motherhood where sleep is a rumor and laundry
is eternal and somehow we're supposed to be raising
tiny humans through it all we're here to laugh
at the chaos cry when necessary and remind you
that none of us actually know what we're doing
this is no manual a mom cast your mom friend
group chat but with microphones well welcome
back to no manual a mom cast today we're excited
this should be Just kind of like a fun, funny
episode. We're just going to do a bunch of would
you rathers about motherhood. I think we'll probably
try to post these or at least some of these in
stories so you guys can give us your answers
too. But we got a bunch that we think are funny.
We have a couple that are a little sentimental.
Yes. Yeah. So but before we get started, do you
want to start with your mom moment of the week?
I would love to. Well, I guess I wouldn't love
to because mine is like. Yeah. I'll just hop
into it. So this last week, I think it was, so
today, today is Friday. I think this was, no,
it was Monday, Monday, Monday. And like start
kind of started the work week for me. I start
work, my work week on Sundays, but work at the
church. So I'm like at the church on Sundays.
Monday is my first like work from home day of
the week. And I don't know why I just like, hopped
into the week so negatively like my mindset was
just negative and I felt like everything was
going wrong like Cruz was super fussy Colt was
like tantrum central that day and I just like
could not hold it together felt like I just like
wasn't feeling good about myself like felt like
I I just looked fat i was like looking in the
mirror and i was like i just don't feel good
about myself like i don't have time for myself
and just honestly was just feeling sorry for
myself and in every aspect and like michael got
home from work and we like we're facetiming some
of our friends and um my friend kaylee she was
on the facetime and she's like how are you doing
and i was like i i literally just like started
to cry because i was like I just had a really
tough day and I'm going to cry now. And so I
like walked away from the FaceTime and just like
had a moment and just was like, just felt like
I wasn't good enough and just was struggling
in all areas. And Michael was super sweet in
that time. I like, I hadn't had a shower in probably
a week. I felt like I've stunk really bad and
was just gross. So I went to, I got to go take
a shower and that like just changed. changed
everything for me i ate some food that makes
a difference yeah um oh that was the other part
of it too is i had ordered target pickup groceries
felt like a ba like going to actually pick up
the groceries and like felt like we'd accomplished
a lot got home realized like oh the tortillas
i bought were frozen The chicken that we were
going to make quesadillas, chicken quesadillas,
the chicken, leftover chicken we had, we actually
only had one piece of chicken left. Oh, perfect.
And I, like, just didn't account for these things.
So I, like, bought all these groceries, but we
didn't have actually anything that we could make
for a meal. Eat right now, yeah. Yeah. And so
I just felt like I just was, like, on top of
the world and then just, like, not so quickly.
And so that, like, was kind of my breaking point.
And we've ended up like door dashing food that
night. And I felt so much better after that.
It's crazy what eating can do. Yeah. Like some
protein, you know. And so, yeah, I share that
mom moment just like, you know, sometimes that's
just the reality of it. Like those days are tough
and, you know, we get through. But like, I think
we all have those days. Oh, for sure. And I think
any mom who says she doesn't is just lying. Yeah.
Yeah. So yeah. Or like really good at holding
it in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. What's your mom
moment? Well, mine. So Lloyd is at this point
where if he wants something to be over, he just
says all done. So like if I'm feeding Zeta and
he's getting a little impatient, Zeta all done
eating. Zeta all done eating. Like actually she's
not. She literally has been eating for three
seconds. Yeah, so that kind of thing. And yesterday,
I was on my phone putting together our grocery
pickup order. And it was taking a while. And,
like, that's kind of unfair to him. Like, I get
it. But he kept, you know, asking for things.
I was like, buddy, mama's, like, we're getting
groceries right now. You know, keep trying to
tell him, like, what I'm doing. Obviously, I
know he doesn't, like, totally understand this,
but. trying to like communicate this and finally
he just says mom i'll done phone and it was one
of those things that's like simultaneously so
funny and also just like breaking my heart yeah
like yeah i know buddy yeah like you're so over
me looking at my phone i get it also like i'm
not just ignoring you like it feels like i'm
just ignoring you but i am like trying to get
things done like i'm getting you banana chips
you know yeah like this is also for you buddy
but just mom all done phone and he's never said
it before like he says that with other things
all the time but never said that before and then
just like all the mom guilt just like pouring
on immediately right yeah you're like Uh, yeah.
