I always pictured
myself being the kind of mom that had perfectly dressed kids that never argued,
a spotless house, a clean car and having energy to burn at every minute of the
day. That all seemed pretty attainable until babies two, three, and four came
into the picture. Don't get me wrong, one child kept me pretty busy, but
nothing like four little girls in one house! Now my days are filled with
changing diapers, dropping off and picking up kids at school, listening to at
least one hormonal meltdown from our 11-year-old, breaking up a fist fight
between our four and two-year old, dishes, laundry, etc. Some days I really
can't remember if I brushed my teeth that morning. Thank goodness for Extra
Sugar-Free gum. My clothes are wrinkled most of the time and the only time my
hair looks decent is the day I get it cut. I remember to mop the floor when the
bottoms of my girls' feet are black and I remember to dust when I turn on the
ceiling fan and dust flies everywhere. I always thought I'd be like June
Cleaver. Her house was spotless and her laundry was always washed, dried and
put away. She vacuumed in high heels and pearls, which is insane. Supper was
always ready when Ward came home (sorry, Ryan!). Truth is, I'm nowhere near
J.C. I go to work at my office to get a break from my work at home. My job as
a mom is much harder than any office job and it's even harder when I try to live
up to the J.C. standard. I think about my mom and how she handled five
kids. She was no June, either. I don't ever remember her vacuuming in heels and
pearls and I remember piles and piles of laundry eating up our couch. But, I
remember her cuddling up on the couch with me to take a nap. I remember her
always being happy to see us kids when we came home from school. I remember her
always being cheerful and in a good mood, even when she probably wasn't. She
made me think she was. I like to think about her rocking my little brother to
sleep at night and how warm and cozy her hugs still feel. I like to think about
how pretty her hands are how she's used the same blue comb since the late
1980's. I love that she tells me I have a beautiful singing voice, even though
I'm so tone-deaf that it embarrasses me to even think about how awful my voice
is! I know to her ears it's beautiful. I don't care that our house was messy
from time to time growing up. I don't care that my clothes rarely matched when
I was a kid. I like that my mom didn't care about that stuff either. That
gives me hope that someday my girls will look back and not care that their momma
was no June Cleaver. Thanks, Momma, for teaching me to keep things in
perspective. I love you. Happy Mother's Day :)