Thursday, June 5, 2014

15 Ways to Know You Are a Good Mom

We've all had them.

The times we feel overwhelmed, insufficient, incapable, stress paralyzed (thank you MNO for giving it a name!). The times we feel like utter failures as moms, wondering if we'll survive or if our kids will grow up severely damaged.

Here are 15 ways that, in my opinion, you can know you are a good mom. If you can't laugh or cry or relate with any of these, maybe you can be encouraged that you have it figured out a whole lot better than at least one mom out there!

 Enjoy!



You know you're a good mom when.....

1. You make a to-do list like this one:
  • mow yard
  • fold laundry
  • vacuum
  • clean toilet
But, at the end of your exhausting day, you realize nothing was crossed off, so you add to it the accomplishments of your day so you can feel better about your list.
  • mow yard
  • fold laundry
  • vacuum
  • clean toilet
  • wipe boogers
  • change 11 diapers
  • swing the kids
  • read them a book
  • make PB&J for lunch
  • again for snacks
  • and for supper, because that's what they wanted today
  • kiss boo-boos
  • keep everyone alive

The last one is especially essential. I prefer doing it every day. PB&J helps accomplish that. *smile*



2. Your child gets stuck in the mud you told him to stay out of. Like, REALLY stuck. He can't move and is screaming for you to come rescue him. You do, but first you must calmly snap about five photos from different angles.

And you laugh.



3. You get called a pig and you take it as a compliment. Actual words from my daughter,

"Hey mom! You're the bestest mom ever! 
You know why? Cuz you eat my leftovers."
....thoughtful pause and slight giggle as she finished with, 

"You're kinda like a pig!"




4. You realize you only got one leg shaved and you've been walking around like that for 2 days...in shorts. You decide you're just getting in touch with your more primitive side.




5. You tell yourself, "My hair isn't messy. It's the humidity making it look like this." And you try to believe it. If that doesn't work you justify your wad of frizz with, "It's a messy bun. That's an actual hair style, you know."



6. Your first thought at seeing your 1 year old chomping on dog food is,

  "Oh. Well, its good for the dog. 
It must have some nutritional value, right?" 

Then you check yourself, have him spit it out, try to get him to swish and spit water, 
but it gets swallowed anyway.



7. You can handle a conversation at the dinner table where your children are sharing about squeezing chicken entrails till the poop came out. Then, without skipping a beat, they mentioned off-handedly that the dog ate his vomit that day. You listen interestedly and never gag because you've grown a stomach of iron.



8. You rename a recipe because of something your child said about it. In our family we have a delicious pasta and fruit salad smothered in poppy seed dressing. Due to all the poppy seeds, our oldest deemed it

"Fly Poop Salad".

YES. We call it that.  





9. You get to do 45 minutes of errands....ALONE.

But you're not sure how to handle it, because this freedom thing....its so strange....and quiet....and boy, did it fly by too fast. So for the last mile, you slow down to a whopping 10 mph, roll the windows down, crank the music, because loud is all you know and you're just trying to squeeze in a few more seconds.



10. Your children come bounding out of the house, jumping up and down, wanting hugs, and expressing pure delight at seeing your face again. You feel a little guilt that your delight in seeing them doesn't quite match theirs. But your heart is full at such a grand welcome home after only 45 minutes.



11. You need a shower. BAD. So you lock all windows, deadbolt the doors, turn on cartoons, hand the kids a bag of cheese puffs and a huge community mug of lemonade. You dive in the shower, all while being sure you hear them escaping or a home invasion taking place. You're breathless as you barge out of the bathroom, clean and clothed in three minutes flat, just in time to see the last cheese puff being devoured and the 64oz mug slurped empty. Success! Now just wait for the sugar high.

You still didn't get that other leg shaved.




12. The kids are fighting. There's major exaggeration and self justification in their screams. You poke your head in the room and holler over the din, "Anyone kill their sister yet?" They freeze. Stone quiet for 1 second, as they process what they just heard. Then they erupt in gales of giggles and the day resumes peacefully.





13. Not only are you the only one who flushes the toilet, but you can also tell who has been there last. Let's just say....you know who's is who's. The mountain men of the 1800's called it "reading sign", don't you know.

