Last week, I asked everyone to brag about their #Momskillz for the chance to win an iPad Mini and a myCharge Hub 6000. Reading through all the comments and looking at the pictures of cakes, costumes, hair styles, lunchbox notes, etc., it really hit me how rare it is to see moms gloating about their accomplishments and expertise.
There were funny submissions, practical submissions, ridiculously talented submissions and incredibly poignant ones. Going through them was a roller coaster of emotions which you will understand once you read through 35 of my favorite submissions below.
If you haven’t entered yet, I’m still taking submissions up through December 5th, when I will announce the winners. Full details at the bottom of the post. FYI- You must enter your email address to win. Also, just because you didn’t see your entry in this post, doesn’t mean you won’t see it in the next one!
Ready for the roller coaster?
The Mom Who Out-Braided Me
Lindsay: Styling my daughter’s hair before school despite having four other kids (all boys) to get ready!
The mom with quick hands
Jen: I am REALLY good at catching my son’s sippy cup. I know the exact moment he will release it and have mastered catching it before it hits the ground and spills water all over the frickin floor! I can’t lie – I’m proud of this. It works in restaurants, the grandparents’ house, anywhere really – I am the BEST sippy cup spill preventer ever.
The Mom Who Could Swaddle a Wild Animal
Talia: My swaddling skillz are unreal. I learned at the hospital a few hours postpartum from an obnoxious nurse and just got so good at it. I do it neatly, tightly and quickly. Wiggly, fussy babies do not get in my way. Not only have I proven extremely successful at swaddling my own (three) children, I have also honed my experience by swaddling my friends’ children, even those babies that have been deemed “unswaddleable” by their parents. But as my husband says – how you gonna monetize that?
The Mom who reinvented the lyrics to let it go
Nicole: My best Mom Skill is the ability to craft a song on the fly for any situation. Need to sing about trimming nails? Putting shoes on? Poop? No subject is off limits. To get my daughter to eat veggies (to the tune of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”)…
Do you want to eat some broccoli?
Do you want to take a bite?
You know that broccoli’s really good for you,
it helps you poo,
and makes you feel alright…”
Or from last night, a cautionary tale about germs (to the tune of “Let It Go”):
That was grooooooooss…
That was grooooooooss…
Don’t lick my face anymoooooooore.
I got a million of ‘em.
The Mom who can make cool stuff with boxes
Lena: I’m queen of box crafts! These were for my son’s 2nd birthday— clearly a cars theme.
The Mom Who Crochets Matching Hats
Ashley: I crochet adorable matching hats for my girls AND get them to cooperate for pictures almost every day.
THE MOM WHO CAN MAKE DINNER WITH NOTHING BUT KETCHUP PACKETS AND BISCUITS
Tanya: I’m the MacGyver of making dinner for my three crotch fruit with limited time and ingredients. I’ve whipped up culinary masterpieces with only a can of pork n’ beans, two hot dogs, and some stale Doritos. I’ve dazzled the family with a can of biscuits and some damned ketchup packets. Raman Noodles and bologna became Zombie Spaghetti – BOOM. The world has enough fancy cookbooks…what it needs now is one that can help a mom feed their brood with just a stick of butter and a jar of sweet pickles.
The Mom Who Makes Last Minute Halloween Costumes Look like she has been working on them for months
Karen: I am a mad costume-maker. I procrastinate and usually end up finishing them at 3am on Halloween, just in time for them to show off at school.
The Mom Who Can Carry Groceries and Children at Once
Kim: This morning I brought in six bags of groceries all while holding my three-month-old in his car seat and holding my two-year-old’s hand. Two trips? Ain’t nobody got time for that. If only I was talented enough to snap a selfie.
The Mom Who Can Carve the Shit out of a Pumpkin
Carrie: I drew that shit free hand, and the kids carved them out!
The Mom Who says it with frosting
Jamie: I can make any birthday cake upon request. I know they aren’t spectacular in the world of cakes, but they are spectacular to my kids and that is what means the most!
The Mom Who Is her daughter’s hero
Lorie: Seven years ago, when I was 25 years old and single, I brought home a little girl who I met at the hospital I work at. She was going to be a “short-term foster child” who had been essentially abandoned, and had severe medical needs. It was unclear how long she would live. Three years, three months, and nineteen days of “short-term” loving later, I was finally able to adopt her. She continues to have many medical issues, but one of her biggest wishes is to be free from lines and tubes like any other kid. So each night, my mom skills include feeding tube feeds, subcutaneous infusions, eight medications, monitoring her oxygen needs, and coordinating her care among her seven doctors and specialists by email. I do this each night, overnight, so that every day she can appear just like every other kid.
The Mom who never loses her shit
Joey: Patience is a virtue I do not have, but I have gotten pretty damn good at holding it together in the face of my kiddo. I am a single mom to a very adult-acting, sassy and headstrong 7 year-old girl. When I’m late for work and she insists on switching her lunch from her Minnie Mouse lunchbox to her Frozen one, I DO NOT LOSE MY SHIT. When we are at Grammy’s and I’ve said, “no” and then Grammy says “yes” and my daughter gives me the “Ha! I win!” look, I DO NOT LOSE MY SHIT. When I am holding up the drop off line because her reading folder is not in front of her daily folder and the people behind me are hating me and I know I am late, I DO NOT LOSE MY SHIT. When she tells the guy at Walgreen’s to “hurry and scan everything cause my mom has to work at the bar where she doesn’t wear pants!!”, I DO NOT LOSE MY SHIT. For the record, it was in reference to the Flashdance costume I wore for Halloween. I bartend at a normal bar where any other day I do, indeed, wear pants.
