Moms

When I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mom.  I would dress up my dolls, put them in strollers, put on my mom's high heals and walk around our cul-de-sac.  I'm not sure who I was mimicking because it's pretty rare you see a lady pushing a stroller in stilettos....around here at least.  I would also put towels in my dress and pretend I was pregnant.

And dress up like my dolls and pose for pictures. (please excuse the bad perm!)

My parents worked hard to make sure I was well rounded and got a good education.  And even through all of my college days I knew my biggest dream would to be a stay at home mom.  I also knew that there was no guarantee.  No guarantee that I would get married or even be able to stay home with my children. So my back up plan was the next greatest thing (in my mind.).....become a teacher.

The whole getting married thing ended up happening and here I am...a mom! The kids aren't quite in the order I imagined and believe it or not after my first colicky infant I no longer desire twins, but nonetheless I'm a mom.

There are definitely more times than I'm willing to admit that I feel like my capacity to hold an adult conversation is diminishing.  Leisure reading, watching the news, learning about anything new (other than the latest recall from Fisher Price) has all taken a back seat.  And sometimes I start to miss school, learning, and dressing up to working outside of the home.  I wonder what in the world I'm doing and why I never seem to get to my 'to do' list during the week. Sometimes I feel like just getting dressed and making it through the day is an accomplishment.

And just when I start to feel I'm not doing anything important a small voice reminds me that I get to play with my (almost) two year old during the day and see his face light up when he chases me around the kitchen.  I get to snuggle my baby and listen to her coo at me.  And then I remember that my greatest accomplishment  is nurturing my two small children. What a huge responsibility and blessing! Ginger Plowman sums it up nicely in her book  'Don't Make Me Count to Three' when she writes, "...I was able to dust, organize, clean, counsel, and cook.  I kissed away boo-boos and washed away the tears.  I praised, rebuked, encouraged, hugged and tested my patience, all before noon."  After I read that I sat and thought about it and totally agreed (minus the cooking part...I don't cook much...)!  A friend of mine with four small children has her occupation on Facebook read something like: CEO, CFO, Maid, cook, babysitter, doctor, nurse, accountant, decorator, trainer, coach, life coach, mentor..too many to count! 


Although I'm not helping a business grow, changing the world in Washington or even bringing home a paycheck I am blessed to be able to pour myself into my children twenty four hours a day (and let's be honest, some of those 24 hours, the middle of the night ones, are more-so spent pouring milk into a baby and those are the hours I have to continue to remind myself that it is in fact totally worth it!!)

Thanks Ginger, for reminding me to be proud for what I have accomplished each day even if I never change out of my pajamas!