Did you ever watch that Discovery Channel show, “Dirty Jobs” with Mike Rowe?

If you never watched, the premise was that Mike would apprentice people in the workplace that had extremely dangerous, messy or disgusting jobs….the roadkill collector, the shark repellant tester whose job was to jump in a tank of hungry sharks and pray that it worked, one particularly gross episode where he helped a man whose job it was to collect fresh pig poop for a concoction for research lovingly called “poo-gurt”…..you get the idea!  It was one of those shows that made your stomach turn to watch but for some weirdly fascinating reason, you just couldn’t look away.  It was filled with jobs that you know get done, but you never really stop to think who has to do them!

Well, sometimes as a mom I feel like Mike could come knocking at my door!  Motherhood is the most amazing gift ever, but can definitely be messy and quite frankly, gross at times.  You have those occasional moments that you stop and think, “Is this real life?!”  I had one of those moments recently, so sit back for Dirty Jobs:  Motherhood Edition.

We were in the kitchen, and I had just made my two boys a snack of apples and peanut butter.  I was cleaning some dishes at the sink when I looked and realized I had left the lid off the peanut butter jar #momfail  There was Will, my 2 year old, with both hands IN the peanut butter jar, happily smacking away.  One thing I love about Will is his enthusiasm and zest for life.  That boy jumps right in, but in this case, jumping in meant there was peanut butter all over his face, shirt, hands, the chair, the floor…you name it.

It was sort of like this, but you know, with peanut butter….and no spoon….

My four year old, Logan, is my much more cautious observer, and while he often laughs at his brother’s shenanigans, he rarely participates.  He could see I was about to lose it at having to clean up probably the 10th mess of the day and he said, “Don’t worry Mama, I’ll clean him up!  Come on Will.”

Will obliged, and I gave myself a mental high five.  What a sweet boy I was raising to be so ready and willing to help me out, and how sweet that Will just went along, knowing he had messed up and his brother would help.  They carefully walked into the bathroom as Logan made sure Will did not touch anything else, and I went to work wiping away the peanut butter from the chair, table and floor.

A couple minutes later I walked into the bathroom to see Logan sweetly helping his brother wash away all the peanut butter from his face and hands…..

IN THE TOILET!!

“We could reach this better,” he said…and he wasn’t wrong.  It was four year old logic, and I had to just laugh!  Bless his heart!  He was trying to help in the best way he knew how.  I thanked Logan for being such a sweet big brother, quickly threw them in the bath, sanitizing from head to toe and went about our day!

If you’re a mom, I’m sure you have had some of those moments yourself!  Where you look around and think surely there are cameras capturing this because this could not REALLY be happening?!? But at the end of the day, these are the moments that make this journey of motherhood an adventure.  Sure, the perfectly posed pics you see on social media are sweet, but the day to day moments, the little things only I witness as their mama…that is such a GIFT!  My boys are too young to remember this story, but I have a feeling I will be telling it to them for years to come!

This was Halloween when Logan was two, and I was pregnant with Will.  We had met some friends at a Trunk or Treat.  Five minutes after we took this picture my little Sully puked all over me!  His face should have tipped me off!  A few weeks later, his little stomach bug came back.  My hubby was out of town, so after puking in his own bed, bathing him and stripping the sheets, I laid him down next to me in hopes that he could finally get some rest.  Instead, I woke up to him projectile vomiting…..on my face!!  Don’t ever question my love for you little monster!

My girlfriend Suzy has four boys, FOUR, ranging from 1 to 11.   I asked her the other day what it was like to live in a house full of boys.   She said, “Well, let me just pee on your bathroom floor, eat everything in your fridge, tell you 800 stories about Minecraft, fart 20 times, give you a giant bear hug, and tell you your the most beautiful girl in the world.” Have I mentioned Suzy is hilarious?  Her boymom game is strong, and I feel like she may have just described my future!

To quote Mike Rowe from “Dirty Jobs”:

“Opportunity usually shows up in overalls

looking like work.”

In my case it usually shows up in yoga pants, looking like two little nuggets that I am lucky enough to call mine!  The hugs, the kisses, the messes….all of it!  So for all you mamas out there elbow deep in poop diapers, scrubbing crayon off the wall and wanting to cry occasionally at the dirty jobs your kids create, I’m sending you a virtual high five…you got this!