MAMA MERIT BADGES

Finally! Is this a great idea or what? Merit badges for us moms! Somewhere stored away in all my "childhood treasures", I have a collection of merit badges from Girl Scouts, Campfire Girls, Brownies, and Bluebirds, all clubs that I belonged to as a young girl. Earning merit badges required a test of some sort or the completion of a project and they were usually handed out by our troop leader in a small informal ceremony with our moms and dads present. For the most part these badges came in the form of a cloth patch that our moms would sew onto our uniform but occasionally the badges would be in the form of a pin that we would attach to our lapel. I can remember working very hard to earn those badges and feeling extremely proud when awarded one. It actually became a competition of sorts between myself and a couple other club members to see who could acquire the most.

Now that I am all grown up, I no longer belong to the Girl Scouts or Brownies, however I now belong to a much more adventurous club. No there are no meetings on Tuesday evenings with the troop leader, and no, there are no camp outs at the nearby State Park, but there are those exciting nights staying up half the night with a sick baby (should be worth at least one badge at least), all those fast paced afternoons of carpooling kids to ball games and dance lessons ( I'd say this one is good for no less than two badges), and let us not forget all of those weary nights after a long day at the office, spent cooking dinner, bathing the kids, helping with homework, reading stories, packing lunches, and doing laundry ( the badges for this one should be trimmed in GOLD).

Ladies, Someone out there is thinking of us! Yes, it is true! Amy, over at Mama Merit Badges, has heard our cries! She has come up with the cutest iron/sew-on fabric badges for us mama's to display proudly on diaper bags, denim jackets, jeans, scarf, purse, fridge (attach to small magnet), or wherever you want to "show it off" proudly! These little cuties are 1 1/2 inches in diameter and are 100% embroidery. You can either iron them on or sew them on for added durability and they come individually wrapped and only cost $5.00 a piece. There are several to chose from and would make a great gift.
-------Below is a brief description of these wonderful badges of honor------

* The Sex Badge: This lusty badge is for the drastic changes in your sexuality since birthing.

* The Breastfeeding Badge: This badge is to commemerate the nursing relationship, whether for a week or for years.

* The Shopping Badge: For the first time you take your newborn to the grocery store and strangers come up and touch his or her face during flu season and you maintain control.

* The Birthday Badge: This one is earned after you throw your one year old a party that was as expensive and fancy as a small wedding.

* The Diaper Badge: Has your baby ever peed in your mouth while changing his diaper? Have you had to perform gymnastics in order to prevent your child from stepping in poop? How about finding and scooping out poop from the bathtub? Yep! This award is for you.

* The Medical Badge: Ever had to break out the tweezers to retrieve a pea from your little ones nose? How about having to hold you child down in order for the nurse to give him a shot? and yes, he is SCREAMING in your ear!! Well, you have now earned this one.

* The Travel Badge: This one is earned by having to sit in your seat with a child who is potty training or a curious, shreiking climber for an hour on the taxiway or having to take a sleeping baby from a sling so you can walk through a metal detector. Your bravery and grit are honored with this badge.

* The Sleeping Badge: Have your kids slept with you part of or all of the night? Have you ever woke up with a porcelain doll's head jammed in your neck? Does your babysitter have to attend a special training seminar to figure out your kids bedtime rituals? Only get about four hours sleep a night? This badge is for you.

*The Reading Badge: Have you read the same book to your child so many times that you have memorized the text, the images and even the wear and tear patterns? Iron this one onto your library bag to remind yourself of a job well done.

* The Eating Out Badge: If you have ever picked up pasta from a filthy restaurant floor, have ever gotten your kids to eat a vegetable, have maintained your composure while attempting to snatch you little one out from under the dining table while eating out, than you have deserved this one.

And last but not least,

*the Tantrum Badge: This badge is earned early on in most parenting careers. This one is for enduring all of those times when your 5 year old has thrown stuff at you while slamming doors and screaming " whatever! I hate you"!, or the times in the grocery store that your child has thrown himself in the floor screaming and kicking because you have refused to buy him the cereal with the toy in the box, even though it's a cereal he hates and everyone is looking at you like "OMG....what an awful child"! I think some of us could earn this one several times in one day for not shaking, striking, or screaming at our children when this occurs!

Please visit Mama Merit Badges to order several of these badges ( cause I KNOW you have earned them!)


After looking through all of the ones that Amy has come up with, I feel as if I should order them all. I know for sure that I have earned each and every one many times over. How about you?