The Strange Things My Garbage Bag Taught Me

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags.

I wanted some popcorn too, so I grabbed a bowl and set it on my desk to eat while I worked.

My son wanted a little more popcorn, so I gave him the little I had left in my bowl. He went back to watching the movie, holding the bowl, as he stood in front of the TV.

Shortly thereafter, there was a loud shattering noise as he dropped the ceramic bowl and it completely shattered, sending tiny fragments of broken glass all over the floor.

This is not the first time one of our bowls, plates, or cups have broken on our floor (or elsewhere in our house). I hate it every time it happens as inevitably we miss a piece or two of tiny glass flecks and they end up in someone’s foot.

Unfortunately, it was my 2-year-old who got pricked on the bottom of her foot a few days after this incident. The only perk to this sad event was her saying “piece of glass,” a three-word phrase, which is pretty impressive for our newly turned 2-year old!

As I threw away the broken pieces from this bowl into our trash bag, I began to think about all the things we put into our Hefty® Ultra Strong™ garbage bags and what they really say about me as a mother.

What Hefty Trash Bags Taught Me about Being a Strong Mom

Every day scraps of food, paper plates, and napkins are thrown into our trash bags. This trash lets me know that I’m feeding my kids, taking care of one of their basic needs, despite how unhealthy the food may be at times.

Several times a day I throw dirty diapers into the trash. It reminds me that I don’t have too much longer with her in diapers, so I need to enjoy her toddlerhood and the fact we aren’t currently dealing with potty training drama.

Last week, our garbage bag contained yucky flavors of Every Flavor Jelly Beans that my husband bought for the kids to celebrate the fact that they completed reading the first Harry Potter book together. It reminded me that it’s good to have fun with our kids and create unique everyday family traditions.

As I organize and declutter, I sort through the dozens of random papers floating on our floor, many of which have original “works of art” on them from my children. It makes me pause and appreciate how far my twin 7-year olds, my 4-year old, and my 2-year old have come in their artistic and creative abilities. I appreciate their love of art as an artist myself.

When the number of toys and items in our house starts to overwhelm me, and we spend an afternoon going through toys and other play things together, I remind myself of how blessed we are to live in America with its great wealth, and how far our individual family has come financially. I stay strong to my commitment to live a simplified, clutter-free, organized life and pitch toys and objects from the past we no longer need or want, and feel blessed we can donate them to people and individuals in true need like we once were.

Every week, I throw away bills and receipts and various mailings, and it reminds me of blessed our family is to no longer be struggling paycheck to paycheck, wondering how we’ll afford even basic necessities. Plus, receiving mail, in a mailbox, means we have a place to call home, despite how small it sometimes feels for our large family.

When I clean up toilet paper and dirt and leaves off the floor, or countless things that get broken in our home, and throw them in the trash can, I reflect on the wonderful, wild, active, boisterous, destructive, kids I’m raising, who love to play, create, fight, and enjoy life.

It’s a strange thing that life as a mom if often reflected by what I throw away or bag up.

Some days in my parenting career, it felt like all I did was fill a trash bag with diapers, wet paper towels, broken items, dirt, and bills, over and over again.

Every parent has days where they have to handle big messes, broken objects, and endless diapers: and it can stress us out!

But, strong moms tackle strong messes. Moms don’t have the option of throwing in the towel on these days, of walking away, of passing the buck. They have to get in there and get the job done.

I’m not always the coolest mom under pressures like these and get annoyed when my life seems to revolve around mess cleanup. But, when I stop to reflect on what I am actually doing with my life and how far I’ve come, I feel better about my current life situation.

Right now, I homeschool and take care of four young children all day long while my husband works to earn a PhD, and all that entails.

I help support our family financially by running my own successful online website, which I do mostly in the evenings, staying up late into the night to do it.

I make sure all the bills get paid on time and we avoid any fees and interest (as much as possible).

I grocery shop and make sure our kids have something to eat, even though I don’t often feel like cooking dinner. We have a clean home because I teach my children basic cleaning skills and make them do chores alongside me.

I clean our home every day, teaching my children to clean and work alongside me because I believe in raising strong kids.

We don’t have family nearby, tons of expendable income, a large home, or fancy anything.

But, I’m a strong mom doing my best to raise strong kids.

As strong, tough mom, I need strong trash bags like Hefty’s Ultra Strong, not wimpy ones.

Hefty Ultra Strong Moms

Wimpy trash bags won’t stand up to broken pieces’ plates, bowls, and cups like Hefty®‘s bag do with their tear resistant technology.

Wimpy trash bags won’t hold the hard edges of plastic toys shoved in tight to be donated to an organization to help those in need.

Wimpy trash bags won’t keep all the stink of food and diapers at bay, unlike Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags with its ARM & HAMMER™ odor neutralizers and fresh smells like Clean Burst™, Tropical Paradise™, Lavender & Sweet Vanilla™, White Pine Breeze™, Crisp Orchard Apple™, Citrus Twist™, and Pomegranate Mist™

Wimpy bags won’t’ stand up to all strong moms do each and every day as they care for their homes, their families, their finances, and themselves.

I mean, John Cena’s mom gets it.  Carol Cena raised a WWE superstar after all. She knows tough. And knows how to save money.

I love that Hefty is celebrating strong moms who tackle strong messes and life on a daily basis. I really believe today’s moms are Hefty® Ultra Strong™ in everything they do.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags.