Happy Mother's Day!

Sunday Inspiration: Happy Mother's Day!

Slow Down

I heard this song yesterday, and I'm not gonna lie - it made me cry a little. Maybe more than a little.  Ok...  I may or may mot have been driving down the road weeping like a baby.  As I prepare to have my "baby" achieve the milestone of high school graduation with a crazy mix of pride and sadness; this song spoke straight to this mama's heart.

Enjoy...

When You're NOT The Perfect Mother

You are going to have days when you rock the whole Mom thing.  You will prepare three wholesome and nutritious meals - which your child actually consumes.  The house will be clean.  The laundry will not only be washed, but also folded and put away.  You will do arts and crafts with your offspring. Or at least get down in the floor and play.  You will be cute and look pulled together. Your little one will be quiet and we'll behaved while you run errands.  You will be calm and quiet.  After the tiny angel goes to bed with little or no fuss, you will look back on the day and give a little fist pump of victory worthy of the closing freeze frame from The Breakfast Club.

You might have some days like that. But if you are like most of us - those days will be very few... and very far between...

There are going to be days when breakfast - and maybe lunch too -  is dry cereal or a peanut butter sandwich.  Some days that might even pass as dinner as well.  If you can actually get them to eat anything without resorting to force feeding.

There might be days when you're not sure you'll be able to find the washing machine behind the pile of dirty laundry.  When your kid can practice his or her writing skills in the dust in your coffee table.

Days when the t shirt without spit up stains and yoga pants are what passes for high fashion on your life.  When you find yourself struggling to remember your last shower.

When you let them watch one more episode of that cartoon just so you can sit still and rest for a couple of minutes.  (or finally get in that shower mentioned above)

Days your little sweetie is squirmy, whiny, or demanding at the store.  Maybe he or she even has a full blown temper tantrum.

When bed time is a struggle you're not sure you're winning.

Sometimes you're probably going to lose your cool and raise your voice.

But here's the thing ...  that's ok!  It doesn't make you a bad mom.  It makes you human.

The only perfect mothers are the ones invented by television writers or our own imaginations.  I promise you that even the mom who seems to have it all together has days when she feels like she's struggling.  We are all just doing the best we can.

Stop trying to be the world's best mother - and just be the best mother you are capable of being today.

She's pretty awesome.  (Just ask her kids)

publicdomainpictures.net

You can find me connecting at these Blog Hops and Link Ups

Dear Moms;

The school year begins, I find myself looking back on my (ahem..) more youthful years when I had younger kids.  As I reflect on the things I know I've gotten right, the things I could have done better, and the times I fell flat on my face as a mother - I find myself thinking about how I so often felt as if the whole world (especially other mothers) were looking at me and scoring me as a mom.  And how,even though my kids are grown and mostly grown, and one even has a little one of her own - I still feel this way.

photo: publicdomainpictures.net

And I wonder:  How much was real and how much was me projecting my own doubts and insecurities onto others?  How much was me judging myself and thinking others must be doing the same?

As my thoughts chase that rabbit, they bring me to a realization.  One I wish I had come to many years ago.  And one I want to share with all of you - especially the ones just starting this journey we call motherhood.

If we are going to be the best mothers we are capable of being...

We have to stop judging ourselves - and other moms in the process!

We need to stop worrying about whether we're better than Mom A or not doing as well as Mom B.

We need to have the courage to be willing to proudly say when we have nailed it  AND to ask for help when we are barely keeping our head above water.

We need to stop the comparison game and focus on teaching and loving our kids to the best of our own individual ability.

You can find me connecting at these Blog Hops and Link Ups

The Dwelling Tree: Let's Be Friends
Cornerstone Confessions: Titus 2 Tuesday
Rich Faith Rising: Unite!
Growing Home: Growing Homemakers
 Christian Mommy Blogger: Fellowship Fridays
 Missional Women: Faith Filled Friday
 Essential Thing Devotions: Essential Fridays

It's My Mother's Day!

I wanted to take a moment today to celebrate my mother.  Won't you please join me in wishing her a very happy birthday?

Love You!!

Programmed To Make You Crazy

If you are a new mother, or an expecting mother - I think it's important for you to know this.  I wish someone had warned me.  Being able to mentally prepare myself for this aspect of motherhood would saved me a lot of mental anguish and distress.  OK... probably not.  But it still would have been nice to know.  So, I feel it is my duty to warn you.

If there is a particular kid's television show which you find annoying, creepy, or disgusting - your kid is going to love it.  Not only that, but the amount to which it drives you completely insane in the shortest time possible is exactly how much your offspring is going to enjoy it and will directly affect how often he is going to want to watch it.

Oh sure.  I can hear you thinking it... "MY child is never going to watch that show!"  Uh huh.  Let me tell you a little story about another naive mom:

There is a certain purple dinosaur who shall remain nameless.  And there was a a certain young mom (yes, I was young.  This was some time ago - alright??)  who felt that Mr Purple Dinosaur was a tool of all things evil sent here to destroy joy and peace. 

The sound of his stupid, irritating voice would grate on her very bones.  If she had one nerve left, Mr Purple Dinosaur was sitting smack right on it.  And that song he sang.  That song climbed inside your brain and ate away at it like a demonic ear worm.  The young mother could hear it in her dreams nightmares

The young mom swore her beautiful little princess would never watch the show with Mr Purple Dinosaur.  Nope.  "Not my kid", she swore.  Until the day the little Princess saw Mr Purple Dinosaur.  And adored him.  She wanted to watch him every day.  She wanted to sing his smarmy little song loudly and with enthusiasm.

Fortunately the fascination did not last long, and the mother survived to see the next annoying kid's show that came along.  And there is always another one waiting around the corner.  I think somewhere in the creative offices at Nickelodeon studios there sits a bunch of people carefully considering what will be the next great thing to make parents' skin crawl.

So, there you have it.  You have been warned.  The only way to avoid it is to toss out the television, and make sure your child is not exposed to any influences outside the home until... well.. until they leave home!

Happy Birthday Granna!

Oops!!  Yesterday was my mother's birthday and it completely slipped my mind when I was sitting in front of the computer; all ready to blog!  Yep, I'm a bad, bad daughter.

Mom is known as "Granna" to the youngest generations of our family. And I'm not going to tell how old she is because I want her to still be speaking to me the next time I see her.  (on second thought... nah... just kidding!!) 

 

Sorry Mom!!  Better a late than never, right? Hope you had a fantastic birthday!