oh mother, where art thou?

being that november is the month of thanksgiving, i felt it only fitting that i show my thanks for the many blessings in my life.

1. i am thankful that i am a mother.

did i just type that??? shocking but true. motherhood has been a blessing that i didn't know i wanted or needed. i am grateful not only that i am a mother, but that i have survived this very difficult and time-consuming task thus far. i try really hard to be a "good mom". i want to teach my children important skillz and help them develop a healthy self-image. successful, educated, non-incarcerated children will be my greatest reward. someday. but as for today, clean faces and smiles and laughter really take the cake.

the lessons that motherhood has taught me are invaluable. i now have a small vision of the love that our Heavenly Father has for each one of us. the best advice i ever received regarding motherhood was that each night i needed to pray for forgiveness from the mistakes that i made that day, and to pray for strength to be able to make it through the next day. this simple bit of advice reminds me each day how dependent these children are on me and how dependent i am on my own Father in Heaven.

i read a few months ago on another blog this quote has stuck with me ever since. "motherhood is a celebration of life". this quote has inspired me to do more for my children and more for my husband and to do more for myself. life is good, life is difficult, life is challenging, life is wonderful, life is simple. i hope to meet each day with enough enthusiam to ensure that each day is a part of the celebration.

my personal motto is "lengthen my stride". i love/hate running. it is a tiresome, time consuming activity that i look forward to. as i fell asleep last night, i felt a small thrill that i was going to put on my kicks in the morning and runrunrun. the same goes for my kids. they drive me nuts. they scream. they cry. one still poops in her pants on a regular basis. scarlett is constantly defying death. some days i think reagan is channeling kriss kross by putting his clothes on backwards each day. but each morning their little boogery faces make me smile. i love when they go to bed at night and i love when they wake up well-rested the next day.

and you, other bloggers out there, you are also my inspiration. some people hate reading blogs that are all sunshine and roses and vegetables grown in backyard gardens and perfect homemade popsicle stick crafts. sometimes i hate them too. but i know those moms have their bad days. i rejoice in your accomplishments and i feel sorrow when you feel sorrow.

so, kum ba ya to motherhood.

mothers who know

are we not all mothers?