The Mom who Makes a Big Deal about the Holidays
Carolyn: I suck at packing lunches, washing socks and cooking… But I’m awesome at holidays!
The Mom Who Makes Everyone Look Happy in Photos
Michelle: I’m really good at making it look like we are having a blast via photo— in reality, we are a hot mess!
The Mom Who Can Breastfeed on a Conference Call
Kate: I’m a work from home mom and most people don’t even know I have three kids. I can make them ‘disappear’ by handling all their needs on mute and still participating in my job. When I had to, I could pound out an email while breastfeeding that was timely and concise. I don’t have time for Pinterest or making beds, but I’m a badass.
THE MOM WHO CLEANS UP PUKE WITHOUT PUKING HERSELF AWARD
Ginny: I am the best mom at cleaning up puke! I can even swoop in and catch it with my bare hands before it hits the carpet, without puking myself! While cleaning up the stairs one Christmas Eve, my husband complimented me as he was holding back from heaving himself, “Now I know why I married you. I could not be doing that.”
The Mom Who’s Still awesome after all these years
Crysta: Every day, I draw a comic of my kid on his napkin in his lunchbox. I call them Cadenstrips. He is 10-years-old and my 6th child, and a full 6 years younger than the ‘used-to-be-the-baby’. I’ve been a mom for really long time.
The Mom who inspires us all
Julie: My fifteen month old baby girl has a genetic condition which has, among other things, caused her to be developmentally delayed and requires her to be fed through a feeding tube. I am the master of coordinating all her appointments and therapies, and of taking care of the feeding tube site. I know exactly how and when to make up a solution to prevent the delicate tissue surrounding the tube from getting inflamed. Even though I’m a nurse, I never thought I would be up to the challenge of having a child with special needs. Well, I am, and for the first time, I’m bragging about it! Thanks for the opportunity to give myself a pat on the back!
The Mom who always has an answer for “why?”
Jessica: I am a master of the “why game.” The “why game” is that oh so obnoxious game toddlers love to play when everything you tell them is followed by “why?” For example: “Can you bring me your shoes?” “Why?” “Because we’re going outside” “Why?” “Because you asked if we could.” “Why?” “Because you wanted to ride your bike.” You get the idea. My record is 23 responses before succumbing to the infamous, “because I said so.” I challenge anyone to beat it.
The Mom Who Rocks the Bento Box
Ahn T: I make awesome Bento Boxes. Really that is the only thing I am good at.
The Mom Who Knows How to Stretch a Conversation
Teresa: I can carry on a conversation with my girls about any topic, for a ridiculous amount of time. Such gems as, what a stuffed animal is going to be when he grows up, what clouds feel like, what if fish walked, etc etc. Husband calls it patience, I don’t think I’d go that far!
The Mom Who Rocks Pancakes
Sadiaani: I always get my kids excited to eat breakfast.
The Mom Who satisfies her kid’s cat obsession without getting an actual cat
Michelle: I’m totally awesome at feeding our two year old’s kitty obsession even though my husband is allergic and she can never have a real cat.
The Mom who rocks the Sex talk
Kathleen: I have completely mastered the art of having the sex talk with my kids. I’m completely nonchalant about it, not at all uncomfortable or embarrassed. I explain at the level that’s appropriate to them, answering the questions asked. I make it clear that none of it is dirty or shameful, that this is just one aspect of the human experience, and I’m happy to help them understand it, just like anything else. If they change the subject and move on, I’m cool with that; if they have additional questions, I’ll sit and answer until they’re done.
The Mom Who Moonlights as the Airplane Whisperer
Krystal: I am really good at flying cross country with my two little ones! It all begins with the planning and scheduling of the flight. I always take meals and naps and time change into account. I also pack just the right entertainment and snacks. I work the magic of the rhythmic white noise to lull my girls to sleep! Every flight we get off the plane and one after another, people tell me how amazing my kids are! They are amazing, of course, but I kinda had something to do with that!
THE MOM WHO PUTS ON A BRAVE FACE AWARD
Joy: I am the best at getting out of bed, making breakfast, reading to, smiling, laughing and playing with my 17mo son and showing him that mommy can still smile and love her little man even though we just lost our second baby boy (34 weeks old) two weeks ago and I’m recovering from the c-section. I am the best (and so is my husband) at still being able to laugh with our little boy even though our hearts are broken, and we can show that to him, too.
The Mom Who Rocks a Pinterest-worthy Dessert table
Jessica: I’m freaking awesome at making desserts from scratch, replicating fancy candy table themes for their birthday parties!
The Mom who is the best at snacks
Becky: I am the best snack mom. For Girl Scouts, I provide grapes, mini-pretzels and assorted juice boxes (100% juice with no added sugars of course). For snack time to be a success, there must be no fighting. Each snack baggie has the same exact number of mini pretzels. Each baggie of grapes has the same number of green and purple seedless, washed and plucked from the stem. The grapes and pretzels are in separate baggies so the moisture from the grapes doesn’t make the pretzels soggy. I also include napkins. We have a troop of 30 girls. So that’s 30 little bags of pretzels. 30 little bags of mixed grapes. 30 juice boxes and napkins.
