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10 Things All Moms Say All Summer Long

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Aaah. Summer. We yearn for it the last two months of the school year, but when it gets here, we’re snapped back to reality. Being with our kids and entertaining them all day long is not for the weak. In fact, I would say that you have to have super human strength not to yell and lose your mind.

Some days I’ve got that, some days, I don’t.

And, more often than not, I’m plagued by my own words. Hearing myself repeat the same 10 phrases all summer long has me wondering why I ever complained about packing those lunches. I mean, really, packing lunches wasn’t that bad. Was it?

10 Things All Moms Say All. Summer. Long.

So, in no particular order, here are 10 things all moms say, all summer long.

  1. Shut the door!!!! SHUT THE DOOR! Shut the FREAKING DOOR. It’s like they don’t even realize they are air conditioning the whole neighborhood, and in one phrase, I’ve suddenly become my father.
  2. Why is this wet? Having three kids at home surprisingly directly correlates to how many wet things you’ll find. Whether it be a toddler locking himself in the bathroom to create his own splash pad, or your 7 year old dripping what looks like the remnants of a popsicle across the entire front section of your home, there is always something wet in the summer. And, there will definitely be a mom asking, Why is this wet?
  3. Hang up your towel!! Towels rotting on the floor for days is just a common occurrence in the summer. And, yet, we can never seem to find one when we really need it.
  4. Who left the water hose running? Let them drink from the hose they said. It will be like a 1970’s summer they said. Well, water costs a lot more in 2016 and let me just say that water hose never seems to stop running.
  5. You will NOT spend the whole summer watching TV. Play outside. I love TV as a babysitter as much as the next mom, but how much Alvin and the Chipmunks can you listen to in the background before you lose your mind? The answer is 1/2 an episode. That’s right, half an episode, and my kids are getting kicked outside to play and get sweaty.
  6. You’re hungry again? Summer means that there are suddenly 72 snacks to eat, and 48 meals. I don’t get the math either, but that’s how many wrappers I wander around my house picking up on any given day. So, when they come in and say I’m hungry, this will always be my response. Because my guess is they just ate 8.2 seconds ago.
  7. It is not my job to entertain you. We’ve had a busy summer so far, and as far as I remember, there has been one day where we had nowhere to go and we stayed home all day. I sat my kids down and let them know that I was not a fun machine. Go create some fun on your own. I’m not running a carnival up in here.
  8. Play with your toys! My kids have this thing called a playroom. You’d think I had given them a death sentence when I tell them to go – imagine this – play in it. Build a freaking lego house, or do something with the eleventy billion stuffed animals you claim you need. There are kids that don’t even have toys.
  9. No you can’t have a friend over again. I do not have snacks to feed 12 children that wander in and out of my house every day, and you can play with your siblings. That’s kind of the point of siblings. So, I’m sorry if I say no every once in a while to asking every single hour if there is a friend you can play with. We kind of created friends for you to play with. And, I don’t have the patience for additional children every day.
  10. You’re bored? How about I give you a chore to do then? It’s amazing how quickly the word chore can make children scatter like cockroaches when you flip the light on. Just one little word – chore – holds all the power you need this summer, parents. Use it. You can thank me later.

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What’s one phrase you find yourself repeating all summer long? If you liked this post I have a meme to go with it to. Click on the link below to share it! Or share this post. I’ll love you forever.

Things All Moms Say Summer

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7 Comments

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Comments

  1. LV Burns says

    July 14, 2016 at 11:14 am

    Number 2 had me laughing so hard that I teared up! My daughter always has something wet in her room. – lol

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      July 14, 2016 at 11:40 am

      Glad you could relate! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Ella says

    June 6, 2017 at 2:14 am

    OMG! Summer vacation is comming up and I already know this is going to be the case again… especially the “i’m bored” part and the “it is not my job to entertain you”… priceless! My sons also seem to think that I am supposed to be their 24 hour entertainer… giving them 10 options of what they could do is not good enough, they want me to actually join them and do everything with them all-day-long! Oh well, i guess the cooking, cleaning and laundry can wait 5 weeks, no problem 😉 Thanks for this relatable post!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. DIY Outdoor Gravel Pit Play Area -- Tatertots and Jello says:
    June 27, 2016 at 5:00 am

