Dear Blog,

Dear Blog,

Sincerely,  The NotsoSuperMom

I've been thinking a lot about us lately and I've come to the conclusion that things just aren't right between us.  And I have to admit that it's not you, it's me.

I have not been the blogger that I set out to be.

It's been over four years and although things have never been outrageous, they've been slow (or sometimes at a complete standstill) and (sorta) steady. You've always been here for me whenever I need a place to vent, but I have not held up my end of the bargain.

I made promises I never kept.  I didn't commit to you the way I should have.  I didn't give you the time and attention you needed and I never made you a priority.  I cast you aside to fold clothes, to tend to sick kids, to cut coupons, to sleep.  I have never been as dedicated as I intended.

I try to put on a good face.  I post things on your facebook page.  I have tried to make things look good in the social media, but it's just not the same since I haven't been with you like I should be.  I have been a neglectful and lazy mistress.

And the ugly truth is, I've cheated.

I've have seen a few other blogs.  It's nothing serious, but there have been a few quickies here and there.  A funny story, a heartfelt letter, maybe a poem.  And a lot of memes--just too many to say. And I feel SO GUILTY that I spent time with them when I can't even make time for my own blog. WHAT KIND OF BLOGGER AM I?!?

So the big question is: where do we stand?  I don't want to make more promises that I won't can't keep, but I really think we need to try.  I think we need to spend some time and get to know each other again.

I love you SO much and I want to make this right.  I want to be better.  How can I make this up to you?

Sincerely,

The NotsoSuperMom

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I Got You Covered. Period.

If you are a mother of sons, you can read this and appreciate that you are spared this ultra special bonding experience between you, your precious princess, and Aunt Flo. 

If you are a mother of daughters, you may want to be sure you've got ALL your bases covered in the feminine hygiene department. 

Because "here's the thing: in all of the knowledge you may impart about ovaries and uteri, blood and babies, pads and tampons, no one ever tells you the really IMPORTANT stuff about having your period. Until now...."

http://inthepowderroom.com/just-the-facts-period/

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Three Cheers for #myChargeCheer

No coincidence that my last post (let's not discuss that it was THREE months ago, shall we?) was for a myCharge giveaway.  For being involved in the giveaway, I was able to get a myCharge Energy Shot portable charger.  The Sarge used it on a recent trip to California and he was impressed.  It charged his phone WAY faster than the airport charging station.  myCharge is no joke  when it comes to portable power and they want to keep you going for the holidays (and all the days)!

 

This holiday season myCharge is spreading some serious cheer – and portable power – by offering to send one of their awesome portable charging devices to their Twitter followers--FOR FREE--just for RT’ing a tweet for their  #myChargeCheer campaign!  That's it!  Just visit their Twitter page, RT THIS tweet and myCharge will send you a totally free, no strings attached portable charger!  HOW COOL IS THAT?!?

Tell your friends and spread the #myChargeCheer this holiday season!  They'll think you (and myCharge) are totally awesome!  And they'd be right!

_________________________________

myCharge Red RazorPlus

If you're not on twitter, there is another way you can experience the power of myCharge.  I have teamed up with myCharge to offer you a Red RazorPlus.  This is a portable charger worth $49.99 that delivers an additional 13 hours of talk time for your smartphone! 

And if you still haven't found that perfect gift, myCharge is offering 25% off all chargers with the code JOLLY.  Don't be caught dead without a myCharge charger this season!  

myCharge Red RazorPlus Givveaway

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Who's in Charge? myCharge!

The kids are back to school, but Moms know that's only the beginning! Now that the school year is in full swing, there's no slowing down. In fact, things can start getting pretty hectic this time of year between your work and your kid's homework, after-school clubs and sports, music lessons and carpools, birthday parties and play dates...the list goes on and on! Even the most organized Mom will tell you things can change at the last minute, and Moms of all people can't afford to run out of power...we mean for your phone or tablet, of course! myCharge knows how important it is for you to stay charged and connected all day - and all school year - long, so they're giving the gift of portable power so you're never left in the red! To keep you charged and connected myCharge is giving 3 lucky winners each an iPad mini with a myCharge HUB 6000 portable charger! The amazingly compact Hub 6000 features built-in cables and connectors for smartphones, tablets, e-readers and more. Get up to 27 hours of additional talk time for your devices, as well as integrated, quick-charge wall prongs. The Hub series is commonly known as the “Swiss Army Knife of portable power devices.”

 

Additionally, 40 winners will each receive an Energy Shot compact portable charger for their smartphones that delivers an additional boost when you need it most. They come in a variety of styles and can give you up to 10 hours of talk time! (Please note, smart phone not included in giveaway).



So Moms, stay out of the red this school year! myCharge is here to keep you charged and connected! For more information on products visit the myCharge website or follow them on Facebook. You can find myCharge products available at retailers such as Target and Kohl's. Fill out the entry form below September 15, 2014 - October 15, 2014 for your chance to be one of 40 winners to receive an Energy Shot Charger (10 winners randomly selected each week) and one of 3 grand prize winners randomly selected on October 15, 2014 to receive one iPad Mini with a myCharge HUB 6000 portable charger. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age or older, must live in the United States and have a valid shipping address. See giveaway form for complete list of rules and details. a Rafflecopter giveaway This is a sponsored post from myCharge.

