Super Mom

I’ve always wanted to show the world a photo of my kitchen sink full of dirty dishes.  I absolutely cannot go to bed with any dishes in the sink.  It is something that just makes my skin crawl…and yet…I’ve had to learn to let that go at times.  As my boys have grown I’ve tried to teach them certain traits that their future wives will appreciate…such as dish duty, putting the toilet seat/lid down, not leaving toothpaste in the sink, or leaving dirty socks all over the place.  That being said, they are boys…they are preteen boys…and their expectations of how certain things should be done are VERY different than mine.

Some may look at this photo and see the dirty dishes.  They may, or may not, think that I am a slob, or that I don’t care about a clean house.  You know what I see?  I see that I have made an effort to cook a delicious meal, that I feed my family, and that I try to instill in them healthy eating habits.  Don’t misunderstand me, seeing a photo like this on someone else’s blog or social media, I would probably jump to conclusions and misjudge immediately.  Lately, though, I am trying this new thing called…seeing the glass half full.

It can be hard to think of myself as a super mom; especially with social media and Pinterest constantly showcasing how amazing other parents are.  Planning and executing out of this world birthday parties for their kiddos.  Supplying endless yummy, healthy meals every night.  Every corner of their house organized in a cute fashion.  Those are all things I strive for, but let’s be honest, most of us fall short at least every once in a while.  Some of us fall short just about all of the time.  As mothers, well actually, as parents we should lower the bar and cut ourselves some slack sometimes.  Serving my boys box mac’n’cheese or cold cereal for dinner every once in a while will not stunt their growth or lower their IQ.  Letting them play outside with friends before doing homework won’t cause them to fail in school.  Not having their clothes folded and put away right after they are laundered won’t cause the apocalypse.

I have this amazing momma friend who not only washes, dries, folds and puts away her kids’ clothes…but she also irons them and lays out each day’s school uniforms for the week.  She is a SUPER MOM!

I have a sister-in-law that lives over 2500 miles away from her family, mothers 3 kiddos and supports my brother who has a demanding job.  She meal plans/preps, runs kids to and from school, she is crafty, loves funny romcom movies, and finds times to take her kiddos out for fun once-in-a-lifetime experiences.  She is a SUPER MOM!

Another friend doesn’t have children of her own, but she teaches math to hundreds of teenagers every week.  Not only does she teach, which already qualifies her as a SUPER MOM/WOMAN, but she is extremely crafty and has completed several remodeling projects in her house.  She also is currently supporting and playing caretaker to her husband who is fighting cancer.  She may not yet have biological children of her own, but she has been a SUPER MOM to thousands of kids over the many years she’s been teaching.

Today I didn’t get even close to half of my to-do list completed.  I have an almost 6-month-old who suddenly has decided to go from 2 extremely long, productive naps each day to 4-7 20 minute cat naps.  I did not get last night’s dishes done til after school pickup.  I did not get around to cleaning my bedroom and bathroom.  I did not make it to Goodwill to drop off bags of donations that have been sitting in my upstairs hallway.  I did not get around to showering after my workout this morning.  I did not vacuum the kitchen/eating area…although I will definitely be doing that after kids go to bed.  However…I finally did fold the 4 baskets of clean laundry from the weekend.  I made a super yummy and healthy dinner for my family.  I watched the boys play outside and enjoy the weather.  I helped with homework, and I had PLENTY of baby snuggles today with the sleepless monster.  The dishes did eventually get clean, the bathroom will still need cleaning tomorrow, and I can easily swing by Goodwill this weekend.  It has taken me a long time to learn, and sometimes I still have to remind myself that being a SUPER MOM doesn’t involve always a clean house or a spectacular birthday party.  But being a SUPER MOM ALWAYS involves showing up for their sporting events, helping with homework, drying their tears when their best friend is mean, listening to them when they talk about how awesome or hard their day was, and always telling them that you love them no matter what!  I may be a stubborn Norwegian and it takes me longer than most to learn life lessons, but I am not an old dog yet.  I learn new tricks every day and am reminded of old tricks.  It is nice to have a clean, organized house; but the feeling that gives is far outweighed by the feeling I feel when my kiddos look at me like I hung the moon just for them.  That…that is what makes me a SUPER MOM…that is what makes me the boys’ number one SUPER MOM.

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