(I could find no acceptable image for this one.) 
just saying

14. You tell your children they need to go to their rooms and that you don't want to see their beautiful faces or hear their lovely voices for 15 minutes. You set the timer for 17 minutes. Then you crumble to the living room floor, in the middle of all the messy and you bawl your eyes out. You glance at the timer. You have 8 minutes to get it together. So, you dry your eyes, wash your face, breathe a prayer, tell yourself you'll be alright and your kids will survive. Then you make the timer ding 5 minutes early because somehow seeing them is what you need right now.

They come running and you all have cuddle time on the couch.




15. You sneak into their room at night, push back the mound of messy hair, kiss their soft cheeks, in awe of God's beautiful creations, disbelieving He trusts you with them. You brush a tear off their cheek and realize it's your own.

So much is held in that one tear.....

Joy and awe at the sight of this perfect creature.
Sadness that she's growing so fast.
Terror at how the world will damage him.
Excitement at how He will impact the world through the child.
Relief at the promise of beautiful sleep awaiting you.




If you can relate to one, a few, or maybe all of the above, then in my opinion, you, my friend, are a VERY. GOOD. MOM.

Give yourself a break.

Your child loves you and thinks you are awesome.

In all the crazy of everyday life, your child is trying to tell you, "I love you for giving this mom thing your best shot. You're doing a VERY. (full stop) GOOD. (full stop) JOB. (full stop) at loving me." 

He just has a hard time expressing himself. 

He feels, but can't say.

She knows, but can't express with words.

So, they do it by pouncing on you, 
                        screaming excitement, 
                                  anger, and frustration at you, 
          because they know they're safe with you. 

They tackle you, 
             lay on you, 
                rub on you, 
                  tap on you till you go nuts, 
                     tug your clothes till they come off, 
                       repeat "mom, mom, mom" till you think the word has a hole worn through, making demands just to know that you're still holding them as a priority...

and you are.

Every time you fulfill their need or want to be loved, no matter how hard or annoying it is, you're doing it because YOU ARE A VERY GOOD MOM.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

Look for the beauty in the every day, in the imperfect, less than ideal....

because in that, you'll find the perfect. The beautiful. The blessing. The more-than-you-can-imagine.

Now go hug your kids and tell them you love them. They'll hug you back and tell you they love you, too.

Do it.

Because today is gonna be crazy, and you're gonna need the reminders.



FEATURED AT....

My Joy-Filled Life blog icon13




My Joy-Filled Life 


countingmyblessings

44 comments :

  1. This is so beautiful and funny and REAL. I love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Laura! Thank you for stopping by! I hope its real-ness will encourage a few weary moms out there! :)

      Delete
  2. Well you have covered it very well!! So I went from laughing to tears by the end!! Cause no matter how frustrating this calling of motherhood can be, I'd turn around and do it all over again!! Such an encouragement to me that other mothers don't have it "all together" all the time!! Enjoyed this so much!! Blessings!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there, Ruth! Glad you were encouraged! And, yes, as frustrating as motherhood can be, I too wouldn't trade it and would definitely do it again. Probably better the second time, but I won't dwell on that too long! ;) A woman's ultimate calling, for sure! Was good to hear from you!

      Delete
  3. l loved this list because I giggled through everyone knowing I have done the same things at one time or another :) And in this house Spaghetti is Basketi ( my eldest couldn't pronounce it when young ) and Grapes are Grips because my uncle told my youngest to "get a grip" ( gain control ) and she came back with a bunch of grapes :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How funny! Hanging on to those little memories build so much on a family's legacy. Love it! Thanks for sharing!

      Delete
  4. I loved this post! That poor hairy leg! I looked at mine this morning and gasped. My poor hubby! Nothing beats being a mum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This made me laugh! Glad you could relate! ;) It's all crazy good!

      Delete
  5. I love this Kaylene! Thank you for the reminders and encouragement!

    I'm featuring your post tomorrow at the Babies & Beyond Link-Up!!

    Have a great Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sarah! How awesome of you!! I'm humbled & honored! Thank you!

