Sunday 6 March 2016

the kids are alright



sharpie mug world's okayest mom


Happy "you made a human out of food" day! I'm not usually one for marking these weird "force people to buy an awkward present" kind of occasions, but seeing as being a mother is pretty much my sole occupation at the moment this one got me thinking, about how maybe it shouldn't be just about other people acknowledging what you do for your kids, but about you acknowledging it too.



                     



I know right? The natural instinct on receiving a compliment is to brush it off, and patting ourselves on the back is not something most mother's seem to do a lot....or at all. But we should. Because maybe your house is a tip, and you've fed your kids fish fingers for three days in a row because you just can't face bringing them to the supermarket with you, maybe you just spent the day scrolling through facebook while you let the tv do the babysitting, maybe, like me, playing with your children bores you to tears after the first five minutes. But you know what, all moms have those days. These things won't kill them, and if they're well loved, and they know it, then you're doing a good job. 

So we should stop beating ourselves up about all the things we're not doing perfectly, and give ourselves credit for all the thing's we're doing well. 

I think Constance Hall (awesome blogger, check her out!) really hit the nail on the head when she said 


"That thing that's making you feel like a shit mom? That's parental guilt. And shit moms don't have parental guilt."


So in honor of "doing their best" moms everywhere, I made myself a mug :) I apologise that you have to see my effort at lettering, in my defense I am no artist, and I did this in less than a minute. But yeah, it's not good. That's not the point though, the point is it makes me smile!


sharpie mug world's okayest mom
Maybe I can tell people Max made it....with his feet.



I love it. I saw the design on pinterest and knew it was something I needed in my life.

To make it you'll need a cheap mug, an oil based sharpie (it has to be oil based) and an oven.

Write your message on the mug with your sharpie, wait 72 hours to allow it to completely dry and set. Then put it in a cold oven, turn it up to 220 degrees (update: it's been pointed out to me that American and European temps are not the same, so 220 celsius is about 420 farhenheit. So hot!) and cook it for an hour. Then let it cool down completely in the oven (I'd leave it over night) so that it doesn't crack when you remove it. 

And there you go! A great way to remind yourself how okay you are every day :) These would make great gifts too, as the possibilities for what you could put on them is endless.

These are pretty sturdy, but just to be safe I hand wash mine rather than putting it in the dishwasher.

So have a go at making a sharpie mug! And if you do, send me a pic and I'll feature it ;)




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