Mommy, all done phone. You chuck it across the
room. Do I need a phone anymore? No. Push it
down the toilet. Yep. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Um, okay.
So let's just hop into these. Would you rathers?
Um, and yeah, I just kind of share a little bit
for each one. Yeah. You go first. Um, okay. First
one is, would you rather step on a Lego barefoot
every morning for a week? So like first thing
when you get out of bed. or would you rather
listen to baby shark on repeat during every car
ride for a month i think the lego really i think
so only because like on repeat for every car
ride that's like it's not just like you guys
take a lot of car rides i feel like we you take
enough for it we take enough and i also feel
like we take enough that are long enough you
know where it's like half an hour of baby shark
you're good that's like 10 rounds of baby shark
yeah that's rough whereas like you can if you
start i mean it does start your day bad if you
just like immediately step on a lego yeah but
then like you can adjust and then the rest of
the day is fine where it's like that means driving
to church's baby shark coming home from church's
baby driving to the store coming home from the
store every single one yeah and and honestly
that's It's not going to just be car ride. It's
going to be in your head for 24 seven. Yeah.
You're never getting that song out of your head.
Yeah. Okay. I think I'm going to go Lego too.
Like, yeah, it sucks for like the first maybe,
maybe minute. Yeah. And yeah, like I'll probably
be pissed off after that for a while, but then
I can move on from my day. And also a month is
a long time. Like one week, a week. Yeah. Can
do it. You'll blink and yeah. And it'll be over.
Yeah. That's good. Okay. Next one. Never have
to pack a lunch or we'll say make or pack a lunch
again or never have to fold laundry again. Never
have to fold laundry again. 100%. I would say
lunch. Really? Yeah. I freaking hate laundry.
I... Well, right now we kind of have a good routine.
Yeah. So I think that's part of it. We're like,
I do laundry Mondays and Tuesdays. And then right
now only murders in the building releases on
Tuesdays. So we put that on and after the kids
are down for bed and I fold laundry. So we have
like a, well, Stuart will help sometimes too
if he's not doing other stuff. So we have like
kind of a good routine and it's like, I feel
like it gets, it's over faster, but lunch. And
it's also only a once a week thing. Yeah, that's
good. I don't have a routine like that. It's
chaos. And honestly, if we could afford a laundry
service, I would 100 % pay a laundry service
to my laundry. Yeah, if I could have lunch delivered
every day, I probably would. And even that, like
thinking about what I want to order, that's a
lot. I think we just like we consistently keep
lunches the same. So it's like I don't really
have to think about it. We have like two or three
like same kind of like entree things for it.
And then like the sides are just like rotating
veggies and fruits. Yeah. That makes sense. And
so I don't put a ton of thought into it. It's
more just like throwing it on the plate. Yeah.
So laundry. I just. Yeah. Laundry. I've talked
about laundry a lot on this podcast. I know a
lot of people like you included hate laundry.
It's not a chore like that for me. So I don't
know. That's good. See, I'd rather clean a toilet
any day. I mean, I don't, I just don't have a
routine of cleaning our bathrooms, which is.
Yeah. I mean, I don't really either, but. Yeah.
Laundry. I think I have a pretty good routine,
except for I hate our, this is a tangent, but
I hate our washer dryer. Really? We have all
Whirlpool appliances and I will literally never
spend money on a Whirlpool appliance after my
experience with all of the ones we have, but
especially a washer and dryer. It is awful. yeah
yeah i our washer and dryer is like it's so deep
that like i literally almost have to fall into
the washer to like get the random socks at the
bottom like step stool climbing yeah i am not
a tall person either i'm five two and so like
it's yeah it's like it's a chore in itself to
get Get this stuff out of there. That's fair.
That's annoying. Okay. Next one. Would you rather
have an endless supply of coffee or Dr. Peppers
in your case or an endless supply of patients?
I feel like if I had an endless supply of patients,
the caffeine wouldn't matter as much. Yeah. Not
to say it wouldn't matter just as much. That's
true. That's like, it's kind of like a. Give
me the patience and I don't need the, I don't
need the caffeine. Like I would still want it.
And I'm sure, but if it was like, if I had endless
patience, the days that like, I don't have a
Dr. Pepper cold in the fridge or I can't get
to Sonic or whatever. I wouldn't be as annoyed
or like it wouldn't feel because you'd be patient
about it. You're like, I will get my Dr. Pepper
when I can, when I can. Yeah. Yeah. I would go
patients on this one too. I just feel like, uh,
especially with two young kids, patients can
be a lot more difficult for me on certain days.
