I Never Said I Was Perfect

Confessions of a not so perfect mommy:

1. I use bribery...on a daily basis!
2. My one year old has already had candy, cookies, chocolate milk, lemonade and even sips of my diet coke!
3. I still dress my four and a half year old.
4. Aiden wasn't potty trained until he was over 4 years old.
5. Sometimes lets my child win because the fight is too exhausting.
6. I have fallen "asleep" on the couch while my children are up and playing.
7. I let my kids watch way too much TV.
8. My almost 15 month old still takes a bottle at bedtime.
9. My house is never completely clean and never will be and I could care less.
10. When Aiden asks me to play with him I sometimes say no.
11. I sometimes let my kids watch TV while they eat.
12. I cook separate kiddie meals for the boys every night.
13. I pretty much let Aiden eat what he wants as long as it's "real" food.
14. Aiden sleeps on a floor bed right next to our bed, but crawls into bed with us every night at some point.
15. Lets the boys play with toy guns and shoot at each other. Sometimes I join in on the fun.
16. Has given Liam an empty beer bottle to play with before. Whatever works, right?
17. I love my boys to death, but they will never be my life. They are an amazing part of my life, but I refuse to completely give myself up to motherhood. Believe it or not, I'm actually a wife, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a cousin and an individual too!
18. I enjoy my me time and will put my kids to bed early so I can have as much of it as possible, and this time often involves wine or beer.
19. I rarely sanitize my kid's toys, unless someone has been sick, then I give them a good Lysol spray down.
20. I often forget to wash the boys' hands before they eat.
21. My kids never wear a helmet when riding their bikes.
22. I don't read to my kids every day.

So, I could go on and on since obviously I am far from a perfect mom, but what is perfect anyways and wouldn't perfect be boring?! My boys are healthy, smart, thriving, growing, learning, happy and loved. In the end I'm sure that's all that really matters, not whether or not they ate vegetables or only watched one hour of television. Lord knows kids don't come with a handbook, so as parents we all just do what we know and have learned along the way all while hoping and praying that our children's end result is a success with us to thank at the end of the day.