There are so many amazing entries submitted to the #Momskillz contest, I couldn’t fit all my favorites into one post. So, today I’ve got 40 more moms bragging about what makes them awesome.
I’m also ready to announce the judges. I not only got some of my favorite bloggers to judge, I got their moms! The people who will have the tough, tough task of selecting their favorite #momskillz are…
Karen from Baby Sideburns (the mom who can rock a pair of tiger pants) and her mom, Angie from Fashion By Mayhem (the mom who makes paper dresses with her daughter) and her mom, Amy from Pregnant Chicken (the mom who knows all the best baby gear) and her mom, Juliana from Rants from Mommyland (the mom who knows a kid-friendly substitution for every curse word) and her mom, Me (the mom who can rock an Elsa braid) and my mom.
Each one of us will pick our favorite entry which will make up the ten runner-ups (who each win a myCharge Razor) and then collectively, we will choose the grand prize winner who will win a myCharge Hub 6000 and an iPad Mini.
If you haven’t entered yet, I’m still taking submissions up through December 5th. Please note, you must subscribe to the myCharge newsletter to win. Full entry details at the bottom of this post.
Ready for 40 more ridiculously impressive #momskillz?
The Mom who is the master of surprise
@timidury: I spent 3.5 hours making hidden Mickey cupcakes for my daughter’s 2nd birthday all with a baby strapped to my chest. Did I mention that I’m three weeks post c-section?
The Mom with crazy Packing Powers
Laura: I pack everything my family will need or want for a trip. 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 he forgets to wear the sunscreen and gets burned. I also have Q-tips and contact lens cleaner and extra batteries and 50 other things most people never even realize they’ll need. Plus, I pack the night before within an hour and fit it all into one carry-on with tetris-like packing skills.
The Mom who Knows how to send a message
One Classy Motha: I can’t make those cutesy Bento box lunches— you know, like a scene from Frozen with Elsa made out of Yukon mashed potatoes and organic Nori noodles, but I CAN make an Anti-Bento box lunch using my kid’s lunch money. So much cheaper and faster… and great for communication!
THE MOM WITH MADE AN AWESOME HOME FOR HER NEPHEWS
Lindsay: Our three nephews came to live with us in May from a really bad home situation. Five-year-old Mason couldn’t hold a pencil, didn’t know his ABCs, had never been in school, and has significant developmental delays. I can’t take full credit because his teachers are AMAZING, but he is now reading and LOVES school.
The Mom with Quick Reflexes
Saushan: 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.
The mom who wows with frosting
Gio: No matter what my kids request I try my best to make it. This is a pic of my daughter’s castle cake.
THE MOM WHO CAN FIND A TEDDY IN THE DARK
Ericka: My daughter has a bear lovie that she can’t sleep without. She also has a penchant for pushing the bear out of the crib while she sleeps. I have a ridiculous knack for checking the monitor at 3:00am, realizing the bear isn’t in the crib, crawling into her room unnoticed, finding the bear and replacing it before she realizes it’s gone.
THE MOM WHO TAKES HAND SEWN T-SHIRT REQUESTS
Melissa: I can rock out a personalized applique hand sewn special request birthday shirt for my kids with less than 24 hours notice.
THE MOM with the all powerful MOM VOICE
Kate: My Superpower is my “Mom Voice”. It can stop wayward behavior just by saying my boys’ names. It is so powerful that it can even make other people’s children fall in line. Even if I wasn’t directing it at them! Which earns me either looks of gratitude or disapproval from other moms. It is a great Superpower but it must be used wisely!
The Mom who can dress up a waffle
@mriley919: When I asked Kendall what she wanted for breakfast, she said “kitty cat waffles”. Here you go, kid!
The Mom with the GPS Tracker in her Brain
Jemi: I have 99.9% accuracy remembering where my 9 year-old and 7 year-old twins have left every item they MUST have, before the world spins off its axis— comfort blankets, teddy bears, favorite books. 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.