      Delete
  6. I love this! It made me cry! Today was a day where I couldn't wait for bedtime, and now I miss them. I really needed to read this tonight. Thank you for writing this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mommy hugs to you,Sarah! So glad you found this encouraging. Hang in there, dear mom! You're doing a great job!

      Delete
  7. So heart-warming and funny. What a great reminder for all Moms. It might not look like what you thought some days, but that love and those hugs are always there. Stopping in from Living Proverbs 31 Blog Hop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. Yes they are! Free perks for being "Mom"! :)

      Delete
  8. This made me smile. Adding things I accomplished to my do list at the end of the day...need to do that for sure. Way more encouraging than completing actual to-do list, ha ha. Thanks for linking up at mommy moments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, YES!!! It is most encouraging! *wink* Be encouraged! One day we will wish we could add things to our FINISHED to-do lists!

      Delete
  9. This is great! I can relate to many of these, so I guess I'm a good mom! :) Thanks for the encouragement! #mamamoments

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes you are, Marie! Glad you were encouraged! Heart hugs!

      Delete
  10. I laughed very hard at all of this. I love the picture of hims stuck in the mud. And yes, I have forgotten to shave a leg a time or two as well. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YAY!!!! Finally, someone else admits to getting only one leg shaved!!! LOL Glad you were encouraged, Cat! Thank you for leaving likewise for me! Blessings!

      Delete
  11. My "baby" is almost 12 and I can definitely remember the days you so beautifully (and hysterically) describe. I remember settin' that timer and telling the kids, "If there's no profuse bleeding, projectile vomiting, or fiery flames involved do NOT let me hear your until the timer beeps." Ahhhh...those were the days.
    Nowadays I do get both my legs AND my underarms shaved in the same shower. :D
    Blessings to you, mama! I loved reading your post and knowing that you're enjoying the journey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL Candy!! I look forward to a "complete clean"! Thank you for leaving encouragement! And yes, I truly am enjoying the journey....I just need a little fun along the way sometimes so, I choose to see the humor in it all! Blessings!

      Delete
  12. So good! I laughed out loud several times, definitely sharing this! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Very Cute! All of this sounds very familiar!! lol

    ReplyDelete
  14. Haha, awesome! I can relate to almost all of these. :) In fact, related to #5, I just called my messy 'do "Helena Bonham Carter hair" yesterday... because if she can pull it off, I should be able to, too. Right?? (Stopping in from the Motherhood Monday link up!)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Love this post. You had me laughing out loud so often my sides hurt. Thanks for the encouragement. It was fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Very cute! I think number 2 is my favorite, but I don't know what this thing is that you speak of...shower?

    ReplyDelete
  17. LOL Kaylene! I am so relating to this. The legs shaved, the shower, the 45 minute alone trip (that really isn't me time, but is sometimes all you get...). Thanks for a delightful post!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wonderful post Kaylene! It made me laugh and tear up at the same time. Thank you for sharing this!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I loved this! You completely made my day Kaylene!


    Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love this! I especially thought the Fly Poop Salad was hilarious! Thanks for sharing at the NEW #PinFest!

    ReplyDelete
  21. These are SO cute and funny. I feel bad because I always have to stop and take a picture if my son is doing something funny.

    ReplyDelete
  22. hey I know you! great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Audrey!!! What a sweet surprise! How are you!!?? Its been a long time!

      Delete
  23. I so appreciate the love, humor, and reality of this post, Kaylene! Thanks for sharing this with us. You're not the only piggy or the only one to laugh and take photos while your child is in stuck in the mud or some other position that they find not humorous or want to have captured in a photo. Been there - done that many times. My favorite mommy times are visiting them as they sleep and praying over them. What a privilege God has given us to have His children as our own for a time. Thanks for making me smile today.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is great Kaylene! My husband and I wonder if we are doing it right when we pause watching our children doing something cute but disgusting and have to ask ourselves… should we stop that?
    Number 6 has given me confidence now:)

    ReplyDelete
  25. I feel much better! Thanks for linking up at the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop! We hope you stop by again next week!

    ReplyDelete
  26. This was so great, I read it to my husband and we had a good laugh. I especially like number 13 (sorry). Thanks for sharing this at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings

    ReplyDelete