For sure. Some days I'm like, I'm rocking it.
Like patience comes easy. And it's the very next
day that you're like, I used all my patience
yesterday. So it's gone today. Yeah. And it's
like, if I woke up every hour last night, my
patience is very thin. Yeah. Yeah. So if I could
be patient at all times, I would love that. I
also feel like extremely patient people, like
overly patient people come off very monotone.
sometimes yeah or they can I guess and I don't
want to be that but I just want to like I don't
know be a fun patient person yeah yeah I don't
know what that looks like but you know patients
I'm I'm constantly working on patients and I
know there's certain things that can set me off
patients wise me too and so yeah but caffeine
I'm a big caffeine person now I It's surprising
to me, like when I was pregnant with Colt, I
did not have one sip of caffeine. That's impressive.
Which was very impressive. However, when I was
pregnant with Cruz, I did not follow that guideline.
Yeah. And I did drink a lot of caffeine. And
now, like if I don't have a coffee in the morning
and a Diet Coke in the afternoon, I don't know
what I've done with my life. Because then when
6 p .m. hits, it's like, wow. I'm like, I either
go to bed or I need to have. caffeine like a
late caffeine yeah intake and then you're like
am i gonna fall asleep who knows yeah and then
we run into the same issue the next day because
i slept terribly and now i need caffeine yeah
okay all right next one would you rather have
a spotless house that stays clean for a week
or personal chef that cooks every meal i think
i would go personal chef well no I'm going to
go spotless house that stays clean for a week.
I feel like my husband kind of is my personal
chef. Also, is this just like one week out of
your life? It's very weird. Yeah. I would say
a week for both. Because if it's a personal chef
for forever, I think I would. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
I think I would have to go with a clean house.
Partially because I don't know if you feel this
way, but I know for me. once i like start to
get a little bit behind on like tours or like
the house gets messy it's just downhill from
there and then it's like years before we get
back but if i once it's clean once i have the
day where like somehow i have this energy to
get everything clean and tidied and find spots
for all the stuff that just like randomly builds
up when i like when it gets clean i'm pretty
good at keeping it that way yeah it's just like
as soon as that effort to get to that To that
point. It was really tough. Yeah. Yeah. No, I
feel that. I feel like when my house is really
messy, it's a good mental picture of what my
brain looks like. Yes. And if my house is clean,
then I've, I don't know, there's correlation.
Yeah. i feel the same yeah and i generally like
cooking oh that's good i'm not a huge fan of
cooking i like cooking it is more stressful now
like i used to like really enjoy cooking and
that's something like stewart and i would do
together for fun and now a lot of times it's
just what can you make sure everyone is eating
so we're not all grumpy yeah yeah but yeah generally
i like cooking so i would say if i had to choose
one spotless house um okay next one would you
rather get spit up Down your shirt right before
leaving the house. I would say, like, front of
your shirt and inside of your shirt to add another
layer. Or have your toddler spill an entire cup
of milk in the car seat. Get spit up on. Yeah.
You can change your shirt. Like, if they spill
milk in the car seat, your car is going to smell
like sour milk until. Until what? You throw out
the car seat? Yeah. Until you get a new car.
Yeah. Forever. Oh, yeah. Whereas like you can
change your shirt if you're a few minutes late
to something annoying, stressful. Yeah. But survivable.
I would also add that spit up. I have not found
a great way to get spit up stains out of my shirt.
Like I feel like spit up has. stained so many
of my shirts and i don't know if it's because
i'm not like throwing it in the wash like right
away i mean i don't do that and i feel like i
don't have a tennis that's good maybe it's just
my kids i don't know but yeah i don't know anyways
tangent i would agree with you spit up cleaning
the car seat is a chore that i hate in general
i and they take forever to dry it's like yeah
most car seats now you can take all the like
padding and stuff out and throw it in the washer
but You're not, I don't think you're really supposed
to put it in the dryer and it's just like forever
to dry. Yeah. And then you're like locked in
and not going somewhere. You're committed to
not going somewhere for however long that whole
process takes. It's just, yeah. I feel like that
was, that's an easy one of like. Yeah. It's easy
to change your shirt, wipe yourself off. It's
annoying for sure, but I think it's more annoying
to have a. an entire cup of milk spilled on the
car seat for sure because then also if they're
spilling it in the car seat that means it's also
getting other places in the car that you can't
throw in the wash all over themselves which you
can't throw them in the wash either but yes they're
clothes you can yeah okay have your baby finally
sleep through the night but wake up at 4 30 a
.m or keep the 2 a .m wake up but get to sleep
till late keep the 2 a .m wake up 100 yeah I
mean, maybe that's partially because that's basically
the season I'm in right now. Only I get up at
6 .30 instead of 8. But starting your day at
4 .30? No, thank you. I'd be crashing by lunchtime
for sure. I'd be crashing... Probably before
that. Yeah. I crash at 10 a .m. and I don't get
up at 4 .30 every day. But also, I feel like
I get my best sleep from like... Three to seven.