THE MOM WHO MAKES her kids footwear
Melaw N: Just going to put this out there. Yeah, I made my three boys moccasins.
The Mom Who Knows Everything About Star Wars
Billie: My ten and nine year-old sons often boast to their friends about how ‘my mom knows everything about Star Wars’. I honestly don’t care for Star Wars, I just got bored once while sitting in a waiting room for an uncomfortable length of time holding a Star Wars trivia book that my son had discarded. My ability to recall useless Star Wars 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?”
The Mom who uses her sewing machine for good
Robin: I sew my kids clothes. I recently finished making my kids matching PJs for Christmas!
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 17 month-old 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 is Also an Awesome Stepmom
Kate: 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 her a pair of puppy ears from an old headband. She decides she now hates pants? Tights are in the drawer! Our lives are complicated but beautiful.
THE MOM WHO USES HER baby AS AN EXCELLENT PHOTO PROP
oobinxoo: My mom skills include photographing my son in holiday cards, using only items that can be made found in our 500 sq. ft. apartment.
THE MOM WHO KEEPS THE MAGIC ALIVE
Fen: I am the queen of keeping the magic alive in our house without the kids suspecting parental involvement. After a business trip to Denmark, my husband brought home some Danish coins that have holes in the middle. Our then 4-ish year-old son somehow got the notion that these were magic coins and that if he put them under his pillow, candy would appear the next morning; thus the Sugar Plum Fairy was born. My son is now 9 and if he suspects anything, he doesn’t let on. He recently came across one of the Danish coins and wished the Sugar Plum Fairy would bring him a box of sugar cubes because his 4th grade class had done some science experiments with sugar cubes he wanted to try at home. The second my husband took him to soccer practice, I went off to buy a box of sugar cubes. Turns out though, sugar cubes aren’t sold in our local grocery stores, so I drove around for almost an hour, to five different stores just to find a box of cubed sugar so that our 9-year-old could hold on to magic just a little longer.
THE MOM WHO KNOWS WHEN TO WHIP OUT THE CAMERA
Crashlee143: I’m really good at capturing sweet moments on camera.
The Mom who has mastered the whisper scream
Amy: 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 spider on the wall? You whisper scream for your husband to come up and kill it, without 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.
The Mom who has school drop-off down to a science
@talsramirez: Let’s not dismiss the clear level of skill involved in getting two boys under the age of six up, fed, dressed, stuff gathered, shoes found, hair brushed, eye crusts wiped and safely delivered to school on time, often BEFORE I’ve had caffeine. I am going to accept this award on my son’s behalf.
The Mom who can remove a splinter
Jessica: 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.
The Mom Who Thwarted a Cake Catastrophe:
Lauren: For my son’s 3rd birthday, the theme was Construction Zone. The cake conveniently fell apart in the taxi on the way to the party, so I scooped up a huge hunk of broken cake and put it into the excavator (or maybe it was a front loader…need to ask my 4 yr old!) and the construction site got a lot more real.
The Mom who never spills her wine
Fannery: I can drink a glass of wine while peeling kid #1 off my leg and wiping up the puke of kid #2, without spilling a drop. I GOT SKILLZ, Y’ALL. I can also inhale a candy bar while hiding in a closet in under 5 seconds. That took some training, because if you take the full 5, they find you and you have to share.
The mom Who knows how to mulit-task
@mscmommylife: I can wear all the babies!
The Mom Who Makes Her Daughter Feel Loved
Melanie: When my daughter was two-years-old, she lost three significant people in her life all around the same time. Her daddy moved out (and disappeared for several months) and her grandparents (who took care of her every weekend while I worked) moved out of state. I have helped her adjust by reminding her she and I are a team and nothing can come between us. I even got a tattoo on my forearm as a visual reminder. I told her that as long as that tattoo is there, she knows I love her, and we are in this everyday together. She is now in kindergarten and doing great with no separation issues, because she knows 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.
The Mom Who knows how to get through the day
Kerri: My mom skill is being able to entertain myself, sometimes at my family’s expense.
