Hey you....

....my baby is not grumpy, he did not wake up on the wrong side of the bed,  and he is not shy. He just doesn't like creepy strangers in his face.  Would you want to smile for every stranger that came up and talked right in your personal space?

No, I do NOT want you to hold him. You are a creepy stranger. See above.

I don't need assistance. If I do, I will ask. Looking at me condescendingly will not make me want help either.

I don't mind having all boys. Either way I would be busy!

Getting annoyed with my baby's babbling and expecting me to be able to quiet him down is like getting annoyed with the clouds and wishing them not to rain- I get it, you don't want to hear it, but at this point, I can't control it. If I keep him inside for all of his life until he is old enough to know better, he will probably turn out to be the unibomber's next coming.

Sometimes I don't want to smile and talk about "enjoying right now". I am in the middle of enjoying and you, annoying person, are making me enjoy motherhood less.

Don't tell me I look tired. It's the same as saying "you look like %$^!".

He. He's a HE. You can tell by the colors I dress him in.

I'm shopping for groceries with 3 children and you want me to stop and converse with you? REALLY?!?

Don't ever buy a building a volcano set for a child's birthday. It's just mean, mmkay?

Social Media Overload

Lately I feel overwhelmed with the amount of articles everywhere on how to be a better Mom. I especially feel overwhelmed trying to sort through what I should be feeding my children, how I should never yell (I do, it's my fiery Italian side-I'm working on it), how often I should play with my children, whether my house should be clean or dirty, etc. The current trend I have seen is- No yelling (but you should still discipline, but find a way to do that promotes self esteem), do not clean (but be organized), eat organic (but don't, or don't stress over it) play more with your children (but don't get them more toys, be creative), be more flexible (but still have a schedule), don't plan so many activities and extracurriculars for your children (then, again, you probably should).

After reading all this, I am pretty sure I am the world's worst parent. Every time I get on the Internet I feel less sure and more wary of what the heck I should be doing. I've lost the ability to critically think for myself. It's ridiculous.

So this weekend, on this great Holiday weekend, I am shutting it off. No facebook, no email, no twitter, no instagram. I need technology free and I'm going to try to live (and parent) without it.

At least I will for 3 days.