Yeah. Yep. Like after that wake up. Yeah. Yeah.
No, I agree. If I can get like right now, I mean,
Cruz is kind of going through a sleep regression,
but if he's like right now on a good night, he's
waking up twice. And that's that like last three
hours that I can get. If I can get like a solid
three hours, I can, I can. So much better. Yeah.
So this is. a little bit of a tangent, but it's
related, was Zeta. She would sleep through the
night if we let her. I'm supposed to be getting
her up to feed her. And they finally, like, the
recommendation was every three to four hours.
Last appointment, they recommended five to six
hours. Oh, nice. Which is really nice, but what
was happening was I would do a dream feed at,
like, 10 p .m. or something like that, and then
six hours gets you to 4 a .m. Mm -hmm. And I
finally figured out I would rather have a shorter
window and feed her at 3 than feed her at 4 because,
again, I get up at 6 .30, between 6 and 6 .30.
So that means if I feed her between 4 and 4 .30,
by the time I get back to sleep, I have like
maybe an hour and a half before my alarm goes
off. Yeah. And that's way worse than getting
up at 3, getting her back to sleep, and then
having like another three hours. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All I have to say, wake up
in the middle of the night once, especially,
I mean, I guess it also kind of depends on your
kid, but if your kid just like eats and goes
back to sleep. Great. Then if it's a whole like
situation, then yeah. Yeah. Are you changing
Zeta's diaper at that time too? Not usually.
Yeah. The other night we did because we knew
she had a poopy diaper and she had been up. a
whole bunch of times so that was a whole different
thing yeah but yeah typically she doesn't really
get a dirty diaper at night and so i'm like i'm
fine with her being being wet wet and i would
rather her i'd rather not change her because
also like it's not like she wakes up with like
a huge wet diaper that I, you know, feel bad
about. It's yeah. I would try to try to not wake
her up as much as possible. Yeah. I feel like
we're going through this phase. I don't know
what it is, but this is a tangent again where
I have to change Cruz's diaper in the night or
he's going to wake up soaked through. And so
I'm like, I might try the double diaper thing
that I've seen people do or. like sizing up for
night diapers, but then cruise would be in a
bigger diaper than cold, which is just crazy
to me. But I, I hate changing diapers in the
night. It's yeah. Like if I can just like wake
up, latch cruise and like, then we can go back
to sleep. That is, it's not a huge deal for me.
Yeah. And, but if it's the whole, like, wake
up like i need a little bit of light to change
the diaper yeah but i know if i don't change
his diaper in the night right now then it's like
he's waking up frustrated at six in the morning
because he's soaked through then i have to change
his diaper and his outfit take the sleep sack
off like wash the sleep sack yeah all the things
yeah so i don't know that was a tangent but i'd
still rather wake up in the night than wake up
super early Me too. Okay. Would you rather deal
with a diaper blowout in the middle of a photo
shoot? That's funny. Or have your toddler scream
poopy during a quiet moment at church? That's
funny. I kind of wouldn't mind either. Like not
that I would want either to happen, but like
said blowout during a photo shoot. I feel like
it's frustrating in the moment, but then in like
10 years, I'm going to look back at these pictures
and be cracking up and it's going to be a funny
story. Yes. All of that. And I feel like most
photographers are going to be pretty understanding.
Yeah. But like, I mean, you usually have like
a time limit, but I feel like the photographer
is going to be understanding. At our church,
I feel like everyone would just think it was
funny. Oh, for sure. I think I'd go. Like, same
thing. I wouldn't mind either. I think I'd rather
go the toddler screaming poopy during a quiet
moment at church just because I would, of course,
I'd be like, oh, my God. But I think I would
think it would be so funny. And, like, that would
be just the funniest story to tell. For years.