The Mom with Excellent Aim
Allison: My mom skill is being able to toss my bra off from the toilet and have it land on the bathroom door handle.
The Mom who Understands the Spectrum
Kelly: 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? 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. I’ve wrestled with meltdowns and insurance companies. 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.
The Mom Who knows how to fit everything in the fridge
@lisacng: I’m pretty awesome at Refrigerator Tetris.
The Mom who is really good at making stuff
Maura: My mom skill is making stuff. Any stuff. Playhouse, twin bed frames, knitted sweaters and hats, sewing halloween costumes, custom cakes, whatever. The best compliment I got from one of my kids was when she brought home her friend’s broken headband because she told her ‘my mom can fix it.” I wanted to cry. I think I did a little. I also love when my girls quickly correct everyone who thinks that daddy is the one building the playhouse out back.
The Mom Who keeps it together for her kids
Cassandra: I am fantastically good at keeping my three children fed, clothed and smiling even though their dad, my husband died unexpectedly this past September. I feed 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 three-year-old has, no matter how illogical. I make baby noises and smile at my 6 month-old so much, she wakes up laughing. Every day, all of us are wearing pants and shoes. I am the best, simply the best at pretending we are fine. And I am proud of that.
The Mom Who sews her own Toys
Jennie: For my son’s birthday, I adapted a pattern to make it look like Lego Emmet.
The Mom Who Can Put Contacts in her Baby’s Eyes
Lauren: My daughter was born with cataracts and has worn contacts since five months old. People always ask me, “Is it hard to put her contacts in?” Hello! I’m putting a tiny clear object into my 17 month-old’s eye! Yes, it is really freaking hard! But I, in my awesome Momminess, get those suckers in every single time.
The Mom who is freakishly good at fixing things
Kimberly: This laptop’s screen was so dim you could barely see it and I found this broken piece and fixed it. I’ve also fixed the iPod my 4 year-old dropped, the audio jack on a speaker that “mysteriously” broke off and a belt that broke after two uses. I glue shattered ceramic figurines and sew all sorts of clothing that has fallen apart. I am really good at fixing things. Like really, really good.
The Mom with Super Sonic Hearing
Kristy: Even though our home is three levels and we have 14 month-old twins, there is no need for a baby monitor. 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. While my super sonic hearing has caused me many sleepless nights, it also saved one of our twins when he started choking/not breathing one night. I was able to swoop him up right away and figure out the problem.
The Mom who thinks her sister-in-law deserves a shout out
Jenna: I’m not good at anything, but my sister-in-law makes kick ass costumes for her son in a wheel chair.
The Mom Who won’t let the food Allergies win
Amy: I am a food-allergy fighting ninja. My ingredient researching skills rival the FBI. My 3 year-old is allergic to thirty foods. Scared of needles? Not me. I can Epi-pen my kid at the gym, at a campfire, heck, right on our kitchen floor. I can provide hours of entertainment at the ER including glove-balloon animals and pre-packed allergy-safe treats. Want a dairy-free s’more at the ER? I got you covered little one.
The Mom Who is Really Good at Explaining Things
Jen: I can boil down really difficult concepts into just a few concise, toddler-appropriate words. Gay marriage? “All families are different. ” Divorce? “Sometimes families change.” What’s a placenta? “Part of mommy’s tummy that feeds your sisters.” Thanks to my skills, my oldest is now able to explain things to her twin sisters. But the best was when she was two and blurted out this jem in the car: “Penis. It’s not a snack.” … awkward pause… awkward pause…”Peanuts. Those are a snack.”
The Mom with the Built-in Milk Factory
Alison: My super power is my breast milk production! I am such a pro at keeping my supply up that I’m able to donate to babies in need— I’ve donated to over five families so far! Just this morning in one pump session, in under ten minutes, I was able to pump 19oz.
Since last time, I had a comment from someone bragging about their mom, I wanted to end with this comment from a grandmother bragging about her daughter.
