Happy Black Friday!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from the Chenoweth Family!!

Yesterday, in an effort to provide my Mom with some much needed quiet time we packed up the kids and headed to Chocolate World for a few hours.  The older cousins were excited to make their own candy bar, while Timmy was content to people watch from his stroller. 

After my niece and nephews left to go to their dad's for the holiday we all got to work around the house.  Robby and Nana tackled the stuffing (per tradition) while Scott and I worked to get the house cleaned up and ready for company.  We stopped when Snoopy Thanksgiving started to play on the TV, but we finish up this morning.

I hope everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

 

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! 

Scott arrived early evening yesterday and the boys couldn't have been happier.  Timmy seemed especially delighted with his arrival, running around in circles while squealing. Scott probably received so many hugs from Timmy that we all lost count, and we were sure that Hamlet's little arms were tired. 

Today it is all hands on deck as we hustle around to clean and cook in preparation for tomorrow.  Of course, in a house with five kids in the house it feels like we are trying to bail water out of the Titanic with a ladle.  Right now my Mom's living room floor looks like the toy aisle in Walmart after a Black Friday rush.

If you are traveling today, please be safe. If you are with family and friends already, enjoy your time. If you are lonely, feel free to contact me. I'll be happy to chat anytime!

Have a great day!

Mommy Shamers

As a Mom I am constantly second guessing myself. I try to appear confident in front of my kids mainly because they feed off of insecurities. If Robby senses that I am hedging on a decision, he will do his best to nudge me in the direction of his choice. If I stand firm, even if inside I am teetering, he tends to accept his fate with more grace.

I've discovered that the majority of parents suffer from the same insecurities. We worry about whether or not our decisions, actions and choices will help or hinder our kids. Since deep down we are all uncertain to some degree; there is no need to judge each other. 

Over the weekend I had a classic "mommy shaming" encounter. I posted a photo of Timmy raiding the candy bowl. I know I'm biased, but his mischievous smile was particularly adorable and I thought that my friends and family on social media would enjoy seeing him. Within minutes of posting, the mommy shamer struck opting to ignore my son in the photo and instead commenting on the baby bottle in the background.

I chose not to engage the judgemental comment because I knew that it would only lead to hurt feelings and damaged relationships. Although I didn't respond, my family quickly came to my defense by calling out the mommy shamer. The thread exploded, and I ended up deleting the photo. Quickly after deleting my photo I read a post from the shamer, publicly blasting my parenting. Her thread quickly gained momentum and I was flabbergasted as strangers jumped aboard the shaming train. I was referred to as a "lazy breeder," and a "downright incompetent parent." All of these vile accusations were thrown simply because of a bottle in the background of a photo. 

The blasting of me was hurtful, but when I read my Hamlet being ridiculed as a "grunter," I almost imploded. Judging my parenting is discouraging and disappointing; passing that judgement onto my toddler is utterly repugnant and unacceptable. 

I don't understand the mommy shamers of the world. Being a parent is hard under the best circumstances. Dealing with opinionated shamers only throws more obstacles in our path. I don't agree with all of the decisions I see my friends making for their families, but I respect their choices for their families. I would never feel obliged to interject my personal opinions into their lives, and I certainly don't judge people for how they are raising their children. I wish others would offer the same courtesy. A little more support and a lot less shame would benefit everybody.

My Favorite Week

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year!  I have always loved Thanksgiving. The gathering of family and friends (around obscene amounts of food) with no expectation or pressure of providing gifts is uplifting and wonderful.  Per our tradition, I am already up at my Mom's house to help her get ready and to enjoy a full week of quality time with her.

Next year Robby will be switching schools, and his schedule will probably drastically alter our week of Thanksgiving and family fun. In reality, this may be the last year that we are able to escape for the entire week. It saddens me when I think that our tradition may be coming to an end, so I am going to do what I do best and just ignore the inevitable and concentrate on the present. 

Happy Thanksgiving Week!!