For years and years. And it would be hilarious,
like, if it was a really quiet moment. And then
if you could hear it, like, on the live stream.
Yes. Just this toddler just yelling poopy. I
mean, I would save that and blackmail my child
for years. Oh, for sure. Yeah. Yeah. I think
if I had to choose, I would probably say that
one too. Yeah. Because also it's over faster.
Yeah. Yeah. The blowout is like a whole situation.
It's a process. You have to like outfit change.
Do you have an outfit that works for, you know,
continuing pictures? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Next one.
Would you rather get one full night of uninterrupted
sleep or a house that magically cleans itself
for 24 hours? One full night of uninterrupted
sleep. Yeah, I haven't had that. Well, we went
on a staff retreat a couple weeks ago, and I
did get one full night of uninterrupted sleep,
and it was glorious. I have a tough time with
this one, too, just because, again, I feel like
if the house was clean, then it, for the most
part, continues to be clean, but then the sleep.
Yeah. The sleep sounds nice. But then I'm less
stressed if the house is clean. Yeah. I think
I would go with a magical house if I had to choose.
Yeah. I think that's totally fair. I think that
there's been so many times recently where I've
asked Michael if we have enough money to hire
a house cleaner just to like deep clean our house
one time. Yeah. Because then I feel like I can
keep it that way. But it's the... process of
getting to that that feels so daunting to me
and i don't want to do it because it just i'm
like i'm already exhausted and now i don't want
to clean my floorboards you know yeah so yeah
i wish we could afford a house cleaner yeah um
okay would you rather this is the same kind of
vibe have your toddler loudly announce your boobies
in public so just yelling boobies or have them
yell mommy farted in a crowded elevator I feel
like maybe mommy farted. Really? I don't really
know. It does depend on the circumstances for
both. Where are you? You're going to the pediatrician's
office. Honestly, I feel like that's kind of
like whatever. And again, for public, you're
at the zoo. Everyone else there has kids. Everyone
else there's kids are saying the same things.
I don't know. This is such a toss up for me.
I'm going to change it a little bit. Would you
rather have your toddler loudly announce your
boobies in a courtroom or have them yell mommy
farted in a crowded elevator up to you're on
your way to a CEO's office and you have a bunch
of business men in the elevator. I think I'm
going to still go with mommy farted. Okay. I
mean, that's kind of where we're at right now
anyways is maybe like everyone toots. Everyone
toots. Mom toots. Dad toots. Zeta toots. Ricky
toots. I think I would go with the boobies one.
Just same vibe. I think it'd be funny. Again,
story for years for sure. Both of them actually.
Honestly, and if it was in a courtroom, I think
I'd just like grab him and just like walk out.
Yeah. I would think it was hilarious. Maybe not
the time and place for it. Of course. But whereas
in the elevator, I feel like I'd have to like
explain myself like, no, I didn't fart. I promise.
If you smell anything, it wasn't me. It was my
toddler. Yeah. He's blaming me. Yeah. Yeah. So
that's funny. Okay. Next one. Would you rather
step on an old banana slice barefoot at midnight?
Or realize mid -drive that you forgot the diaper
bag and it's blowout o 'clock. Step on a banana
slice. Same. Yeah. I think, like, it's going
to freak you out for a second. Then you're going
to realize what it is. You're fine. Yep. Mid
-drive. Yeah. Especially, like, the assumption
on this is that you are going someplace, which
means you either have to go to that place. with
a blowout turn around yeah stop at a store like
still have to get the kids out with the blowout
yeah yeah versus just like oh now i have to like
go clean my foot up foot off like it does give
you that like panic moment of like what the did
i just step on yeah but But once you figure it
out, you're over it. Again, I think something
momentary, I'm much more inclined to lean towards
than anything that's like, oh, this is a process
to deal with. Yes. Yes, for sure. And I feel
like I step on the most random things already.
Oh, for sure. I probably stepped on a banana
slice in the past week. Yeah, that's why I picked
this one. I was like, I've definitely stepped
on a banana slice in the past week. Lots of weird
slimy things that I've stepped on. Yeah. Okay.
Would you rather have your toddler repeat your
swear word in front of grandma or call your pediatrician
mom by accident on the phone? So you call your...
Swear word. Yeah. Yeah. So when I think about
it with both grandmas, so my mom and my mother
-in -law, my mother -in -law would be mortified
and she'd be like, I can't believe you taught
him that. And then we would just roll our eyes
and move on. My mom would probably either think
it's funny or just ignore it, which also... Because
Lloyd has repeated some things that we've said.