The Grandma Who is Amazed by her Daughter’s Mom Skillz
Arlene: Can I brag about my daughter? She has three kids less than four years apart. She made herself an Elsa costume a few hours before a Halloween party because her 2 year-old was “Anna” and wanted a sister. The next week, she removed her dishwasher and installed a new one, while all three kids were awake! Her skillz also include throwing a “dried kiwi” birthday party when her 3 year-old insisted that “dried kiwi” was the only theme she wanted. She keeps her kids fed, her house clean and she home schools her 5 year-old. She can watch a YouTube video and learn to do anything! She amazes me!!
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!
I’m so glad my refrigerator tetris skillz made it as your favorites but I’m really inspired by the moms who are super-functioning even in the wake of loss and other hardships.
I am immune to bodily functions. Puke? Not a problem, use my hands as a bucket. Snot? Here wipe it on my shirt. Poop? Doesn’t bother me. This skill has saved me a lot of cleaning cause I always catch it before it hits my floor.
Yess!! This one is crucial, I mastered it before becoming a Mama! I worked daycare (13mo – 25mo children) for 6 years. Snot, poo, vomit, blood…bring it on 😉
Can I have Kimberly’s email? I have a broken Bose speaker dock and I know she’s the woman to fix it! 🙂 Seriously…all these mamas got good skillz! I’m finding out recently that I’ve got amazing potty training skillz…who knew???
19 oz of milk?? That woman is a superhero. I barely could get 6.
Right!? I need her secret.
I am 1/2 of an awesome pancreas. When Type 1 Diabetes smacked our family in the face, my husband and I rolled right along, making sure our 8 year-old daughter never missed a step to her own-beat-kind-of-life. She was blessed with the gift of resiliency for this new normal. I was blessed with mad math skills to calculate carbs and insulin doses, Mommy sixth-sense about pending highs and lows and a knack for quickly explaining just what’s happening (or not happening) in her little body to inquisitive minds of all ages. Did I mention I am the queen of packing her “go bag,” making sure we are ready to face any insulin-dependent issues? Non-functioning beta cells be damned! They have never met a match like this Pancreas Relacement Mommy and her sidekick (with much deserved props), Super Insulin Dad.
anyone who ATTEMPTS to make a “Dried Kiwi” party happen deserves an award!
Getting 4 loads of washing dried and folded in 2 hours, because it was a 32 degree Celcuis spring day here yesterday in Australia. Also, keeping my 3 year old cool calm & collected in the heat while we’re both sick with th flu
#momskillz
I’m honestly most impressed with the bra-throwing one. Serious skill, man. (Though the breastmilk one is a close second.)
I knew I was a kickass momma to my then 11 month old daughter when she began seizing (first febrile seizure). She had congestion and couldn’t breathe so I kicked my OC self to the curb and sucked, yes, SUCKED snot out of her nose. Cos who the heck has time to get a hold of the snot sucker when your baby is turning blue from lack of oxygen?
My mommy skill is something I never, ever in a million years, thought I would have to “brag” about as a Momma. I am a pseudo-mom to my full-care handicapped Father-in-Law. He is in the late stages of Multiple Sclerosis, was diagnosed with Leukemia this past Spring, and with Congestive Heart Failure in August. I do everything. From cleaning up his blowouts (full grown man poop is much messier than baby poop, trust me!) to feeding him every meal, emptying his Foley catheter bag to cleaning his dentures each evening. I dose his meds (almost 40 different medications daily) and take him to the ER just about weekly for something. I get him out of bed every morning (at 6am, might I add!) and take care if his every need all day long, and then tuck him in at night. All while performing the many duties of a wife and Mommy to a 3 year old little boy and 7 year old little girl. When I have to transfer him from bed to wheelchair or wheelchair to bed, and my son is begging me to play, I make it fun for him too. We use a Hoyer lift for transfers so I ask Noah to help me make Superman fly! When we have to take him to one of his many, MANY weekly appointments, I am the master of entertaining my children in waiting rooms. I never imagined myself having to care for someone in this way, but I also couldn’t picture it any it any other way. My husband praises me daily because, as he puts it, he “wasn’t built for this.” He loves his father but it is too much for him. Honestly, it’s often too much for me. But I make it work! I have to. Our life is beautiful chaos <3
I am in awe, and even more so when I saw you have little kids, too!