    […] If you’re about to lose your mind with how much you repeat yourself in the summer, you might like my funny post about 10 Things All Moms Say All Summer Long. […]

    Reply
  2. Make Your Own Outdoor Gravel Pit Play Area - Perfection Pending says:
    August 10, 2016 at 5:00 am

    […] If you’re about to lose your mind with how much you repeat yourself in the summer, you might like my funny post about 10 Things All Moms Say All Summer Long. […]

    Reply
  3. A Real Mom's Guide To Surviving Summer - Perfection Pending says:
    July 11, 2018 at 10:41 pm

    […] I do want to enjoy it (as much as one can). But, I also get to the end of my rope repeating all my familiar phrases of summer over and over. It can be tempting to straight up lock them out of the […]

    Reply
  4. 50 Summer Boredom Busters for Kids - Perfection Pending says:
    January 30, 2019 at 8:36 pm

    […] 10 Things All Moms Say All Summer Long […]

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Welcome! I’m Meredith.

Mom. Writer. Diet Coke connoisseur. Born and raised Texan. Lover of real talk and laughter with a hint of sarcasm mixed in.

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Meredith Ethington

perfectpending

Mom • Author • Mental Health Therapist In Training
Grab my new book, The Mother Load, available now. 👇👇

Night night! 😤 Night night! 😤
If you missed my last post about how raising teens If you missed my last post about how raising teens can wreck you mentally….wellll this is part of the reason why. So lonely! But we are in this together somehow. 😂 Make sure to check out my latest substack and grab a copy of my book —- The Mother Load!
NEW ---> "When there are problems in these big kid NEW ---> "When there are problems in these big kid years, it’s no longer really acceptable to call a friend and air the annoyances of the situation. At least not the specifics.

Sure, you can commiserate with a fellow parent about teenagers being the worst.

But, to be honest - they’re not the worst. They’re kind of amazing. But their problems make me tired to my core." 

Read the latest on my substack. I promise you'll relate. ❤️
So sweet. ❤️ Follow me @perfectpending and bet So sweet. ❤️
Follow me @perfectpending and better yet buy my book or subscribe to my substack to support me.
"I don’t know about you, but I don’t really wa "I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want same-ness anymore. I want messy. I want admissions that shit is hard and we don’t have it all together. I want to have a makeup free, messy bun in my sweats run in with a mom friend and not feel worried she’s checking out my un-groomed eyebrows.

I don’t want to try to give off this illusion that I’m control of my life any better than the next person. It’s a shitshow for all of us, and we continue to hide it for fear of what? Being human?"

Read the rest on my Substack. Link in profile.
WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I MISS IT? What if I miss the best time of my life. What if it’s right this second?
What if it’s right now while I’m in finals week of grad school, and have a kid that’s sick? 
I already miss so much. The gummy smiles of babes without any teeth. The squeaky voices of 2 year olds. The babbling of a baby that’s just trying so hard to say mama. The grammar mistakes my kids make when they’re talking that I don’t have the heart to correct because I love it too much. 

I miss a lot about those younger years that have already slipped away. My youngest is sick, much like in this picture, but he is too big to snuggle in my arms now when he’s running a fever. 

Today I had the thought, what if this is it? What if this IS the happiest I’ll ever be?
For a moment, I lingered in that thought as I stood over my sink and did the dishes. I started to cry.
Am I missing it? AM I? I felt a tug that maybe I was. Maybe I wasn’t relishing enough, and enjoying enough, and being present enough.
But, then I realized, it will never be ENOUGH. 

Read the rest in my substack ❤️
New year, same me. 😂 #mentalhealth #anxiety #de New year, same me. 😂
#mentalhealth #anxiety #depression
"I don't care" as I literally care about every sin "I don't care" as I literally care about every single thing.
I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of th I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of this. *sweeps arm generally at planet earth*

Look, I’ve never been a half glass full kind of gal. I can ALWAYS find the negative in every situation. 