And we have just treated it like a normal word.
And like we haven't. You haven't made a big deal
out of it. Yeah, we've probably laughed. Yeah.
But. like he's not like going and repeating it
right but we haven't been like lloyd do not say
that so he yeah so then he just like moves on
like we laugh at it the same way he does when
mom tooted right like that's funny and then we
move on so the few words that he has picked up
he hasn't repeated so that is my pro tip with
swearing is just like treat it like another word
because as soon as you make a like don't say
that they're gonna want to say it more and then
yeah do you think you're because it's like saying
it to grandma so saying it to either your mom
or stewart's mom do you think they would react
in like a oh like lloyd we don't say those words
that's probably how my mother -in -law would
act i think my mom would probably just laugh
and move on that's my guess yeah i would i would
agree with you on that i think that everyone
would would laugh yeah i mean i yeah i feel like
maybe my stepmom would be like oh my gosh what
are you teaching it yeah yeah well i think with
that one there's also an extent of every kid
does this at some point in time like i don't
think i've heard everything a single parent who
has kids toddlers or older been like that didn't
happen to us you know there's always at some
point a word you don't want repeated repeated
at a bad time so I don't know. Like, I feel like
that's kind of just like a rite of passage almost.
I'm like, it's going to happen. Yeah. And then
maybe we have to like correct something like,
oh, that's not a word we use everywhere. Yeah.
But also it's kind of funny. Yeah. Because they
don't know what they're saying. They're just
repeating. Yeah. Okay. Next. Would you rather
go to bed at 9 p .m. but get woken six times
or stay up until midnight but sleep uninterrupted?
Stay up until midnight, but sleep uninterrupted.
Definitely. We're already night owls. So going
to bed at 9 p .m. honestly isn't like super appealing
to me. And I really don't think I could fall
asleep. I would have to be really tired. Yeah.
So honestly, the staying up till midnight, we
pretty much stay up until midnight most nights.
Like 11 -ish is kind of when we go to bed. Just
the sleeping and interrupted part is the appealing
part to me. Well, and I can, when I think back
on like not just motherhood, but the times in
my life when I haven't gotten much sleep, like
there's one situation I can think of in particular
where I think I got like three hours of sleep.
To be fair, I was also like 23 or something like
that. But because it was, it was also, it was
a stressful situation, but. it's like my body
knew that's all the sleep i was gonna get and
tried to like compensate for it yeah versus like
when you keep getting woken up that's way worse
yeah because you're like expecting yeah more
sleep but you're like okay that was it go go
back to bed and then you almost get in that deep
sleep and then yeah or you are in that deep sleep
and get woken up from that which is the worst
it's the worst yeah okay um This is a sentimental
one. Would you rather rock your baby to sleep
one more time or hear your toddler's belly laugh
on repeat? I don't know if I can pick one. I
know. It's so tough. I've been feeling super
sentimental about Zeta the past couple weeks
because I feel like she's just gone through a
growth spurt developmentally where she's crawling
and she... feels like more of a kid now instead
of just a baby she's babbling and interacting
way more and so i'm like where do my just tiny
little peanut baby go yeah and that belly laugh
is just the best it's the best i would say for
me i would do the rock your baby to sleep one
more time yeah i'm thinking about colt specifically
like we still have our moments of like he wants
to just snuggle and go to sleep in my arms which
i try to just take it all in because i know that
one time doing that it's going to be the last
time i get to do that and that it literally makes
me want to cry when i think about that too much
because i'm like one day this is just it's just
gonna be gone it's gonna be gone But I think
about him as a little baby. And I used to rock
him to sleep every single night. And many times
per night, too. Yeah. I think I would say the
same. Partially because I feel like the toddler
stage and the belly laugh lasts a little bit
longer. So you have that. And if we're talking
practically, you can get a video of that. Yes.
