The Mommies' Diaries…Parenting, One Blog at a Time.

We’ve all done it. I know I can’t be alone. You do something just once, like after asking your kids ten million times to get their f#*^ing shoes and jackets on and get in the car, you finally resort to bribing and offer a lollipop to anyone who is ready to go out the door. Then the next day you do it again. And quite possibly you do it the next day as well because it works. But then you realize it’s turned into a routine and now your kids expect a lollipop every flipping day just for putting their f*#%ing shoes and jackets on and standing by the door.

Then you wonder why you started this little routine and tell them there will be no more lollipops in the morning. You then must find a better way to light a fire under them. You suffer through a few days of begging and threats. Eventually, maybe, just maybe you resort to Skittles… and we all know what happens the next day, and the next.

I recently read this post by AnyMommy and it made me think about these little habits we start for no good reason, like the waffles she mentions here:

“We made it through cereal only because Matt went down and got everything ready while I cracked the whip over getting dressed. I popped waffles in the toaster (because for some reason we have this pattern that they eat waffles after they eat a full bowl of cereal in the morning).”

I could relate. While Stacey’s kids eat cereal and waffles for breakfast, my kids have the option of whatever they want. I am their b$#^@ in the morning and they know it. I just can’t sending them to school with an empty stomach, it bothers me all day long. Therefore I end up making three different breakfasts and sometimes four for three different children. Why? I am the adult here. Why can’t I just tell them waffles are for breakfast and if you don’t like it you go to school hungry. I do that with the other two meals of the day. Why do you torture myself at breakfast when there are lunches to pack, there is hair to be combed, teeth to be brushed and jackets to be found and OH MY GOSH WE ARE LATE, PLEASE PUT YOU F@^$ING SHOES ON AND GET IN THE CAR!!!

And then there is this little habit. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Elf on the Shelf. It’s a sweet, fun little tradition that I think I wrote about last year. In a nutshell, the little elf hides in a different part of the house each day leading up to Christmas and watches you during the day. At night he flies to the North Pole and reports to Santa if you have been good or bad and tells him your Christmas wishes. The kids love it. Our elf is named Jack and this is his fourth year with our family.

Jack the Elf

For some reason, the first year he was here my kids thought he also put the candy in the advent calendar. I went with it. There were only a few more days until Christmas and so in addition to leaving a small candy cane in the advent calendar, Jack also left a small present like a new pencil, some stickers, an ornament, a stuffed animal or new pajamas.

So, of course, the next year they couldn’t wait to see what Jack would bring them along with the candy in the advent calendar. So I stocked up on pencils, stickers, ornaments and other little trinkets for 24 days worth of gifts from Jack. In other words, I stocked up on a house full of things that I will step on and will end up finding in the couch cushions next Easter. It creates a lot of extra work for me during an already busy time of year, but I think it might be my children’s favorite part of Christmas.

So please, tell me one of your puzzling habits. Tell me something you do that doesn’t really make any sense, but you do it anyway because it’s part of your routine. I know you’ve got at least one.