The Mom Tells Her Daughter She Can Do Anything
Jessica: My oldest daughter, Sophia is 6 years-old. I stay home with her to do virtual public charter school. Sophia suffers from severe migraines and has Sensory Processing Disorder which makes life difficult for her in many ways. She also suffers from pretty bad anxiety. She hates to fail and hates to try when she thinks she may make a mistake. Her favorite phrases are, “I can’t!” “I won’t!” “I’ll never learn this!” One day I was so sick of hearing those phrases, I grabbed her school markers. On one hand I wrote “I CAN!” and on the other “I WILL!” It helped her realize how often she says negative phrases. I guess my mom skillz are teaching my daughter she can and will do anything as long as she thinks she can.
The Mom who can untangle things
Mishee: I’m the best at untangling things. My 12 year-old son literally bragged for a good twenty minutes to his siblings, friends and anyone else who would listen about how good I am at untangling things. I was able to untangle 5 YoYos, 3 extra YoYo strings, a Lord of the rings necklace, and a pair of expensive headphones that somehow got all tangled together. And I accomplished this amazing feat in the amount of time it took him to take a shower. He was absolutely amazed since he had tried and failed first.
The Mom who lets her kids be themselves
Shaynah: If there is one thing I am good at, it is letting my kids be themselves. I don’t try to change them, I don’t get embarrassed by them. I let them embrace childhood and be unique – even in public! Costumes and weirdness on the daily over here!
The Mom Who Makes Lemonade out of lemons
Peacelovencoffee: I can turn ripped jeans into monster jeans!
THE MOM WHO Tells the most creative LIES
Andrea: I have mad skills when it comes to creative fibbing to quickly diffuse a potential melt down. The one of which I am most proud— My husband, father-in-law, and I took my newly potty trained two-year-old daughter to see Shrek Live. As we were driving there, she had a poop blowout. Poop in tights— horrific. I took her to the bathroom and cleaned her up but there was no salvaging her undies. As she saw me tossing her brand new Minnie undies in the garbage, she FREAKED out. I thought fast and said “Oh honey, that’s not the garbage!! That’s the laundry service. They’ll wash them and send them back to us!!” She bought it, calmed down, and we enjoyed the show. The whole thing was made even more hilarious when she told the bathroom attendant on the way out “Thanks for washing my undies for me! That is very nice of you.”
THE MOM WHO CAN PATTERN DESIGN ELSA’S DRESS
Monica: I suck at many things, but I can pattern-design and sew a mean Elsa costume.
Lastly, I am including a quote from a non-mom who reads this blog….
The Daughter who wants to nominate her mom
Faith: I’m not a mom personally, (just a college student who adores this blog!) but I have the most amazing mom who has now raised five very successful, driven children, and trust me, we did not always leave the house with our teeth brushed. Now that we are adults we recognize all the work our mother put into raising us and we get to brag FOR her all the time! So you amazing moms deserve to brag, because I know I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for my mama!
Still want to enter? Brag about your best mom skill for the chance to win an ipad mini and a mycharge hub 6000.
The myCharge Hub 6000 is a portable charger with built-in cables and connectors for smartphones, tablets, e-readers or whatever device your little rugrat is choosing to drain the battery out of that day. You can get up to 27 hours of additional talk time, as well as integrated, quick-charge wall prongs.
I will also give ten runner-ups a myCharge hot pink Razor Plus. The Razor Plus is super light, ultra-thin and delivers 13 hours of additional talk time for your smartphone.
I’ll be picking my favorite entries (both written and photo entries) and then judges (to be determined) will pick the winners.
TO ENTER, YOU MUST COMPLETE THREE EASY STEPS:
1) Describe your mom skill in the comments below or post photo proof on the Mommy Shorts Facebook page or on Instagram with the hashtag #momskillz. Your description can as short or as long as you like. Something general or an isolated story of which you are particularly proud. If you enter through Instagram, you must follow and tag both @mommyshorts and@mycharge.
2) Share this post in some way— like it on facebook, tweet it, pin it, etc.
3) Sign up for the myCharge newsletter using the email entry form below.
You can read the full rules here.
Good luck!
In greek mythology, Cassandra was blessed with the ability to see the future, but also cursed so that no one would ever believe her.
I am the living incarnation of Cassandra. I always know exactly what is going to happen next, and my stubborn husband and naive step-son refuse to believe it. I use this knowledge of the future to be constantly prepared for everything in ways that dazzle others – and that is mad mommy skill. My bonus skill is that I usually refrain from saying “I told you so” when my prophecies come true.
This skill is especially helpful in packing. I pack everything the night before a trip within an hour or two. I pack everything that all 3 of us will need, or want. Every time my husband is like, “Oh I bet you didn’t think to pack spare contacts for me.” Yes I did. And SPF 80 sunscreen, and aloe vera for when you forget the sunscreen and get burned. I also have Qtips and spare contacts and contact lens cleaner and 50 other things you’ll never even realize you need…and I fit it all into a carry-on with my tetris-level packing skills (bonus skill #2).