You could put it on repeat, I guess. Yeah. Where
it's like, I have videos of Lloyd laughing super
hard. again in 10 20 years when i'm feeling sentimental
i can go back and look at and i know it's not
gonna be the same as like being with him in the
moment laughing yeah but rocking your baby like
you don't get you can look at pictures of them
a little but that physical physical like feeling
yeah my sweet infant newborn yeah yeah today
i actually before i came over cruise like fell
asleep on my chest without nursing to sleep and
like that's a rare occasion for him because usually
when it's me holding him and he wants to go to
sleep he wants to just he wants to nurse and
have that comfort too but he was so tired that
he just like he just laid on my chest and just
fell asleep and i was like oh my god this is
like the best moment of my life right now and
it was really hard to put him down and but i
did yeah All right. Would you rather keep them
little a bit longer or jump ahead to see the
amazing person they'll become? Keep them little
a bit longer. I think so, too. I like there's
so many times that I think about like, oh, when
they're teenagers or whatever and how how I already
feel like I'm grieving them like not being little
anymore while they're still little. Yeah. Like
I just I do feel like we're living. the good
old days right now yeah and these moments right
now with them being little are the moments that
i'm gonna look back on and wish i was still in
and so i think yes this season is so difficult
in so many ways because we're exhausted it's
like we're navigating so many things and working
and all the things and it's so hard but like
if they could just stay little for forever I
think I would want that. And I think one of the
things about them being little is you get this
excitement of looking forward to that. Right.
Where it's like, if you just like jump ahead,
then you miss almost seeing this like puzzle
fall into place of like who this little person
is and who they're going to become, which I'm
like, I am so excited to see and like start actually
hearing opinions, not just the like little sentences.
And, you know, so I am so excited to see that.
But I also get to look forward to that. And I
think on the hard days of them being little,
that is kind of like a solace or whatever. It's
like, oh, but what about in the future when,
you know, whatever. Yeah. Yeah. I think keep
them a little bit longer. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Last.
Yeah. Last one. Would you rather have one day
where they never cry, whine or tantrum? Or one
day where you don't feel mom guilt at all. I
feel like when we first put this list together
and I read this one, I was thinking no cries,
tears, or tantrums. And now I think I'm feeling
no mom guilt. Tell me your reasoning. Because
I think when I first read this, I was like, oh,
well, the less they're crying and tantruming,
the less mom guilt I'll feel. But I think there's...
But I mean, we've talked about this, like there's
mom guilt for like every single little thing.
Oh, for sure. And I think I can handle a lot
of that if there's like not a complex with it.
Yeah. You know, we're like, honestly, I hate
to say it this way. I don't mind tantrums too
much. Yeah. When I'm in a space to handle it.
Yes. Like if I'm feeling good that day, like
got some fine sleep and like haven't had enough
to eat and stuff like that. Then when Lloyd throws
a tantrum, I can fairly easily like sit down
with him and like. I'm calm. Yeah. And I think
a lot of times why the whining and tantrums feel
so tough is because of the mom guilt. Yeah. Where,
you know, it's like he's whining because I'm
working and can't pay super close attention to
him or he's whining because I'm cooking dinner
and I'm not paying attention to him. And there's
like all the guilt that comes with that. of like
i wish i could like set the thing i'm doing aside
to take care of you so yeah yeah no i i agree
with you i i feel like a lot of my i feel like
these two kind of correlate for me too i feel
like a lot of my mom guilt comes after a tantrum
and how i've handled the tantrum yes and a lot
of it has to do with like okay yeah what type
of energy am i going into the day with? And then
how am I regulating myself? And I feel like I'll
put the caveat on this, that it's like unnecessary
mom guilt too. Not like the actual like conviction
of like, I shouldn't have done that that way.
Cause I think that's the guilt of like, yeah,
yeah. That you should not be feeling. Yeah. Um,
but I feel like, yeah, I feel like if I could
go a day without mom guilt, especially on like
those, I would say the days that I feel it the
most are my work from home days. When I'm having
to maybe put some more energy into my work than
I want to. And it's take potentially taking away
from like the energy I could put towards my children.
Yeah. Those are the days that I feel the most
guilty. And it's not necessary. And it's just
if I could go a day without that, that would
be I think that would. not only help me mentally
but it would help my kids mentally for sure because
i think they can they can totally feel my energy
oh yeah and then it's like we bounce it off each
other and it's yeah if mom's energy isn't good
then they're having more tantrums and whining
and yeah yeah i would agree yeah so Well, we'd
love if you guys could interact in social media
and let us know what you would rather. I also
feel like that wasn't that interesting because
we agree on so many things. I know. I know. There
weren't many debates. No, there weren't. But
yeah, I feel like maybe you guys would have some
different thoughts and opinions. Yeah, we'll
post some stories. Yep. And just let us know
what you guys would rather do. Yeah. Okay, do
we want to hop into our wins of the week? sure
i can start with mine so yesterday was just like
awful so i got up and fed zeta at three which
is super normal and then she woke up again around
4 4 15 stewart tried to get her down didn't work
i fed her she woke up again at 5 30 this time
lloyd woke up with her so yesterday i was up
basically from 3 a .m because i didn't really
fall back to sleep after that first feed just
all day yeah so from 3 a .m through the whole
day so like starting the day off you know super
super great but also there's a thursday which
means it's the day that stewart's gone in the
evening because of course why would it happen
you know any other day yeah fridays are a short
day obviously not going to happen on that day
yeah so Yeah, so it was just, like, a really
long day, obviously. And then everyone's tired.