Thank you, Melanie! It’s very, very tough. Especially on days like yesterday, when he was drowning in his own secretions. By the time we made it to the ER (7th time in 3 weeks) he was in extreme respiratory distress. We almost lost him yesterday. I’m incredibly incredibly thankful that he’s still with us. Even though I know he won’t be much longer; he’s gone downhill SOOO quickly in the past few months. Putting on a brave face is hard, but I have to do it. For my children, who love their grandpa with such fierceness I swear it could move mountains. For my husband, whose heart breaks in silence (he won’t talk about it but I can see it in his eyes as we all stand vigil beside his father’s hospital bed in the ICU Isolation Unit.) And most importantly, I do it for my father-in-law, who deserves all the dignity and respect in the world. His mind and body are failing him. I refuse to.
You’ve brought tears to my eyes. You are amazing!
This is nothing short of amazing. Caring for my elderly parents and in-laws is something that I’m not looking forward to, and scares the $hit out of me, so bravo to you!
I can open and eat snacks super quietly. When I get hungry in the car, I use this skill to secretly eat fruit snacks or granola bars I’d packed for my daughter. At first I only attempted it if I thought she was asleep, but now I can even do it when she’s awake!
Dried kiwi party is hilarious!
Oh my gosh! Meeee too! Fruit snacks can get tricky because if the kids get too close to you, they will smell the strawberry breathe! I know the exact safe distance to keep so they can’t smell them.
I can take a onesie off after a poop-splosion without getting any poop in my kid’s hair. If that’s not a skill, I don’t know what is! 😉
I too can take off a onsie without getting poop or puke on baby! It does take skill. I guess I was lucky enough to get so many time practicing with my little one that now I do it quickly and mess free.
I have a good sense of humor and loved these. So I’m sorry its more serious for me.
Three years ago, my still young husband had a massive, devastating stroke. I had a good job but no support system, and a 10 yo daughter. My husband was not close to his family, my parents were deceased for a few years. I have one sibling I’m estranged from and one in an another state.
We decided to move there. We sold everything, including my mom’s furniture. Upon arriving, UPS lost most of what we sent ahead. We stayed with my sister awhile. My husband began declining and was placed in a nursing home for good.
I have had a hard time finding work. My daughter and I found a modest place of our own, furnished with little. Its been rough.
I guess what I am good at is keeping our hearts full and learning the lesson that happiness can be found under any condition. We visit my husband, and made time to go right before my daughter’s first homecoming, as she’s now 14, so she could let him see her pretty dress and talk about the boy she likes who took her to the dance. She is a cheerleader and an honors student. I guess, though she gets most of the credit, that I’ve done something right.
There won’t be much of a Christmas for her this year, as we now live on our own, and she knows that. But, while I have gotten a little emotional over that, she still wants to listen to Christmas music, bake cookies and decorate a Christmas tree.
I have no idea how I got so lucky with this kid. I’m no Pollyanna. But I still feel that good things are possible and will happen. I think I may have taught her that even when things are as tough as can be, you can have love, happiness, and wonderful things to look forward to!