Camping trips are especially impressive, like when I happen to have spare batteries for things I don’t even own, multiple forms of making fire (lest one method fail), or the time we were on our way to a family camping get-together and my mother-in-law called panicked, in her RV, in the middle of nowhere and too inebriated to drive, asking us to stop and get toilet paper for her, but I had already packed a roll, because my husband didn’t fall far from the forgetful tree and I knew that even though they had brought a whole bathroom with them, somehow, someway, we would ALL need TP.
My husband is a surgical resident. People think his profession is very glamorous, but what they don’t see is all the behind the scenes that go into supporting his career. His schedule is unpredictable at best. While he gives 200% whenever he is home and we have 2 daddy’s girls at home. He could not be a more fantastic daddy – and this is very apparent when you see him with our girls. people admire his dedication and involvement with his children and his career. But, despite all teh mom-guilt, and all the ways I don’t measure up, I totally win the make-it-through-theday-with-smiles-hugs-laughter-andworkingfulltime-resident-spouse award. Actually, I know many people who deserve this award but sometimes I amaze myself with what I can accomplish in a day. Carrying 5 bags and a child while shuffling a second child out of the apartment and into daycare. Every day I organize and remember all their food, show and tells, supplies, instructions for teachers, and still somehow manage to arrive to my office at a semi-reasonable hour looking semi-put together. I proceed to Kick butt at work, then making it home to give my girls 110% at home. Every day I make sure my girls laugh, and know they are loved. the rest is just details. it is exhausting awesomeness. My girls and I – we’re a team.
Exhausting awesomeness is a great way to describe motherhood.
These are great, but man, Faith’s mom is the winner. She clearly raised a fucking awesome kid.
Most heart warming post ever…
My mad Mom Skill is that I can be awake for over 48 hours and you would never know it. When my kids are sick, I lay on the couch since our bedroom is across the house. I’m alternating one room then the other…all…night…long. As soon as I sit down, and think “now, I can close my eyes” I have to get right back up and go into the other room. Of course then my alarm goes off and I have to get ready for work, do the “Non-Mom” part of my life and then it’s back home to have a repeat of the “all nighter” again. I’ve lasted 48 hours before falling asleep, sitting up, while trying to eat my always cold dinner. My co-workers look at me and say “Gosh, you dont look like you’ve been up that long. Even your hair is done!”. Yeah, it’s a skill.
I rock at making goodie bags for parties. I’m the least crafty non-Pinterest mom in the world, but if there’s a need for a goodie bag, I’m your woman. I’ve mastered the art of no food/candy, nothing loud and obnoxious (parents that include a kazoo are not my friends), nothing that can stick in your carpets, won’t hurt if you step on it in the dark, and sometimes useful goodie bags. I’ve used water bottles, bandanas, pencil cases and other useful items for the actual bag and then fill them with things like pencils, pencil sharpeners, reflective tape/stickers (for trick or treating), crayons, glow sticks, small notepads and other stuff. I usually include a googly eye ring or a pair of goofy sunglasses in there too bc what kid doesn’t like a googly eye ring and a pair of goofy sunglasses? And I can usually do it for $3-4 or so for each bag. My kid says I make the coolest goodie bags and I’ve repeatedly been reached out to by class moms far and wide for goodie bags for their class parties. I’m the goodie bag master!
I can’t believe nobody has said laundry. I rock at laundry. I don’t really like doing it, but I am really good at it. I can get out grease stains that have been washed and dried multiple times, I don’t shrink anything, and have never had any problems with colors changing or bleeding on me.
Laundry! I’m good at that too! Kids are amazed they could practically wear the same thing clean every single day. & I can most always get stains out too! Friends “forget” items in order to have them cleaned quickly lol
In the 30 minutes that it takes my husband to drive home from work I can clean the entire house and make dinner WITH two kids by the time he gets home.
This one made me laugh out loud because I do the SAME THING!!! It always starts with my asking my husband what time he’ll be home. I then survey the mess. Decide if I need coffee or if tea will work. Get the meat for dinner out to thaw and then get busy! All I need is half an hour to make the house look great and get dinner near done for his arrival – with two kids! Like you! It’s amazing what tunnel vision can accomplish. Great #momskillz
These are fabulous. I think every mom has many uniquely awesome mom skills. I applaud all of your creativity and love for your children!
I pride myself on utilizing every minute of the day and night and functioning on very little sleep. My weekend routine includes 24 hours of working the night shift as a pediatric oncology RN. Utilizing every minute of my Friday means I wake up at 7am with my 3 kids, getting 2 of them out the door at 9am, then managing errands and entertaining a 2 year old. A short nap is thrown in and then off off to work at 5:45pm to work through the night with kids and families fighting much more than I could ever imagine. 8:30am and over 24 hours later I am able to retire to my bed for the day until Saturday night. I couldn’t do this without my loving husband who helps with pick-ups, dinners, diapers, birthday parties and keeping our 3 kiddos happy and busy while I sleep after work. Almost 8 years of this schedule and we wouldn’t change a thing.
I am amazing at letting my boys get dirty. Sticky? Check. Cracking an egg? No problem! Mud & Dirt? Dig in! My motto is: it’ll wash.
Faith’s mom wins.
I am very good at saying no and not feeling guilty. I have a 10 month old and an autistic 2 year old. He has 4 therapy sessions/week and a therapy playgroup (soon to add on 15-20 hours of ABA therapy) which I coordinate and attend. I am a nurse and also do call…so I can potentially work 20 hours out of a 24 hour day (I have done that more times that I like to count). I am very good at saying no to people, not making them feel bad or neglected and not feeling guilty for doing it. I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed if I said yes to everyone/everything. I would be too overwhelmed if I didn’t say no.