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I will write.

I started this blog oh so long ago, just as a place to vent my feelings about a certain little lady coming into our world that I wasn't entirely rolling out the welcome wagon for.  I originally called my blog Confessions of a (Not-so-) Super Mom--because what mom wants to admit (outside of "confession") that they are absolutely NOT wanting to be a mom again?  I felt like the bane of all that is sacred and saintly about Motherhood.

I have been writing ever since I can remember.  I used to think that I would write something cool one day, like Stephen King-ish-freaky-cool stuff, but that never happened. Somewhere along the line I realized that I didn't want or need to make up stories, I just wanted to be able to tell my own.  But even that was tucked away, save several old notebooks chock full of poetic angst and a few scribbly napkins thrown in for most-likely-half-toasted-at-the-bar-spur-of-the-moment good measure.

Then life.  First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a job (or two), a kid (or two), a pound (or twenty) and life is just rolling along like a subway train--flashing by stations you didn't even know were coming until your heads whips around and they're gone.  And you're there still trying to read the signs.

Then things slow down and you've found a rhythm--you're swaying a little but holding steady on the strap--and sometimes it's bumpy and sometimes the car swings a bit wildly on the tracks but you recover.  And then when things seem the smoothest, when you think you've got it down--THIS is your life--you step off the train to discover that you're at the wrong station.  Maybe you think you can figure out where to go from here, but that doesn't make you any less pissed or panicked.

So this is the tipping point, now I start the blog. Why I don't want to be pregnant again, why I'm not happy to be a party of five, why I'm a crappy mom to feel all that. The NotsoSuperMom. That's me.

http://thenotsosupermom.com

The problem, or so I thought, was that I wasn't writing anything special.  I mean, some women have awesome (and not like: dude, awesome!, but like, awe-inspiring) stories about their lives, their families, their children.  I have felt from time to time, that it never matters that I write because not that many people are reading (i.e. who cares?), but the flip side to that--the freedom--is that that can be exactly why TO write because, WHO CARES?  So I trudge along.

I will admit, as a blogger, the social media can be draining but it's hard (for me, at least) to let it go.  You want to show your stuff, you want to share and be shared, and you want to just BE a part of something so much larger than your teeny tiny Who-speck of the blogosphere.

My blog will be 4 years old next month.  Four years is a long time to do many things.  Some days I feel like I'm getting less "Super" by the minute.  Other days I feel like I hit one out of the park. But the best days of all are the ones where you realize that you are someone that someone out there might care about.

I posted this picture on my blog facebook page tonight and I looked at this gorgeous little girl and thought: "She is someone."  And my second thought was "I look pretty good" (despite the Alfalfa hairs that fought their way out of my barrette, and largely due to some artful cropping of my fat-looking knees and calves but still, I like the shot.)

And when I thought about my little girl, my last baby, being someone, it made me feel bigger (in a good way) and made me feel important. Truthfully I don't need to keep this up.  I might still write (even if I didn't do it here), and I would miss this painfully sometimes, but I would be busy enough without it.  I would regret giving it up but by then it would feel pointless to look back at what wasn't there.

I am someone.  I have a story. Not the most interesting.  Not the funniest.  Not the most popular. Just mine. MINE.  And that's the best thing I will ever have. My own story.  To share.  To tell.  To relate.

I love that word, relate.  It encompasses several different meanings:  I can relate my story, and you can relate to it.  It brings us together.  You will know me a little, and the longer you are here, the more you may learn.  And of course I will never know you--not even a little--but if you stay, you read, you relate; on some level I will know you are there.
And I will write.

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If you can't pick your nose, pick Boogie Wipes! (and win $50!)

I've never done a giveaway before, but when given the opportunity to participate in this one, my answer was a resounding ....

"WHAT are Boogie Wipes?"

Since Moo and Slim are older and The Geel is potty trained, I guess I felt that my "wipes" days were over. But Boogie Wipes aren't just any old wipe.

Boogie Wipes are the wipes you WISH you had when you wasted a diaper wipe wiping your kid's snotty face when you were walking through the mall (or the grocery store, or the zoo....) with two whiny kids, an infant with a cold, a stroller lugging a gigantic diaper bag with nary a tissue in sight.

But Boogie Wipes aren't just for babies, and they aren't just for boogers.

In celebration of Great Grape Boogie Wipes being sold at Walmart, I'm teaming up with Boogie Wipes to offer the Great Grape Summer Giveaway! (I know, I know Summer is kinda over, but boogers know no season--except cold season and allergy season--and winning money is timeless!) 

 

One winner will be drawn each week for the next eight weeks and will receive a $50 Walmart gift card and a Boogie Wipes prize pack.