I am the best at breaking the rules without my son noticing. We have many rules in our house (no treats before dinner, don’t throw anything except balls, etc), and I try to maintain that rules apply to everyone—not just kids. Since my son is only 3, a lot of the rules are pretty restrictive, and I realized after making some of them that they really cramp my style. So, I’ve honed my ability to break the rules, without my hyper-observant son noticing. For example, while cooking dinner I can consume an entire candybar without my son noticing the candy, wrapper, or unexplained chewing. Also, despite a prohibition on throwing things, I’ve tossed dad his keys, cell phone, or a pack of wipes from across the room or down a flight of stairs all unbeknownst to my son. At toy cleanup time I can discretely toss handfuls of blocks and cars into the proper bins, while my son works diligently along side, unaware of the forbidden projectiles. Some of the keys to my superpower include creating a distraction (look, there’s a dog in the yard!), acting nonchalant, and using cover noise (cough! Just as the toy hits the bottom of the box). It’s surprisingly satisfying to get things past a 3 year old!
I have two Mommy skills I am particularly proud of. The first being my ability to change our 19 month old sons diaper while he is literally running down the hallway. I manage to keep the mess contained to the diaper and the diaper is on correctly every time.
My second skill is since the day both of our sons were born, I wake up 6 minutes before our oldest wakes up and 9 minutes before our youngest wakes up. Whether it’s in the middle of the night, or during the day, I wake up every time before they do. My husband thinks I am some freak of nature!
I have always done well with multitasking, but after having twins I feel I am on a whole other level. I have somehow figured out how to feed the lil one year old terrors,cook my husband dinner, walk the dog, squeeze in a round of dishes or laundry, and (as i have recently discovered) put up Christmas tree all in the same hour and keep my sanity to boot. It doesn’t happen every day, but when it does I feel like a rock star.
I am an Angry Bird master. My three year old has been obsessed with Angry Birds for the past year, and during this year, I have learned the names of all the birds. Not just in the original game, but Space and Star Wars as well. My husband is always asking me the names of them. I have also taught myself how to crochet, so I can make him his favourite characters and carry them everywhere. Oh, and I can finally beat the levels he can’t (which he loves).
My mommy skill is taking care of my six kids while my husband works out of state. I can get them up make breakfast and get all seven of us dressed (I use this word loosely) and out the door on time every morning. I’m not great at a number of things but I can keep them all fed and alive while my husband works. It doesn’t always go smoothly like when one of the crazie little people decides to throw a fit for two hours because they suddenly don’t eat chips. I want to pull my hair out at times but I have learned to LOVE bed time!!!
I would actually like to brag about one of my closest friends. She has 4 kids (9yrs., 8 yrs., 7 yrs., and 6yrs. old). One child is on the autistic spectrum. Another is a competitive swimmer. Another is a competitive gymnast. She homeschools (or part time homeschools through a Carter school) all of her children. Finds time to be an ultra-marathoner and is an excellent cook. Oh…and all of this while her husband is on his 8th (yes that is EIGHTH) 7-month deployment. Her super power is just being super mom….or maybe super woman!
I have 3 kids and I occasionally babysit for 2 others. So some days I have 5 kids from ages 8 months to 5 years at home. I am able to smell with my super senses from a room away which kid pooped or farted. Sometimes it comes in handy and keeps me from having to check each diaper/potty training-in-progress underwear for a load. Sometimes I just want to escape the fumes.
I battled and survived PPD/anxiety with my daughter…and chose to have a second knowing I could suffer PPD again…. I had my son three months ago and again battled PPD/anxiety but with a great support team am the first to say I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Warrior mama!
I am an awesome budgeter. My family took a leap almost two years ago and my husband started his painting business AND moved halfway across the country. We did it without bank loans because I squirreled enough money away (not easy on a painter’s pay and waitress tips). The first year was tough and we had to scrape the ole money barrel a few times, but my awesome budgeting skills kept us fed, a roof over our heads, and we didn’t miss a single celebration. My uncles like to joke that my dad can make a penny scream, and I am proud that I can too.
I’m an excellent multi-tasker in general, but my most proud muti-tasking moment was just a couple weeks after my sweet daughter was born. It was Thanksgiving eve, and I was trying to get the pies done with a very fussy newborn. I ended up nursing and making apple pie at the same time. Turned out delicious. #momskillz
All of these #mommyskillz are very impressive and all deserve an award. My Mommy skill is being able to work full time, cook, clean, grocery shop and raise my 4 year old daughter while going through chemotherapy for breast cancer. All she knows is that “mommy has boo boos, mommy sometimes doesn’t feel well, and mommy has a cool new “haircut”. Of course I couldn’t have these super mommy skillz without the love, support and help of my husband who has awesome #daddyskillz.
