not. even. close.
I unashamedly gave you a glimpse into our home last week when "real life" happens. (Truth be told, while the mess got picked up, it's pretty much back to the same state.)
I certainly don't have my hair and make-up done up to perfection. I'm not dressed in a cute polka-dot dress (with a an adorable apron tied around my small waist) as I wait for my made from scratch cookies to be cooked to perfection, so that I can sit down with my children at the table for an afternoon heart-to-heart.
no no no no no.
While I did fix my hair this morning (only because I left the house for the first time in days)---my make-up is a wreck and the dark circles are prominent. I was dressed in a cute little outfit, but changed quickly into my husband's sweats when I arrived home. My waist is anything but small at this point and I begged my daughter to take a nap today so that I could rest on the couch. And the cookies? Well, I found an expired pouch of cookie mix in my pantry last weekend and begged my husband to make them.
I am no June Cleaver.
Sometimes I catch myself trying to "brand" myself as a mom---trying to fit some mold of what I think I ought to be--rather than appreciating the kind of mom God has so clearly made me. I dwell on my weaknesses as a wife/mom and forget about the unique strengths I have when it comes to loving MY husband and guiding OUR children.
While I find it important to challenge myself in new areas of homemaking (sewing, cleaning, cooking, organizing, etc...) I'm also learning to recognize that there are certain areas God has really gifted me in & others that are never going to be talents I can claim. And boy, if I could learn that--and remember that---how freeing that would be!
We let our daughter stay up late when she fights her bedtime. I turn on movies on her DVD player when nap time seems elusive. She joins me in bed EVERY morning to watch cartoons while Daddy gets ready for work....and we eat a lot of meals as "picnics" on the living room floor. We have toys from one end of the house to the other (and I love it---even when I stub my toe...because a kid REALLY does live here!). We spend lots of days in our pajamas...and even if she gets dressed it's usually after lunch time. We keep her out late on Friday nights as it's a family "date" night out of the house. We let her use her crib mattress as a slide & I don't get upset (usually) when she decides to empty out her dresser drawers.
A few people have told my husband and I on different occasions that we are very laid-back parents (especially for first-timers.) I never would have classified myself as this, but I suppose I get what they mean.
We do "real life" here. And as much as I love a clean home & routines, they often don't happen...
Because, as I said...I'm no June Cleaver.
I had to chuckle a little bit as I read this, because my post today is how I feel I should get worse mom of the year award.
ReplyDeleteI think we are all too hard on ourselves. I think you're point of apprecating the mom God has made us (and not comparing ourselves to others) is something that should be put on billboards, and cards in the diaper boxes, and on the back of mac&cheese boxes and anywhere else that tired moms look daily.