I can catch my boys JUST as they begin to fall down the stairs. I have done it several times. I whip around just as their little bodies start to tumble and clasp my hand down super hard on any body part I can reach. We once had friends over and the husband saw me catch my older son by his ankle. He said, “Whoa! That was like a ninja!” Damn right.
These are all so amazing! Way to go ladies! #momsrock
I am awesome at removing stains! Any stain, anytime. Washed and dried a load of clothes with a stray crayon? No problem. It might take me weeks and dry my hands out but I don’t give up and I get those stains out. My husband is amazed by my determination with stained laundry!
This is my favorite post of yours, ever. And I’ve been reading from the beginning. Totally, incredibly, awesome.
I’m a step-mom to a beautiful 5 year old girl and my mom skill is making the transition back and forth from her mom’s house to our house as smooth as can be. She is changing and growing all the time and her needs change with it. New obsession with dogs, I will find a book at the library and craft you a pair of puppy ears from an old headband. You decide you now hate all pants? Tights are in the drawer! Our lives are complicated but beautiful.
I’m single-handedly raising a toddler AND a husband while enrolled full-time in a PhD program. #momskillz
I am a master at all sorts of truth telling with my kids. How do babies get out of Mommy’s tummy? Asked and answered. (Though to be fair, the kids found the notion so ridiculous that it took them a few years to believe me.) Why is my classmate being mean to me on the blacktop at recess? Managed to achieve a truthful answer without sounding overly smug about the mean kid’s parent’s nurturing skills. Will Mommy and Daddy start living together anytime soon? Um, I don’t know at all. Might not be satisfying to get answers from me, but at least they can count on the truth…..
I have super-sonic hearing. Even though our home is 3 levels and we have 14 month old twins, there is no need for a baby monitor in our home. I can be on the bottom floor with people talking and I can still hear them wake up from a nap on the top floor. And chances are, I can tell you which one it is. People have been in shock about it before.
While it has caused me more nights of non-sleep than I can think of (even before babies were here), it also saved one of our twins when they started choking/not breathing one night. I was able to swoop him up right away and figure out the problem.
The problem/blessing is so bad/good, we had to move the babies out of our room eventually just so I could finally get a least a little sleep between feedings. Thankfully they have no more middle of the night feedings, but I still wake up many times a night when they do down the hall.
Ironically as a kid I was always saying “What?” so much it would drive my mom crazy. Sorry MOM!!!!
(Who is also a beyond amazing mom.)
A few of my Mom Skillz:
I am crazy patient.
I have 5 kids. Only one is toilet trained and can dress herself. I change so many diapers and clean up so many accidents that I could put bio-hazard containment specialist on my resume.
I advocate educationally and medically for my 15year old daughter who has Down syndrome and Autism and is chronically ill. I keep her extensive medical history and educational experiences at the ready to use whenever the situation calls for it.
I am so skilled at the art of diplomacy and conflict resolution that I could give the UN a few pointers. I can get my twin toddlers to share a toy with minimal violence.
I rock the “attitude of gratitude” like nobody’s business. After my daughter had an “accident” on the carpet in her room, I was thankful she wasn’t constipated.
I can breastfeed a baby, make dinner, change a Barbie’s clothes and help my 16 year old with homework, all at the same time.
I am actually really proud of who I am and the love I give my family and impressed by all the other entry’s. Way to go all you Mommy’s!
My proudest mommy talent is my 99.9% sonar+radar+GPS accuracy remembering where my 9 year old and 7 year old twins have left the TWENTY items each day that MUST be located before the world spins off its axis. The comfort blanket, bears, favorite book.
Kirby Nintendo DS cartridge that hasn’t seen any action in two months? School backpack, front zipper pocket.
Hot pink Barbie stiletto barely larger than a walnut? Hiding under the cushion of the dog bed in the family room with three other Barbie accessories.
My car keys? I can never find those.
My mom skill is making learning fun. My kid will show me his Ninja. Turtles action figures and I ask him what letter each name starts with or what state do they live in. We also take turns quizzing each other. He’s 3 and has all 50 states memorized and about 10 capitals. If you ask him where a state is, he can tell you a boardering state without even looking at a map.
Like Karen, creating costumes from scratch is my to do! I love it when a convention is coming to town or when Halloween is coming! Those are fun times for us! We have created several costumes like Jurassic Park (my hubs and I were the 2 docs and our kids were the dinos), Wreck It Ralph (Mommy Shorts showcased us in the Halloween Best) and this year’s young Maleficent (which was my daughter only, and like WIR, was showcased in Halloween’s best)! Fun times for this family!
Can I brag on my daughter? She has 3 kids less than 4 years apart. She made herself an Elsa costume a few hours before a Halloween party because her 2 y.o. was “Anna” and wanted a sister. The next week she removed her dishwasher (which she had repaired previously herself) and installed a new one…with 3 kids awake! Her skillz also include repairing her air conditioning unit and throwing a “dried kiwi” birthday party when the soon to be 3 y.o. insisted that it was the only theme she would go for, all while keeping them fed, somewhat clean and homeschooling the 5 y.o. She can watch a You Tube video and learn to do anything! She amazes me!!