I can be pretty creative when it comes to getting my kids to eat their veggies. One time that I am particularly proud of is when my 3 year old son did not want to eat his steamed cauliflower one evening. He happened to be complaining that he had the hiccups. I told him that cauliflower makes hiccups go away so if he ate all of the cauliflower on his plate, his hiccups would stop. I could tell that he was trying to figure out if I was telling the truth or not but he quickly ate his cauliflower. I had to keep the surprised look off of my face when I realized he was no longer hiccuping! I simply said: “see, I told you they would stop”.
My Mommy skill is getting my almost 2 year old who is an extremely picky eater to eat healthier foods by hiding the ingredients in sandwiches she likes. I am able to sneak different ingredients into the sandwiches she likes and she has no idea it’s in there! For example grilled cheese. I can sneak turkey or ham in there but you have to shred it finely so she doesn’t get large obvious hunks of meat. Peanut butter easily hides fruits. I can even make a chicken salad sandwich with celery and raisins and she’ll eat it. Any of those ingredients on their own, no way.
I am the queen of crisis management. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May and have since dealt with 20 weeks of chemotherapy, an entire summer of entertaining my son while school was out, first day of school, throwing his 7th birthday party, buying and moving into our first house four days after finishing chemo, and having a full mastectomy a week and a half before Thanksgiving which we are hosting. Don’t get me wrong, I have the help of an awesome network of friends and famy who help. But if I don’t get at least a silver at the Mom Olympics this year I’m calling for a recount.
I have a 15 month old daughter who is energetic, loves learning, very curious, and non stop. My mom skill currently is keeping her entertained and engaged along with everyday mommy / wife tasks while undergoing chemo for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Even being tired and not feeling well she keeps me laughing and loving life!
My mommy skills are supporting all the mommies! Having a baby is hella hard, and the first few months are like being on another planet. I make it my business that when anyone in my life, no matter how close or aquaintancy, has a baby, I set up a meal train, go visit with food and diapers, ask about the birth story, do the dishes, call and shoot the shit about poop and sleep and feeding, run errands for extra boppy covers and velcro swaddles, help with resources for lactation consultants and post partum doulas…and keep on checking in and sending the love as the months go by. Especially if she doesn’t have a mom or sister near by! I’m so lucky that my amazing mama and sister had been through it before me and knew what to do and how to help and I’m s grateful to be able to share the love.
Wish we were friends, dang!
I love these!
I’m not sure I have any mom skillz but I’d like to nominate my mom (the superhero grandma to our precious 18-month-old). My husband and I have been gone (separately) roughly 200 days and counting this year and my mother has selflessly stepped in to flex her mom skills and take care of our son while we fulfilled military obligations. (I guess that makes my mom skill the “I can parent from a war zone” skill). She has done an amazing job making sure the little guy hasn’t missed mom or dad at all and is the happiest, sweetest toddler on the face of the planet. Someone give that lady a cape! Or an iPad mini so that the small human can easily watch all of the video stories we recorded for him. 😉
One of my momskillz is my ability to make the top bunk. As the mom to a boy who has frequent nosebleeds, I get to change the sheets quite often. And I don’t just throw the sheets and blankets up there. No, ma’am, that top bunk has sheets tucked in with hospital corners, just like all of the ground-level beds in the house. I think this momskill was at its peak when I was doing it eight months pregnant!
This is fabulous! Shout out to all the skilled moms. I followed Angie’s link on Fashion By Mayhem’s Facebook page, and entered today on instagram with hashtag #momskillz I’ve shared your post on Pinterest, followed @mommyshorts and @mycharge on Instagram, and signed up for the myCharge newsletter. Thank you for hosting this awesome #Momskillz contest!
