The requirements for super mom is a trailing list that can probably wrap around the entire planet at least once. With a world overloaded in social media, pinning, text messages, and online blogging a mom can get overwhelmed with keeping up with the supermom mom down the street.
I am continually having anxiety attacks about being "mom enough". The perfectionist in me says I can always be doing LIFE a little better. The exhausted part of me says no you CANNOT.
The mom down the street probably made a well balanced breakfast from scratch and crafted it in such a way that the pancakes or eggs smiled back at the child eating it. The meal is completely balanced with nutrition and vitamins and her kids probably eat the entire plate without complaints. She probably woke up before the rooster crowed and had her work out done, shower finished, hair done and dressed (and I mean dressed not in yoga pants but real clothes!) The mom down the street welcolmed her children in the morning with a big smile and a good morning (probably in a sing song voice) while opening up the curtains and thought "what a beautiful day!". She got everyone ready for school on time (partly because she laid out their clothes the night before) and was also room mom for the day. She also managed to finish all the laundry, run every errand on her list, vacuum, take the dog for a walk, and pay the bills before her husband arrived home from work. Oh, and dinner was already in the oven when he walked in. And it was probably something from scratch. It was more than likely a new recipe that she will blog about later because it was that delicious. There was a craft ready for the children when they got home from school. And she makes a conscious effort to sit with them and talk with them about their day. Everyone pitched in and cleaned up the mess from dinner. Every child said their prayers and said please and thank you and went to bed without resistance because you know... she has been working on consistent parenting and discpline since they were born.
The rest of us are slapped in the face daily with the super mom mentality. I for one am realizing and trying desperately to remember that I am not supermom. I am learning two things:
I am finding balance.
I have decided to be ok with not being supermom.
We have to remember that even though there are 24 hours in the day we need at least 6 for sleep. (I need at least 8 although rarely achieve that goal.) I for one am learning that it is ok that I don't make the most adorable holiday crafts with my toddler every week or perfect gourmet meals. If I can remember there is a holiday coming up than "Yay! Go me!" My dog might not get walked every single day or we may be five minutes late to toddler play group. I pick and choose what I can get done on my to do list. The entire list will never get finished. I'm learning to accept that and not lay away at night thinking about the rest of the items still haunting me on that list. I'm also learning to say no to things and people that will overload and exhaust me. I'm saying no to extra playdates, family events, volunteering and above all I'm saying no to excess amounts of facebook, pinterest, and all those other sites that are brainwashing me into thinking I'm not living up to expectations. Lets face it. We will never finish all the items we have pinned on our beautiful dream boards.
I'm learning my apple pie will never look like anyone else's.
My life will never look like my collage on Pinterest. I may own an apron, but I make apple pies with frozen pie crust. I don't make time for a lattice crust because I'd rather get it in the oven so we can eat it...
Immediately!
With ice cream!
We might even eat it way too close to dinner time and spoil our appetites.
I let my toddler help even though my floor will be covered with flour. I hate messes but instead of barking and scolding I take a deep breath.
I keep breathing.
I try to remember this day when we made our first apple pie together as a milestone event. I WILL write this down in her baby journal later when she naps. And that will get added as top priority to my to do list (which means something just got shoved off the list completely). She is getting big and way too fast. I let her press out the dough and stir in the cinnamon. I take time to relish how beautiful she is and how tall she is getting. She can reach a lot more things on the counter now so I have to push a few things out of the way ... like the knife we used to cut the apples. I'm in awe at how much pleasure she is getting from helping me with these simple tasks. She is so proud of herself as we scoop the cinnamon apples onto the pie plate.
I'm learning to love simple joy and thankful she is my teacher.
I will try and mentally capture this moment for the rest of my life. My house is a mess. We skipped toddler play group this morning because I couldn't get out of bed early enough. Its the middle of the afternoon and we are still in our pajamas. My dog still wants to go for a walk and I have no idea what we are having for dinner. BUT we just made pie together. And it was a beautiful moment full of laughter and fun. It was the best part of my day.
Labels: anna, balance, mommy mondays, simple living
