So I gave this In Real Life Mommy Moment a #1 just in case I ever decide to sit down and write another one….hey, you never know! The events that happened this morning just needed to be shared, so here I sit to tell you about our morning.

Anyone who knows us knows that we never eat out. It just costs way too much money and we usually can’t justify it. But given my recent lamenting over feeling like a No Mom I decided to step outside of the box and do something fun with the kids today.

We have taken a light week of work as we all needed a break, and have taken both Thursday and today off. While watching tv the other night I noticed the IHOP ads for free Scary Faced Pancakes for kids. So decided to surprise the kids and take them out for breakfast this morning.

Off to IHOP we go to have our breakfast. All is going well, kids are anxious to get their breakfast because it is later than we normally eat. Breakfast comes and we get these super fun pancakes to decorate!

They are everything that is wrong with breakfast, which makes them oh so right in the kids minds. But seriously? Oreos and candy corn on pancakes?

Anyways while we were waiting they had been practicing their scary faces so I was sure to take their pictures with their scary faces plus the Scary Faced Pancakes. (Note the teen and I did not participate in this festivity.)

All is well and right with the world.  I am feeling happy and content and the kids are enjoying their pancakes.  I reach over the table to help Jayden with something and Ava being the nosy nate that she is apparently leaned over my back just as I was coming back to sit upright and somehow I elbowed her in the nose.

Yes I elbowed my eight year old in the nose! I apologized to her as she started to cry. And then it happened….her nose started gushing blood! (It must be noted that my kids do not get nosebleeds.)

As she continued to gush blood and turn a white napkin crimson red through and through, the irony of it all started to sink in.

I made a joke about how she was truly creating her own scary face with real blood and everything. As I laughed, so did my other two, which made my little one cry harder. She was so upset that we were laughing at her.

As we soaked through napkin number two the lady with her young daughter at the table next to us asked the waitress to bring us more napkins. I smiled and apologized but she was so sweet about the whole scene.

More blood gushes along with snotty bright red glops! Tears fall, hers and mine. My teenager sits across the table sympathetically chuckling and says, “Don’t cry Mom!”

Only in my world do I step outside the box to do something I wouldn’t normally do to have it go so ironically off track!

At least my dad would be proud that the kids and I made memories today. All in all I kept my head and we light heartedly navigated our way through the rest of breakfast and out the door.

So here it is….you know you are a mom when you leave a scene like that and come home with the bloody napkins stuffed in your purse because blood freaks people out and you didn’t want to leave them on the table. (The really bad ones are underneath – thought I would spare everyone.)

This concludes my In Real Life Mommy Moment #1 – Scary Faced Pancakes 🙂