I wish I could say I was crafty (could be if I had time or money), or great at doing hair(no patience with wiggly little girls), but I’m good at being a mom. I have 5 kids, 8&under. I manage to take care of my crew, breastfeed, and be an awesome wife! I am an incredible cook. I love cooking and bringing my family together with yummy home-cooked meals and desserts.
I am the master of food and getting my girls to eat it. SHOCKING!!! I know. As most moms know children especially toddlers can be picky. My 3 & 4 year old girls eat everything from seafood, to vegetables, fruit, you name it. It also helps that I sing songs, pretend we’re eating “Olaf’s nose” and tell them stories of how Princess Aurora loves eating lasagna.
My amazing mom skill is that I married and procreated with an amazing man with amazing mom skillz! He can burp any baby, swaddle perfectly, kiss ouchies like a pro, and today put three munchkins down for the infamous triple nap! As if that doesn’t prove how smart I am to snatch up this guy, he recently proved it all over again when I had an emergency c section two weeks ago my man mommed-up and kept the 3 and 1 year old alive and fed and when the baby was released but I was trapped at the hospital for another week he brought the third one home and still found time to visit me and send me baby photo updates. Truly, my mom skill of catching my husband and his epic mom skillz are worthy of worship. ;p
I have the worst blood circulation ever. My hands and feet are always freezing. Turns out that’s a great thing as a mom – built in ice packs! Comes in handy several times a day. Oh, you fell down? Here let me warm my hands on you.
I finally feel ready to acknowledge my Mom Skillz. I am the master of managing autistic children. Three of my four children are on the spectrum. Do you want to send me a link about the latest treatment or therapy? Too late. I researched it thoroughly a year ago. The inspirational video of an autistic child singing with Katy Perry or drawing the skyline from memory? Old news. Yes, I’ve read about Temple Grandin. Yes, we’ve considered going gluten free.
The reality is that if you’ve met one child with autism then you’ve met one child with autism. I have three and they are all brilliantly different. I can manage my son’s desperate need for sensory input while listening to my now-verbal-but-not-quite-understandable daughter. At a new place, I can do one sweep and recognize what will set my son to keening in fear and what my 3-year old will feel the need to explore by chewing. I’ve wrestled with meltdowns and insurance companies. I’ve caught for good therapy. I march into meetings about my child’s lesson plan (IEP) more informed than half of the teachers. I know where to take the kids when I need a break. I pass along any information and encouragement to newly diagnosed parents.
This is ridiculously hard. But I’m damn good at it.
I have 5 kids I work part time at a mortgage company from home, I own my furniture company and I run a co-op for furniture and crafty ladies. I take my kids everywhere with me and they work right beside me. I refinished a piece the day before I had Jack(baby 5) and I waited 5 days after I had him to start up again. I am really good at working hard with my kids around. They deserve the world and I work hard so I can give it to them.
I have been really great at learning from my children. For example, my oldest daughter (4) is extremely good at complimenting people. Everywhere we go, whether it is to school, the grocery store, a party, I mean anywhere, she gives out at least one compliment. I noticed myself unintentionally mimicking her wonderful action at a college football game! I couldn’t ask for a better lesson!
My mom skill (also submitted on Instagram) is pretty basic, but there are days where it’s hanging on by a thread…..
I have three beautiful daughters (5, 3, 9 months) and well, they’re alive. They’re happy. They are healthy. They have a roof over their head and clothes on their backs (even if sometimes I just can’t afford snacks for the class, or kindergarten pictures)
My mom skill is making cakes beautiful! I’ve done a lot of cakes through the years but my proudest was when I did my daughters 1st and 2nd birthday cakes. To see her face light up and to one know she will realize I do it for her makes me beyond happy! I will tag photos on Instagram!
I would also like to commend my mom. I have no munchkins (unless you count my dog), so i can’t be nominated. My mother the the most AMAZING birthday party for a little girl I’ve ever heard of! She had a friend who worked at the mall watch me for 15-20 minutes while she made a mad dash through the mall buying presents and seeing up surprises. Then, her friends handed me a stack of 3rd cards with instructions. “Go to blah blah (toy, jewelry, book, etc store), tell them your name”. At every store there was a bag with gifts for me. Then, the last card was “go to whatever restaurant. My best friend was waiting to lead me in, where all my friends were for my party. I tell everybody about that still. Learned layer, mom was acting like James Bond (tailing me through the mall, making sure i was safe, found all the places, etc). But, i was 9 and felt so amazingly cool going through the mall all by myself. Just had to share. What can i say, moms are pretty amazing!
I am the punctual master! I am never late for anything, even with my 2 kids and husband in tow. If we are needed somewhere, we will be at least 5 minutes early and look presentable. It’s definitely something I’m proud of, especially when it comes to getting an autistic 3 year old dressed and out the door when it’s the last thing he wants to do!
My daughter lost three significant people in her life all around the same time. Her daddy moved out and disappeared for several months at a time and her grandparents (who took care of her every weekend while I worked) moved out of state. This all happened when she was around 2yo. I am an awesome mom because I have helped her adjust by reminding her through it all that she and I are a team and that nothing can come between us. Part of how I did it was to get a tattoo on my forearm as a visual reminder to her. I told her that as long as that tattoo is there, I still love her, and we are still in this everyday together. She is now in kindergarten and doing great in school with no separation issues because she knows that while she may not be able to count on much, her Momma is always where she says she will be and will never leave her questioning whether she is loved or lovable. We are a team. Period.
