Cool Mom

Today it hit me again.

I am not the "cool mom."

The Gymnastics Queen spent her morning describing, in detail, her best friend's lunch at school.  This lunch was "huge" and included such items as "cupcakes with a lot of sides."

"How many sides does a hexagon have mom?"

Silence.  Deep thought.  "Ummm...six?" Please be right...please be right...

"I think these cupcakes are hexagons!"

"I am not buying hexagon cupcakes..."

Growing up, I had the cool mom.  I had the best birthday parties, I gave the snazziest birthday gifts.  They were wrapped with ribbon and candies and flashy paper.  My school lunch was by far the most coveted and our pantry was filled to the hills with goodies galore.  If I asked for hexagon cupcakes, my mother would hunt them down and they would appear a few days later.

In my house, life is a different story.  Not worse, just different.  I favor gift bags for birthday presents, and school lunches consist of a sandwich, a healthy side and a small dessert.  Homemade cupcakes, yes.  Hexagon style?  No.

There are no Do Dongs or Wing Wongs or Wong Dings in my pantry.   

Oh, and unless you are ten your bedtime is 8:30.

I run a fairly tight ship, but with four munchkins I need some sort of order in the house.  We eat at the table because otherwise my house would be covered in crumbs.  They go to bed early because if they stay up they are cranky x 4.  I don't buy Hostess Cupcakes because I can make cupcakes for less money.  And one day my daughters will thank me because they won't be weening themselves off Hostess Cupcakes.

Trust me, I weened myself once.  It wasn't pretty.

There is a method to my madness.  My methods don't work for everyone, nor am I saying they are the best.  They simply keep me sane, and the ship sailing semi-smoothly.

Every mom has to do what works for them.

I'm not a cool mom, but I'm cool enough.  A little regimented with a side of kooky.

If my kids want "laid back cool", they go sleep at grandma's house.  In our house, "semi-cool" will have to do.