What Makes a Great Mom?

So, I can be pretty negative. Especially about myself.









I'm not sure if it's a motherhood thing, but I have noticed it's gotten worse with motherhood. The blaming, the guilt, the "what ifs" and "shouldas." It could just be that there are so many more options and variables to feel guilty about.









Like "shoulda done more blog posts..." :-)









But every so often I get tired of it. Tired of blaming myself, feeling like crap about myself, tired of feeling hopeless, tired of feeling miserable, tired of feeling like I'm not a good mom or wifey. Sometimes, it's the pit of depression, and there's not a whole lot I can do, except try to hold and fight. But sometimes it's just me feeling sorry for myself. YES, I said that. I think that can be a big part of the problem.









So here's where I begin again, again. I want to be a great mom, a great person. In my own eyes, but also in my husband's, my family's, my friends'. Not that I need to impress anyone, but I certainly have a need for affirmation. Something else that I'm working on...more guilt...argh.









So, how do I accomplish that? Let's do away with too-big and hard-to-reach goals: yes, I need to exercise every day, remember to do quiet times, take time every day for myself, read more fiction, read more how-to cook books and what to do when your toddler doesn't sleep books, etc, etc, pile on more guilt for not doing these! Let's start with something more simple.









Here's something that I have been pondering for a while. Now I'm putting it to paper! Er, to the internets. It's a good starting point.









Things I should do Everyday as a Stay at Home Mom - in Order to Stay Sane




1. Brush my teeth




2. Comb my hair




3. Wash my face/shower




4. Get dressed




5. Have my coffee




6. Not feel guilty about taking time to do these things for myself, not just for the little ones that follow me around




7. Not feel bad about myself if I do not accomplish this list every day

I Want my Blankie Back

The Prince has a few loveys. As soon as it was safe for him to sleep with a small blankie, I made a little yellow one with his name on it. He soon adopted a stuffed Pooh Bear. And my baby blankie.

Yes, I have a baby blankie. It is, in fact, my baby blankie from when I was little. It's name is "Pink Blankie," although it has never been pink. It is white (well, sorta grey now) with a yellow satin edging. The edging has been replaced multiple times. I use it to help me get to sleep. It's been around the world, carefully tucked into my suitcase.

I don't mind when he uses my blankie. I assume it smells like me, and when we went to the hospital to have The Princess, I actually left it at home in case he needed it. When I came home, it was in his bed. And there it's slept every night since.

I guess it is time to grow up in that respect. I'll gladly let him use Pink, if it helps him through this transition time. But on the days when he brings all his loveys into my bed to snooze a bit, I'll grab a corner to share.

Exaltation of the Afflicted

My heart is broken for the children involved in the Penn State scandal. The more I hear about it, the more I am sickened. I've been wondering what I can do - for the kids, and for my own children to prevent something like this from ever happening to them. Again and again, I've been brought to my knees in prayer.

I came across Isaiah 61 this afternoon. I have a few passages from the chapter underlined, but I was swept away by the appropriateness of the entire chapter for those boys. This will be my prayer for them.

Isaiah 61

Exaltation of the Afflicted

1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that
He may be glorified.

4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
5 Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
6 But you will be called the priests of the LORD;
You will be spoken of as ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
And in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame you will have a double portion,
And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion.
Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,
Everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 For I, the LORD, love justice, I hate robbery in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their recompense
And make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the offspring whom the LORD has blessed.

10 I will rejoice greatly in the LORD,
My soul will exult in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
To spring up before all the nations.

Morning Getaway

We went to Target. That seems like one of the best places for a mommy and her kiddos, don't you think?

When I got home, I realized that I left the three things I really went for in the cart. Sigh. At least I didn't pay for them. I missed the items in the mess of jackets and kids in the buggy.

Guess we'll have to go back!

Thank God for Mimi

My mom (Mimi) has always been awesome. But with the birth of the Princess, she literally saved my life. Mimi planned two weeks of vacation for the time right after the sweet baby girl was born. The last few months, we've been jokingly asking The Princess to wait until her due date to be born, because that's the schedule that would work for everyone, particularly Mimi. The Princess was born about twelve hours after Mimi's last shift ended.

She cooks, she cleans, she usually only gives advice when asked (and doesn't say 'I told you so' when I should have asked), she entertains The Prince, she lets me sleep.

Thanks, Mom.

Seriously, two?

I've been debating about what my first post-pregnancy blog should be about. Labor and delivery, the second time around? The status of my sanity, as relates to the amount of sleep I get, and the number of children I have? How there's no possible way I could have made it through the last few weeks without help?

I'll just settle for some pictures of the joyous occasion.

Pregnancy Tidbits

The bigger I get, the skinnier the world looks to me.

My legs look great? Don't you think? That's one good thing about the big middle. I'm living in my leggings.

Pregnancy insomnia will allow you to blog at 3:00 am.

This Princess may be a Cowgirl. The pregnancy insomnia includes such stuck-in-my-head songs as "Fishing," "You and Tequila," and any ZBB songs.

Pregnancy brain will lead you to do many funny things. Like, get everything accomplished on your to-do list at work on Friday, only to realize on Saturday that you've forgotten to print the weekly bulletin for church. Sigh.