My mum skills are… I’m on time. Always. Even when I had no car and no license and my baby had serious reflux and invariably puked all over herself just as we were leaving. Even when I sleep in and wake up ten minutes before we’re meant to leave for school, we still get there with time to spare – and I make their lunch before school.
I’ve also got mad skills at being the wife of a truck driver who works away all the time and still having a healthy family life. He’s a good father and a great husband
My mom skill is…I’m really good at sick. A few weeks ago my son had a stomach bug and puked all over me a few times. Then got RSV abc ended up in the hospital where I balanced staying by his bedside, taking care of our dogs and having bronchitis myself since my husband was on a business trip. Now I’ve got a husband with the flu and a baby with a cough but no worries. Sleep isn’t necessary, I’ve got this.
am fantastically good at keeping my 3 children fed, clothed and smiling even though their dad, my husband died unexpectedly this past September. I fed them snacks, dinners, breakfasts and drinks. I keep a close eye on my teenager and have her thinking of her future. I answer any question my 3 year old has, no matter how illogical or how many whys are asked. I make baby noises and smile at my 6 month old so much she wakes up laughing. I do all this and almost every day all of us are wearing pants and shoes. I am the best, simply the best at pretending that we are fine. And I am proud of that.
My mad Mom skillz are my story-reading voices. I LOVE accents and really enjoy reading to my children. Foreign accents include English (both posh and cockney), Irish, Scottish, Russian, German, Australian, Swedish, French. American accents include: Southern, New England, New York, Midwestern, Valley Girl, Surfer Dude. “Personality Voices” include: cute baby, tough guy, nerd and evil queen. Our pets also have specific “voices” and “talk” to us. P.S. My evil “Malificient” laugh scares the shit out of my husband.
I am a twin mum! i am an introvert and still live through a day of constant attention.
My ten and nine year old sons often boast to their friends about how ‘my mom knows everything about StarWars’. I honestly don’t care for StarWars, I just got bored once while sitting in a waiting room for an uncomfortable length of time holding a StarWars trivia book that my son had discarded. My ability to recall useless StarWars knowledge has legitimately made me the hit of fourth grade birthday parties as I baffle all the kids by saying things like, “Did you know that Mace Windu was the only character to ever have a purple light saber?” What’s more is that I work in an elementary school where I am worshipped by legions of young StarWars fans for my knowledge of twin engine system on the Jedi TIE Fighter.
I rock at removing splinters…. doesn’t matter where they are, how deep they are, or how much my kid is screaming that their foot is falling off. I can grab a needle and pair of tweezers and have that splinter out in seconds. My husband continually brags about me to everyone we meet. Even my in-laws were impressed the first time they saw it! BOOM now that’s impressive.
I rock at letting my b/g 5year old twins dress how ever they want…from my son dressing up as a princess to wearing a Superman costume to school!! From my daughter drawing on her eye brows to covering herself in orange and black stripes to be a tiger.. ..how ever they want to get dress and leave the house I let them!! (I have lots of pics and made a collage but can’t figure out how to post it here )
Oh man, that last one got me. I hope my kids feel that way about me when they’re grown and out of the house. Tears.
I am the quietest yeller you’ve ever (not) heard. What happens when you’ve just put the baby to bed upstairs and you see a giant tarantula (or spider, whatever) on the wall? You whisper scream for your husband to come up and kill it… All while not waking the baby. Stub your toe after a midnight feeding? Whisper scream. Dog trying to eat baby’s Hippo Hippo? Whisper scream. I’m sure other moms attempt this rare feat, but I am a Master.
My best parenting skill is making nightmares disappear with a laugh. Bad dream about Ghost Pirates? Well, imagine the Ghost Pirates are all wearing tutus. Bad dream that Bigfoot is outside the window? Imagine if he was about to knock on the window but he slipped on a banana peel and fell on his butt. Waking up to imagine spiders in your bed? Well, what if all those spiders were singing songs to you in their little tiny spider voices and they just wanted to snuggle? Can’t say that my daughter has never had bad dreams, but they have always ended in giggles.
I am an amazing multi-tasker. I have 2 kids and I work three jobs that total about 60-70 hours a week. I volunteer in each kids classrooms & the school Library every week. I take my kids to gymnastics, make play dates, and extended family dinner each week. I lead a very fun and successful girl scout troop, I babysit my brothers 4 kids on a regular basis and help several friends with their kids. On top of all of this, my husband travels for work, so I do most of this on my own. I love to give my time and energy to my kids and friends and family. It is what I do best!
I’m not a mom yet but I want to also brag about my mom for a minute. When I was 5-6 she would spend hours decorating my lunch bags with pom-poms, pipe cleaners and sequins so that I would have sparkly, spangly brown paper lunch bags instead of boring old lunch boxes. She did this EVERY SINGLE DAY people! She even themed them for holidays. I really wish that I had kept at least one of them because they were AMAZING!! I remember loving them at the time but you can bet that I didn’t appreciate them enough or understand just how much work she put into them. Now that I’m a working adult, I totally get it and it makes me appreciate her that much more.
I am the best at reading stories! I do great character voices that always make my son laugh. Sometimes I sing the story in the style of a particular musical genre. I once sang “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” to him in the style of opera, for ex. He looked so surprised but then his face just lit up!
