To Shower or Not to Shower

So before you read the title and think...Whoa! Must. Run. Far. Away. From crazy feminist lady! I promise to make this as pain free as possible. There is no reason to be afraid of the word FEMINIST! I had a high school Humanities teacher who is a complete badass, worldly, intelligent and strong. She sued a former employer upon discovering she was not earning the same as her male counterparts. Recently, I have befriended her on FB and she posted something that sparked an idea in me.  It said,  "The New F-Word: FEMINIST It does not mean: man hater or lesbian, superior, chip on her shoulder, Moody/PMS, Wants a free ride, Expects equal pay for less.  What it does mean: An advocate of social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men."  That's it folks, that's what it means. There is no need to fear that word any longer. As a young woman raised by females, I was the chip on her shoulder, hard core, stereotype of a feminist. I got a ...

Those of you who caught the Beyonce reference in the title may be disappointed that this posting is not about sex. If ever I do grow the cojones to go there, it'll probably be in the far future entitled, "Naked and Afraid." Do people actually watch that show? This posting is less about the act of making small children and more about the act of getting ready with small children. When discussing this subject matter there are two things that come to mind. First, was the time I tried to get myself and my children ready to go to my husband's Cross Fit competition called Boxtoberfest. I think it is very important for the boys to watch their father being active and competitive, so despite the difficulty in taking three children to a busy public event on my own, I decided that it was worth the struggle. My biggest mistake was getting the boys ready before myself. I was thinking, if I feed, burp and change Rory after I get dressed there is always a chance he will spit up ...

So I took a shower today...In case you were wondering. It's not that I don't want to shower, it's just that taking a shower when you have three young children becomes an interesting venture to say the least. I could attempt to turn on a movie for them, but more times than not someone is crying as soon as I'm lathered up with shampoo. Then comes nap time, which can range anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours. One can never know who will ring the doorbell or which dog will bark at an imaginary cat in the living room so I'm often torn between priorities during this time.  Either way, you should know that I do shower daily, just not always during nap time. This post is not about hygiene, however, it's about the shift that happens when a woman has a baby. I am not going to say I speak for all women here, because we all know the women who continue being exactly who they were prior to having children, but for me, and many women I speak to, having children changes you. ...

Music is one of the many privileges I have lost since having children. Not that I don't veto their song choices every so often, but I find myself cleaning or cooking to the Fresh Beat Band or Bubble Guppies or Elmo's Musical more often than not. I figure there comes a time in a parent's life when one must decide if   (insert action)  in peace is worth listening to the shrill sounds of happy go lucky children's shows and I have embraced my decision. My husband, on the other hand, still believes he is in control of the household (probably because his work schedule only allows him to be home on the weekends). He hasn't quite learned the idea of choosing one's battles and I watch him tirelessly choose them all. As much as I'd love to discuss the differences in mine and my husband's parenting, this post is regarding "today's top 40." I'm talking about the half hour I wait in line to pick up my eldest son from school, the quick trips to th...