I was carrying my 20 month old son across a rocky stream in northern Idaho when my foot slipped. My mom powers took over and I protected that baby. In the words of my husband: She just took it.
Scraped all the skin off my leg, activated my old shoulder injury, smashed my knee into the rocks and landed with my face inches from the water, but that boy was NOT HURT. or wet. Go me!
My mom skilz are making it feel like Christmas even when we have very little. This year has been rough for us financially. My husband lost his job a month before our son was born. It was 4 months before he got a new job. Our rent was raised to astronomical prices. I had to go part time at work to take care of the kids…Christmas this year is going to be skimpy. Max two presents for the kids (one from us one from Santa). We can’t afford a tree and as it would not be safe for our now 9 month old son anyway I had our 6 year old daughter help me paint a giant (half wall sized) Christmas Tree on Canvas. Each day in December she is going to paint/draw/create a new ornament to tack onto our Canvas Wall Tree. Momma is bringing Christmas to our house if it kills her!
I have to brag about my now 91 year old grandmother, who is the mother of 12 extremely creative, intelligent, loving children. I can’t even imagine parenting TWO children, let alone being pregnant for almost 10 entire years of my life. Her mad mom skillz included cooking for 14 on a daily basis, moving around the country at least 5 times with a plethora of kids, and never letting on if a behavior surprised her.
I rock at sleep training my children. When my oldest started sleeping 8 hours at 6 weeks; I would smile and nod when people told me how lucky I was. In my head, I was thinking ” I’m not lucky, I worked my ass off training that baby!” My second slept through the night at 9 weeks. When I was pregnant within the 3rd, everyone said; this one will never be as good a sleeper as the first 2. Well, I proved them wrong. 10 weeks, 8 hours a night! That’s not luck, that is a super mom skill!
I am the master of keeping my three boys from missing me! When my husband and I split up, they were 3, 1, and newborn, and did NOT want to leave me on the weekends to stay with daddy! So I invented the “dream date.” We plan a place to dream about and meet up there in our dreams. We still do it 5 years later, and we love discussing it on Monday after they get home. We’ve gone to pirate ships in the clouds, candy land, Taiwan, Mount Olympus to hang with the Greek Gods… It’s the best and we have never had to deal with separation anxiety!
I am THE ultimate twenty-year-old living-on-her-own student slash single mom. My son is 11 months old, I support the two of us while attending college full-time, and I actually have college funds for both him and me! (His may or may not consist solely of quarters… But a lot of quarters!) I might buy the off-brand diapers, but my little gets THE BEST care, attention, and love he could ever dream of. I have never considered my day-to-day something incredible. When a lot of my friends ask me, “HOW do you do it all?” I usually just reply with a simple, “Oh, it’s not as hard as it looks,” or, “I don’t know; I just do.” But here I will answer, “Because I have the best student mom skillz, and I work my freaking a** off.” It’s nice to brag about myself as a parent… I’ll also just mention I’ve got a pretty nice GPA, too. 😉
I photograph and video tape the crap out of my kiddos! They each get a photo a day album from birth to 1. Than I recently started a second a day video for each year. My 3 year olds is done and my 9 month old will have one in a few months! Plus I blog about them. I can’t get enough of capturing each moment…I know I will appreciate it when they are older. I love having so much to look back at.
The video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3_t6iiiKoo
Blog:
http://www.thejourdans.com
I’m the mom of Superman baby above – but I gotta hand it to pumping mom on not only her copious milk production skills, but also for her generosity to other families, surely putting the hearts of several other moms at ease. Tomorrow is my second birthday as a mom, and I’m making it a tradition (2 years running!) of celebrating MY mom on that day. We all know that she really did most of the work the day of my birth.
[…] wasn’t even truly aware of my growing confidence until I made Scary Mommy’s Mommy Skillz list. I cried when I saw my words and my little Bubba smiling in the ER. Right there on the Internet […]