Mom who can locate anything in the house even if I didn’t put it there.
My Family will call me while I am at work and ask me where something is and I can say in the cabinet by the garage door third shelf or on your dresser under your dirty socks or in the living room between the couch cushions. It’s like I have a 6th sense for this crap.
One of my mom skillz that I am proud of is letting my two and a half year old decide certain things.
Like if she isn’t ready to eat dinner, and she wants a snack, I let her have the snack. Her snacks consist of yogurt or fruit. Or cheese. By the time my husband and I are ready to sit down to eat, she eats with us. It saves from a tantrum that she doesn’t want chicken.
When she is done her tubby and we have to fight to get her diaper or jammies on cause she doesn’t want them on, I wait til she is ready. I clean up put a show on for her and we get dressed. No hassle.
If she wants to drink from a regular cup, I let her. If she spills something, its just an accident. And its fairly easy to wipe up spills from wood floors.
When she goes on the potty and is not ready for her “panties”, we don’t put them on. And if we have an accident, we just clean it.
We all know how tantrums can be, and if I remain calm and collected, so will she. Lol
I am the nap whisperer. I can get any amount of kids, various ages, down for synchronized naps so I get at least an hour of quiet every day. Examples-When my big boys were 16 months and 3 months, I watched a 6 month old-synchronized naps every day. I once watched a 1.5 year old who apparently “never napped” at her previous daycare and from day one with me, she napped 2-3 hours every day (at the same time as my then 2 and 3 year old of course). As I’m writing this, my boys (6 weeks and 17 months) and my nieces (14 months and 3 years) are all napping.
I’ve just got one child, a 2 year old boy, so I may get even better with a second, but my mad #momskillz is the ability to be a complete goofball with my son, no matter where we are! Sitting at a stop sign and he makes a funny face? I see your face and I raise you a silly sound! Riding the shopping cart through the parking lot? Hang on!! You wanna dance when a good song comes on in the produce department? Show me your stuff!! (wait, that’s usually just me!!)
My skill (curse) is the phrase “no problem”. Make a slimer costume? No problem. Coordinate family costumes? No problem. Can I coordinate the class party next week despite having another class party and block party to prep for (nevermind the slimer costume)? No problem. Work the day before the major fund raiser I’m in charge of? No problem. Make a ton of money at said fund raiser? No problem. Need help in the classroom? No problem. Need someone to pick up your kid? No problem. Need someone to run to the girl scout store 20 min away? No problem. Someone to babysit? No problem. Extra help at a school event? No problem. And so it goes. This of course does NOT apply to my domestic diva skills. The benefit is knowing all the people that surround my children, being involved and making some great friends.
Airplane whisperer… share your secrets!!
I am able to pretty much get my children AND teens to admit to their wrongdoings by convincing them that I already know what they did. 🙂 And between the 5 of them, I get to practice this gift on an almost daily basis. For example: ‘I’m giving you the option to tell me the story of what went down yesterday at school. It better match your teachers”. Boom. I learn the “good” news from their lips. “I was doing your laundry and found something in your pocket, care to explain what that was about”? Boom. I find the missing piece to a mystery. Mom Radar is an awesome thing, and am so thankful for my mad Jedi Child-Whisperer Skills.
I am a BOSS at having “uncomfortable conversations” (ie. sex, drugs, masturbation, etc.) while I holding my children captive in the passenger seat!
My kids have all had the privelege of riding shotgun with mom for short and long periods of time while I broached a plethora of topics like: masturbation, periods, nose picking, pubic hair growth, drug use, the importance of deodorant use, good hygiene, how sex works for straight, gay/lesbians whatever, religion, politics, the list goes on and on! All of this while keeping my eyes on the road and being cool as a cucumber and maintaining a matter-of-fact tone to my voice and answering any and every question that is shot my way!
I’d say I’m a badass when it comes to the captive audience conversations…like a boss!
Since August 22, none of my kids (ages 13, 11, 8 & 3) have eaten a SINGLE. BITE. OF. CEREAL. (While not cereal, I also don’t buy pop tarts, breakfast bars, flavored oatmeal and other things of that type.) I don’t even buy the stuff anymore. But they all eat breakfast every day. That’s THREE MONTHS of eggs, bacon, homemade pancakes, sausage, french toast, yogurt, fruit, burritos, and even homemade berry syrup for those pancakes. As a mom, I can look at this and say I ROCK.
My super power?? Breast milk producer. My boob juice is so abundant that I’m able to donate it to others in need. In 1 pump session this morning I pumped 19 oz in less than 10 minutes! I’m a pro at keeping my supply up when I feel it may be dwindling too. It’s a blessing to us and others!!
Using Rhythmbox with Grilo 0.2 to browse UPnP/DNLA shares from either miniDLNA or MediaTomb has been broken since Rhythmbox was upgraded to use Grilo 0.2. The bug, #682574, was reported on 2012-08-23 22:02:00 UTC but has been appropriately ignored.
I am the master of finding things for my family — kids and husband too. I’m not sure why or how, but I just know where they lose things. It’s like I get inside their had and retrace their footsteps for them.
I’m a pretty good cook too, but find a mixture of pleasure and annoyance in hearing “Mommy, can you help me find . Daddy has been looking forever and he still can’t find it!” I say annoyance because there is no task that I won’t be interrupted from to find something for them.
At least I’m needed for something…