Ah, the joys of motherhood, where every day is an adventure, and your reflexes must be as sharp as a ninja’s. As a mom, there’s nothing that gets you out of bed faster than the 3am “Moooooooooom” SOS from across the hall. You fly out of bed, not knowing if you’re going to find that a monster has made its way out from under the bed (fingers crossed), or a bottomless pile of wet sheets like a surprise indoor pool party nobody wanted to attend. This morning, it was a bloody nose. Fortunately (or not), my commute across the hall was cut in half as my 9-year-old has taken to climbing in bed with me for the past few months. This was an act I originally protested, but after a few nights of knees to the face or permanently sticky hands, knowing these days are fleeting, the bliss of morning snuggles won out and I succumbed. Now, our cemented nightly routine has gotten me into bed earlier, both of us wake feeling rested, and little man has developed a morning routine of a shower, getting himself dressed, and tending to the dogs, while I savor a few more hits of the snooze button. The only one who seems affected is little Jasper, the Yorkie, the former reigning little spoon of the home. That is, until this morning.
After being struck awake from my slumber, I diagnosed the patient (he was going to live) and then my mind went immediately to my crisp white (and expensive) duvet cover. The one that I had spent months researching to find. The one that feels like butter on my skin, keeps me warm, and envelopes me like a cloud on a cool evening. It is breathable, you can shake the wrinkles out of it, and it doesn’t retain body heat when I have unexpected bed buddies, like my 9-year-old barnacle, or either of my two fur friends.
Two kids and 8 years of single parenting later, I leaped into action with the finesse of a seasoned pro, remembering the new Wine Stain Out samples that had shown up at my doorstep. I saturated the duvet cover with the magical concoction and, like the fairy godmother of cleaning products, it quickly took flight. The product was easy to use and worked quickly. It took two cycles to remove all lingering stains, but when all was said and done, I couldn’t find the affected area to document the effectiveness.
Who needs an alarm clock when you have children — and who needs a knight in shining armor when you’ve got a bottle of stain remover that works harder than a superhero? I spend more minutes than there are in the day worrying if I’m doing everything right for my littles, so the peace of mind of knowing I’m using an eco-conscious product helps me sleep at night—knees in the back and all. So here’s to the single parents out there, navigating the unpredictable waters of raising kids solo. We may not have all the answers, but we’ve got enough tricks up our sleeves to tackle whatever life (or our kids) throws at us. And at the end of the day, when the stains are gone and the little ones are asleep, we’ll pour ourselves a well-deserved glass of wine… carefully, of course.