Zeta, of course, is looking cute and like, oh,
who me? Like, I wasn't the one who woke up at
530 this morning. Yeah, so it was just, like,
a really long day. And, of course, bedtime was
not good. Zeta, like, was fighting naps. So I
don't know if she's going through something,
too. Yeah, but so bedtime was off literally an
hour of tears before Zeta fell asleep, which
also, since Zeta and Lloyd share a bedroom, that
means. He wasn't falling asleep. And the second
Stuart texted me that he was on his way home,
they fell asleep. Of course. But so my win is
like, honestly, just that I survived. And even
by the time it was like, by the time Stuart got
home, we like put on a show and. I was able to
come down from it and like not let it ruin my
evening, which I don't think I normally do. Even
like Stuart commented and he was like, you're
like happy and giggly right now, which I was
fully prepared for you to just like, don't talk
to me. Yeah. Um, you're like, I'm actually delusional
right now. Right. So yeah, I think my win is
just that like one, I survived the day fairly
well. I mean, I lost a couple of times. Um, definitely
lots of tears but yeah so lost it a couple times
definitely cried a lot but got to the end of
the day survived and was also able to then have
an evening where it's like i actually recovered
from it instead of just like letting it weigh
me down yeah for the rest of the night yeah um
i feel like that's really easy to do and i mean
that's i feel like that's my normal your normal
like experience yeah it's like Today was terrible
and now tonight's terrible too. And that's how
it's going to happen. And so to be able to just
like calm down and enjoy some time with Stuart
before going to sleep. That's good. That's really
good. What about you? My win. So Cruz just started
sitting up this week, which it happened at church,
which was really cute. And he just, when he sat
up for the first time at church, it was. like
he was so proud of himself and his like little
legs like started kicking and he's like giggling
and so now like he's just like constantly he
like starts on his belly like rocks up and is
sitting and he like has his legs like really
wide it's so cute and he's like he's a really
chunky boy and so it's like his little fat rolls
are just kind of like sitting there too and um
i just feel like that has like opened up a whole
new world for him and like playing and he's like
wanting to like sit there and just like just
play with toys for a really long time also makes
life easier for you at least that's how it has
been since Zeta started sitting up or like yeah
she can do more and so she's less sad and frustrated
because she's sitting up and like a part of things
more yes and I think yeah he's just like so proud
of himself sitting there he's had a couple times
of like he falls back and hits his head and it
cries but he he just wants to sit there and play
for 10 -15 minutes and it just yeah it's opened
up a whole new world for us and yeah he's not
as frustrated because he can't like interact
as much and so I think it's cool to see like
a glimpse of like oh he's soon it's going to
be Colt and him playing together yeah and that's
exciting to me and That's so fun. Also sad because
I'm like, oh, my God, he's growing up. Like,
where did my newborn go? Yep. So, yeah, that's
just it's really cute and fun to see those milestones
hit and be a part of them. Yeah. All the milestones
that before you had kids, you're going to be
like, I don't know. Like, I'm sure I'll be excited.
But then somehow when you're a mom, it's just
like the best thing ever. Oh, my gosh. It's so
fun. Yeah, it really is. And I can't imagine
missing those milestones. Yeah. Yeah. Well, thanks
for tuning in today, guys. Yeah, like I said,
interact with us on social media. Follow us at
No Manual Podcast. And, yeah, we'd really love
to hear kind of what you would rather do in some
of these cases. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks for listening,
and we'll see you next week. See you next time.
Well, that's enough oversharing for today. If
you enjoyed hanging out with us, hit subscribe
so you don't miss the next round of chaos. And
if you're listening while hiding in the bathroom
from your kids, no judgment. We see you. Thanks
for joining us on No Manual Momcast, where motherhood
is messy. At least we can laugh about it together.