Mom's want to be good moms. Right? I want to be a good mom. Correction. I want to be the best mom. The best mom ever. And sometimes, that's a lot of pressure on myself. Because I have this crazy idea in my head that in order to be the best mom, or even a really good one, you have to be the best cook, the best house-cleaner, the best fort builder, the best entertainer, and the best teacher. And on top of it all, I have my own goals and aspirations that I set for my personal self that I am constantly striving to attain, whether it is with my blog, my clothing line, keeping up with our family photo books (waaay behind), decorating my house, all of the creative outlets that give me a personal sense of accomplishment.
But sometimes I feel like I get so caught up on trying to do everything, that I just need to stop, take a breath, quit trying to clean the kitchen that will never stay clean, and go roll around with the boys and let them jump and slobber on me. It is the times when I am actually physically down at eye level with them that I realize how important those moments of pure interaction are. These little humans who look to me to give them animal crackers and milk, kiss them goodnight, and many more things that involve lots of gross bodily fluids. But I do it. And I love it. Cause I get to be their mom. I can't say that I am the best mom ever. I'm far from super mom. If we are dressed and out of the house by 11am, you can bet yer bottom dolla that my house looks like a tornado. I guess that's just the nature of the beast. It's a constant balancing act. I just hope I take more time to stop and roll around on my hotwheel covered floor with my boys than I spend worrying about all the things I need to improve.
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i totally relate! I'm always trying to do too much and then end up trying to keep my boys (who are about the same ages as yours) occupied. And that's not what being a mom is supposed to be about. But it is so hard to just leave dishes everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThe way I look at mommyhood is to make sure your kids turn out to be good human beings. I'm not a mom yet & I'm sure I'll want to do everything for them & give them everything in this world & set lofty goals to achieve, but at the end of the day if my kids turn out to be selfish, icky people what was it all worth? The very fact that you're writing this shows me how much you want to influence your children & I think they'll one day turn around & thank you for that, clean kitchen or not! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://herestohappinesses.blogspot.com/
Love this post and your blog. Just for the record, I've been following your blog for at least a year and you inspired me to sew for MYSELF. Don't get me wrong, I'm as beginner as they come, but your tutorials are so good that even I have broken the ice and sewn maxis for myself, and other things for my daughter. You sound like a great mom and I'm sure that you are. You sound just as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. Here's to mothering and a messy house...I know that's what it always ends up like at my house. Have a great day!
ReplyDeletemandyandbraden.blogspot.com
PS-Random question...for your maxi skirts do you have to wear a slip under them or are your knit fabrics thick enough you don't need to...some of my jersey knits are too thin and I have to...I didn't know if you even sewed one underneath or what.
PSS-I know someone who was in your old ward!
Thanks so much Mandy! Sewing for yourself is pretty addicting. I am a little paranoid about my skirts being see through, so yes, I usually wear a slip under all my maxi skirts. Not really that they are super see through- I just like the to be extra cautious. And WHO do you know from my old ward??
DeleteI can totally relate! With the little one on the way, it's hard to even imagine how busy I'm going to be. I'm always striving to have the house clean and best food on the table but sometimes it's not about that. It's about the memories and what we make of our time. It's about creating life, not just making a living!
ReplyDeletehappymedley.blogspot.com
Amen sister.
DeleteAmen! And I'm glad to know you don't have everything 100% together all the time. ;) There are just not enough hours in the day to do it all! Something always suffers. And I just hope that more often than not, it's not my children who suffer. Let the laundry pile!
ReplyDeleteSo true! I love this post.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! So true!
ReplyDeleteI have been having those same thoughts. Loved your post. You said what I've been thinking. And from my point of view, you're a pretty amazing mom!
ReplyDeleteThanks Joanne! Us moms need to be easier on ourselves! Hope you are your cute family are doing well!
DeleteI'm glad to hear I'm not the only mom who barely squeaks out of the house by 11 most days. Then I have to worry about lunch, then there's the baby's naptime, oh forget it, we're not going anywhere until Daddy comes home to help. :-p
ReplyDeleteTake it easy on yourself. You can only do so much, so do those things to the best of your ability. Everything else will just have to wait.
I have been struggling with this very issue the last few weeks. Ever since Christmas I feel like I can't get my house under control which, in my head, equals failure. And yet despite my disaster of a house, my little boy is always there; running to give me a hug from behind, wet open mouth kisses are always on the ready. For a few minutes I'm reminded that I'm not super mom, and thats ok. Thanks for a reminder!
ReplyDeleteThank you I really needed to read this post today! I will now go finish putting away my Christmas decorations
ReplyDeleteSeriously! No judgement over here my friend.
DeleteI 99%agree with 99% of this post! We too struggle to be dressed and out the door by 11am, and if dinner is made by the time my hubby is home, there's more than a fair chance you can't actually make it to the stove without wading through the cyclone of dishes first! But, the only thing that I tell myself is that I don't need to be the best mum ever, but I want to be the best mum for MY baby girl, and to do that some days means reading an extra story, feeding for a little longer or letting her fall asleep on my chest if she is tired. Less gets done in the house, but a content and happy baby = happy mum, and the rest are just details!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand! I too want to be the best mom. But the main thing I have found out is that my kids could care less about most of the things I worry about... clean house..perfect birthday party...my blog...laundry ect. They just want me to spend time with them. They don't really care what we are doing so much as that I am full on giving them my attention. Sometimes we put too much pressure on our selves. We just have to do our best and not compare our selves to others. Or what we think other super moms are doing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful and tender picture.
ReplyDeleteIf you get a sec, check out my latest post... 'Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend'. I would love to read what you think.
Kisses
Sofia
stylishlyinlove.blogspot.com
You are the best mom...the best mom for your family. I greatly admire you and all you manage to do, even if you think the house looks like a torando came through. Keep up choosing the best over the good and better. :)
ReplyDeleteYes. Amen.
ReplyDelete