And the winner of this week's Mammy Award is...

...ME!

If Hollywood can tirelessly award itself for jobs well done, so can mothers.  I introduce the Mammy Awards.  These awards are not given annually (be a good mom for a whole year?  unlikely) they are given weekly.  And when all the votes were counted this week, I was the clear winner.  Just let me tell you about my excellent Mommy-week and you will see why:

Monday: Bundled both kids up and went to the Conservation Department for Kneehigh Naturalists.  The subject?  Snakes.  Yes, I touched snakes.  Not only did I touch them, I did so enthusiastically so as to counter the reluctance I saw developing in D as the snake was carried closer and closer to us.  Because it is important, for some reason, for children to feel snakes, right?  Why is that again? And we watched a snake eat a mouse.  That's one of those things that is morbidly fascinating.  I cringe but I can't look away.

Tuesday:  The only day we stayed home, but I did sew Belle a shirt - and it came out cute.  Really cute!  My friend Jennifer has commented before that she likes that I self-congratulate myself on things I make.  It's not pride, though, it's astonishment.  Really, the shirt came out as cute as I imagined!  Things I sew NEVER come out how I imagine them.  This could be because of the aversion I have to several important steps in sewing.  Namely I hate ironing my fabric, I dislike pinning things together and I hate wasting time measuring.  With all that in mind, please join me in staring in astonishment at this cute shirt!  Even Belle looks pleasantly surprised.

 

(Never mind that I spent most of Wednesday pulling apart 75% of the seams since when I first finished the shirt the armholes were only big enough to fit a highlighter.  Remember the measuring aversion?)  

Wednesday: Hosted D's friend Gus for the morning and lunch.  Provided stimulating playmate for son.  (Never mind that it was an agreement between Gus' mother and I to swap boys once a week...) and bundled both kids up for some healthy, well-planned grocery shopping.

Thursday:  Bundled both kids up and went to story hour at the library.  We had a luau!  Well, the librarian tried to have a luau and get a bunch of 2 & 3 yr olds to hula and limbo and eat tapioca pudding.  It was a complete failure, but we were in her presence while she read some book about a Hawaiian lullaby.  No one was listening, but I'm sure somewhere in D's subconscious is nestled the name of a couple of traditional Hawaiian drums. 

Friday: Bundled both kids up and went to a mini carnival so D could jump on huge inflatable trampolines and endanger life and limb.  What actually turned out to be the most dangerous was the mini golf.  Picture a dozen 3' tall children running around with 3' long clubs swinging them vigorously in inept attempts to hit a hard little ball.  Really, what can go wrong there?  Oh, and I had another sewing success!  I took an old sweater of mine (never mind that the reason it was 'old' is that I put it in the dryer when I shouldn't have and the turtleneck shrunk to strangulation size) and chopped it up and reformed it into the cutest baby dress ever.  And boots to match! (Really, remember the sewing aversions.  This is a small miracle.  Don't focus too much on the symmetry...)

Saturday:  Bundled both kids up (while hubby was at some 'how to save lives and be a hero' class) and went to Home Depot's Kid's Workshop to build a race car display. Helped Dalton hammer (read "I hammered while he chattered) this little project:

 

Home Depot hammering project all by myself, people.  No husband.  (Never mind that ours actually has the race car sticker on the BACK instead of the front.  That is what happens when mommy chats with friend at beginning of project instead of reading directions.  Don't worry, D thinks it's supposed to be on the back.)

Please keep in mind that this is only a mothering award.  I make no claims as to the state of my house, the size of the piles of dirty laundry in the basement or the fact that the only 2 real meals I cooked this week were both ready after 7:30 at night.  

So, for all this, I win the award.  Runner Up goes to my good friend Amy for being at all these events as well.  She was slightly penalized because she brought her husband to the carnival.  Wimp.  (Never mind she managed to get herself and both kids to exercise group 5 mornings this week-Come to think of it, that makes the 'wimp' comment a bit inappropriate.  Anyway, I could have exercised too.  I was just too busy being an awesome mom.)