How to Enter

From following some of our favorite bloggers on social media to instagramming a picture of your Great Grape purchase at Walmart, there are dozens of ways to enter - and a few ways to enter every single day. Check back throughout the next eight weeks to enter again and see if you won! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to have more fun this summer?

Visit the Boogie Wipes blog for all sorts of summer fun ideas - including Sidewalk Chalk Recipes, Crafts and Games to Play with Pool Noodles and DIY Board Games (for when it rains). Good luck!

Giveaway is live Tuesday, July 8, 2014 until midnight on Tuesday, September 2, 2014. US and Canada residents only. One winner will be chosen each week and will be notified via email. The NotsoSuperMom received no compensation for sponsoring this event, and is not responsible for the delivery of the prize. Prize delivery is the sole responsibility of Boogie Wipes.

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Sinking and Swimming

I have often said that I can swim okay for myself, but I couldn't save anyone's life. Contrarily, The Sarge is an excellent swimmer. In fact, I love to watch him swim. It fascinates me, much like watching someone who can play an instrument well. I can do neither, and I am mesmerized when I can watch others do those things with such ease and grace.

Moo seems to take after him in this way. She has always loved the water and took to it fairly well without too much teaching. Slim just last year really got the hang of it. He had always liked the water too, but took a little longer to pick up actual swimming skills. And even though Moo is now 12 and Slim is soon-to-be 10 neither of them are ever in the pool unsupervised.

We were at my in-laws last weekend and they have an in-ground pool. The kids love it because they have always been able sit on the steps with a "floaty" even before they could swim well.  I love it because I have never needed to climb and/or carry anyone up and down a ladder to get in or out.  The Geel just turned three a few months ago and while she has enjoyed being carried around the pool the last few years, this year she has been less interested in getting in the pool than she has been in playing with the plethora of pool noodles, inflatables and boogie boards lying around it. And I am perfectly happy letting her play around the pool (heavily supervised) rather than IN it because I'd prefer not to be IN it. In addition to not being the greatest swimmer, I'm just not a water-sports person in general.  Truthfully, I'm not an any-kind-of-sports-person, but I digress. 

This last visit, The Geel has been obsessed with the pool toys. Obsessed. She takes them out of the storage bin. She gathers them around her all within arm's reach of the pool steps. She puts them in the pool; she takes them out.  They float away; I retrieve them. Until she decides to retrieve them herself. My mother-in-law and I both watched her walk around to the deep end and try and grab a boogie board that had escaped her. Of course she knocked it away from the edge and we watched tensely as she bent over the side, determined to grab it's slippery edge. Never taking our eyes off her we discussed in hushed tones her lack of fear. A few feet away we waited for the inevitable splash. It never came. Success(!) as she grabbed the elusive board and carried it back to her domain on the steps of The Shallow End. Her lack of fear now solidified.

The following day we are again out back at the pool. Same obsession, same toys, same scenario. She gathers, they fall in, they float away. This time the object of her attention is a large inflated alligator. She has seen the big kids climb aboard many times from the side of the pool. She is determined. This time, I know, there will be no success. It is impossible that she will be able to mount this creature like the older kids with their longer limbs and so much experience. She will go in. I watch from about 10 feet away. I am sitting in a chair but I am tensed to spring up and out, never taking my eyes off her, knowing she will slip from my gaze and under the water. Knowing I will likely need to go in after her. This is how fast it happens:

In the fraction--THE NEARLY IMMEASURABLE FRACTION--of a second that I glance down to ensure my path was clear, she disappeared. I shot like an arrow to the pool. I, the not-so-great swimmer. I, fully clothed in my pajamas, rush over. And in the following FRACTION of a second I decide that she is too far from the edge for me to easily grab any part of her, but I am equally afraid that she is too close to leave enough room for my 160+ pound self to jump in the water without dragging her down further in the effort. I jumped in and tried my best not to disturb her, not to push her further under. I wrapped my arm around her torso, grabbed the edge of the pool, and hoisted her upper body out of the water. I spun her around and threw her over my shoulder while she coughed up whatever had made its way into her airways. I pulled and kicked us down to The Shallow End where I could stand. She cried and I felt that fear. Knowing I was going to let her fall didn't make the experience any less scary for me. But the absolute worst thing was that under the water, she was so horribly still. She was face down in the water and words just flew at me from childhood pool games: Dead Man's Float. I wasn't afraid that she had died just falling under, but she made zero effort whatsoever to move under the water. No flailing. No thrashing. Just stillness. A terrifying stillness.

This is us, right after wards.
Note the "WhyTF are you
taking my picture?" face.

In the end she was fine. I was probably more shaken, of course, thinking about the alternative consequences. And although has been seemingly no less afraid of the water since then, she has been asking for more help fetching the pool toys.

I do wonder if I should have let her fall in at all, and I do not pat myself on the back for "saving" her. I am no hero, right?  I mean, I let it happen. But everything was okay in the end. I, the not-so-super-swimmer, did not sink. I swam.

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