (at least one of the bottles is leaking but I can't figure out which one because the scents aren't distinctive enough) and the labels are in the lids. I was blending mango, coconut, vanilla, and grapefruit for a few different scents and forgot to put the lids back on immediately - I'm still not sure they're on correctly even though these scents should be fairly easy to tell apart (I could understand some trouble with vanilla v coconut but mango and grapefruit too? BIG problem). The ones I purchased from Amazon are also the best price I found considering I wanted a variety of scents.

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  29. Just about to make these for my customers! What fun! If anyone needs any essential oils for your project or just because you can order at www.mydoterra.com/oils4vets

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  30. Hello I am just seeing this awesome tutorial now...but I do have a question that I hope you get :-) Can I just use olive oil from the cooking section of the grocery? Thanks....

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  31. Yes, you can! As long as it doesn't have much of an odor, that should work fine.

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  32. Way to much oil. 2 tablespoon to the cup would be more than enough.

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  33. It is very well if you use cocoa powder and vanilla extract.

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  34. I haven't tried this, but my guess is that it might stain the skin, so I wouldn't recommend it.

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  35. What do the tags say on the scents other than lavender?

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  36. Can baby oil be use instead of olive oil?

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  37. I haven't tried it with baby oil, but I see no reason why you couldn't! And I think almond or vanilla extract would probably work just fine.

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  38. Does the paper peel or disentigrate if it gets wet in the shower?

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  39. Does the label or paper on lid peel or disintegrate if it gets wet in the shower?

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  40. The mod podge helps to protect it, especially if you paint on a really thick layer. But it will eventually warp and peel, especially if it's stored in the shower.

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