But, right now it’s easy to say that I’m over it. It being.....

The state of our economy. Social media. People being unemployed. People being racist and homophobic. The debate over politics. People judging people. ALLLLLL of it. 

Everything is crap right now. We joke about it a lot. We have to in order to survive. 

It’s the one millionth day of January but Spring feels so far away. 

I’m over these four damn walls that we call home. 

Yeah, I know. Even as I’m typing this it all sounds like a bunch of ungrateful whiney BS. I hear it. I don’t need you to point it out, Karen. 

But, my guess is you’re reading this right now and realizing you’re over it too. Whatever “it” is in your life.

Some days the world feels like total crap. Everything is a mess. Everything costs too much. For E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y. 

Yes, even for you Karen. ➡️➡️ to keep reading.
Yes. Boundaries are healthy and good. And they mea Yes. Boundaries are healthy and good. And they mean someone loves you that much to communicate them! Love this wisdom from @wittyidiot
NEW POST ----> "This is not a post about loss of a NEW POST ----> "This is not a post about loss of a loved one. Or loss of a child. Those things are real, and they’re heart wrenching. And, this post is certainly not to compare that loss with the one I’m going to talk about.

But, the loss of yourself in motherhood is real. And It’s not talked about enough." 

Do you feel like you lost yourself in motherhood? How? I really want to know. 

Psss - I am in grad school to become a therapist, and am not ashamed to ask that you subscribe to my paid substack. I just lowered the cost to $36/year! That's like $4/month and you'll have access to all my previous posts, and some new weekly short posts to give you ideas to help with balancing motherhood and your own mental health. I'm learning a lot in school, and will only continue to do so, so subscribe and we'll support each other. ❤️
This memory made me laugh this morning. 🤣 This memory made me laugh this morning. 🤣
Saaaame. @womenwhorunwiththemoon Saaaame. @womenwhorunwiththemoon
I’m sorry are you really wearing doc martens and I’m sorry are you really wearing doc martens and a dress with spaghetti straps and a Tshirt under it while you’re telling me I’m doing it wrong? 🤣 Life is wild. Teenagers are fun.
Found in my pediatricians office. 🤣 What’s th Found in my pediatricians office. 🤣 What’s the moral of the story friends? If you think your household is always sick - it’s because they probably are. Kids make everything more germ-y
Here’s what I do know 👇 No one knows what th Here’s what I do know 👇

No one knows what they’re doing. 
We all feel like imposters. 
Our kids love us anyway. 
We’re all going to be OK. 
You’ve got this (as much as any of us do) 😘

#momspiration #momlife #funnymoms #memtalhealth #parentinglife #parentingquotes
"By trying to be perfect, we're actually trying to "By trying to be perfect, we're actually trying to avoid being human." 

Do you struggle with perfectionism? Parenthood has helped me quite a bit, but It's something I've battled my whole life. I still struggle occasionally, although it's gotten better. But, let's stop trying to avoid being human and instead embrace ourselves an in turn embrace the entire human race. ❤️ I'd love to hear how you embrace being imperfect. 

#perfecționism #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #anxiety #imperfect #perfectpending #themotherload #thementalload
Mood. Mood.
Some of you wanted sources on my last reel where I Some of you wanted sources on my last reel where I said we only need to be getting it right 30% of the time for our kids to have secure attachments. Well I wrote a bit more about the concept of being the “good enough mother” a term coined in the 50’s by a researcher and pediatrician. Check it all out in my newest post. Link in profile.
It’s true! Researchers have found that as long a It’s true! Researchers have found that as long as you’re doing the repair after mistakes the other times - then 30% is enough! Sometimes I worry I’m not doing it right but I definitely know I’m doing it right 30% of the time! 
Probably a whole lot more to be honest. I bet you are too. #momlife #encouragement #momspiration
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