Mama Merit Badges

I will admit..I have a slightly competitive side to me.
I hide it pretty well, but it's there...
Just ask Heather Steele (where ever she is..) and she will tell you about the summer we read until our eyes nearly popped out of our heads or the years we had in Girl Guides competing for badges. We both "pretended" that we were in competition with each other..but we all know the truth. I wanted my badge scarf to be fuller than her' s just as badly as she did...but we would never have admitted that to anyone let alone ourselves!!

So when a friend of mine on sheknows.com showed me this link: http://www.mamameritbadges.com/shop/ I mentally went down the list looking at each brightly colored patch murmuring “got that” “got that” all the way down the list. My Mama merit badge scarf would look something like this:
Breastfeeding


I nursed all of my children.
My first was only for 3 months...my second for 22 months and my third for 6 months.
I have nursed in public with and without a blanket...I watch you eat, if you have a problem with it don't watch my baby eat!!
I have also nursed while pregnant...nursing is hard work and not as "natural" as one may think...


Shopping


I spent money with babies hanging off of me, climbing in and out of the cart or running away from me because they had to have "real high heels NOW," I have shopped while hearing "mom..can I have?!?" "whine, whine, whine!!" and suffering thru others saying "Are these all yours?!?" all the while pretendng to be a sane adult who only came to the store to buy milk and bread but left with $100.00 of other stuff that I didn't need nor want.


Birthday


for making Character cakes from scratch..for using so much red food coloring that my 2 year olds hands, face and lips were stained Elmo red for a week. Hmm..wonder what I will make him for his 3rd birthday? We did Cookie Monster for his first...Elmo for his second..he really likes Lightening McQueen..should I do that?


Diaper


I have been pooped & peed on, chased poop around the bathtub and have preformed gymnastics to keep Abby from getting into her brothers poopy diaper. I have had to clean babies that had poop all the up there back all the while curious as to how said poop got that high...


Medical


I have taken kids to the hospital..force fed them milk/juice by 5ml at a time desperatly trying to get them rehydrated. I have held kids down to make them take their medicine even thought I was told that it "tastes good" but my kids think it's gross. I have taken Noah on numerous visits to attempt to get foreign objects pulled from noses only to be told that they will come out on their own. The worst was apple..thanks Noah!!
I have also had to deal with needles with all three of my kids and the fun ain't over yet!!


Travel


I have been stuck in a grayhound bus depo for hours with a 2 year old who had to use each and every potty in the ladies bathroom...even though she did not have to pee. I had to sit with her on my lap the entire trip (8 hours) because the mean ol' busdriver wouldn't let me use the seat without paying for it.


Sleeping


I have slept with my 2 year old in my bed..fighting me for the top of the bed..why heads are supposed to go on pillows is beyond him. I have slept on the floor trying to teach him that he can sleep in his room, all by himself...the baby can and she's only 8 months!! But, I just want my 2 year old to feel safe and secure.


Reading


I read Jennifer "grandma's cat" and Noah "If you give a pig a pancake" enough times that I have memorized the text, the images and even can tell you it in my sleep. I wonder what book will be Abby's favourite?


Eating Out


I have had to created games to keep children entertained while wating for the food to come..had to chase a laughing 2 year old around a restaurant and draw "trucks" over and over again with busted crayons and had to color trees with yellow because that was the only color we were offered.


Tantrum


I have had to walk away from screaming children while they kicked and screamed on the floor in a busy supermarket because mommy wouldn't buy the box of cookies while dodging dirty looks from those around me. I have dealt with my 10 year old throwing stuff and slamming doors while yelling "I HATE you" without doing any harm to the youngster who said it to me...


What would yours look like?