One of my favourite sentiments about Motherhood is “… the choice to become a Mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is “ – Oprah. I believe this to be so true. While motherhood is not something we can ever master, it is absolutely something we grow through, and all gain wisdom and self-realization from along our journey we never would have otherwise.
I know there is so much for me to learn still, but after nearly a decade into Mama-hood, this is what I know to be true so far:
1) Being a Mom is a role of continuous re-learning. Just when we’ve learned to manage one stage, new challenges present themselves.
2) Comparison robs us of realizing the gifts we bring to Motherhood. We are all gifted in some aspect of parenting. Ditch comparison, find your mama strengths and celebrate what YOU do well.
3) Your Mama-tuition NEVER lies. Listen to it always. Most of our “knowing” in Motherhood cannot be found in parenting books.
4) While our choices and journey may be unique, so many of the joys and struggles of Motherhood are universal.
5) Not loving everything about parenting does not make you a bad mom, it makes you a human one.
6) You’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.
7) Any day – even the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad ones – can be salvaged with a lollipop, dance party or snuggle.
8) The way we speak of ourselves in front of our babes becomes their inner voice and mirror. Speak lovingly of yourself always.
9) Self care is not selfish, and does not take away from your family. In fact, I’ve learned it gives back in kind to all. Taking regular mom time outs to nourish your womanly soul has benefits for all. If Moms are the heart of the family, what’s good for mom is good for everyone.
GIVEAWAY
In the spirit of moms taking time for self-love and in celebration of Mother’s Day, I want to give a fabulous mama the chance to enjoy some of my favourite things with this MOTHER’S DAY GIVEAWAY!
1) A “Perfect Manicure” or, if outside the GTA, a luxurious sugar body scrub by Farmhouse Fresh from my favourite salon for a Mom time out Polished Beauty Bar;
2) A bar “LOVE” necklace + heart studs set from my fav Canadian accessories shop Foxy Originals. Shop their Mother’s Day Gift Guide here Use code “MOM30” for 30% off! [This is an affiliate link, meaning if you click on it and order from it, we may receive a small commission. Read our disclosure for more information]; AND
3) A $25 Starbucks gift card to refuel your Mom tank!
Head on over to Instagram for more details and to enter! CLOSES 11:59 p.m. Sunday, May 7th. Open to Canadian residents only.
What I Really Want for Mom’s Day This Year
So Andrew asked what I “really” want for Mother’s Day this year. While getting spoiled with gifts is appreciated, and I love some of the traditions we’ve made over my 9 years as a Mama (brunches at a local restaurant, homemade cards & love notes, an incredible dinner made by Andrew and the kids), I’ve learned to speak up and ask for what I really want this year. I almost said a “solo trip to Bahamas”, but I opted for realistic this year 😉 Here are my Mom’s Day must-haves:
1) Enjoying a hot coffee from start to finish without re-heating 3 x’s!
3) A few hours of pure silence, free of sibling bickering and the need for parental redirection (I can dream…)
4) A long, uninterrupted shower and time to get pretty + put together without feeling rushed. PLUS not have to plan everyone else’s outfits!
5) A fabulous meal I don’t have to prep, make or clean up after!
6) And the most important one of all for me this year, uninterrupted, quality time with my own Mom.
My Mom is a gem – an earth angel in my eyes. One of the most compassionate humans I know, always thinking of and giving to others. Andrew’s Mom was too. Sadly, we lost her 5 years ago to cancer and there’s been a huge hole in our family ever since. We honour her memory always, and her legacy lives on in our traditions and parenting choices. Mother’s Day without his Mom never gets easier. Losing her made me realize how life can change in an instant, and not to take for granted the limited time we have with our Moms, even while in the trenches and busy with our own little families.
While Andrew and I are a great parenting team, my Mom is a our backbone in this stage of our parenting journey. The one we can call when Andrew and I have work commitments or need a necessary mini parenting break. She adores her grandkids – 6 total – and never turns down time with them. But it seems the only time I get to spend with her, a busy working woman herself, is in between babysitting or amongst the beautiful chaos of family dinners with the kids running about ,and noise levels only rowdy cousins reunited can create! In those circumstances quality, adult conversation is near impossible. What I really want this year is some quality time with my Mama.
You never really appreciate what your Mom did for you until you become one yourself. So this year, I’m carving out undistracted time with her and spending the day before Mother’s Day spoiling her with some entertainment, good food, a glass of wine (or 3!) and some quality Mom-daughter time. I want her to know how much I appreciate her and how much it means to spend time with her catching up. Moms feel guilty about missing out on our kids’ lives, but at this stage in parenting, I also know I need and want to carve out more precious time with my own Mom. So, while Sunday will be spent with my four fabulous babes and devoted hubby, Saturday is all for you, my beautiful Momzy.
What are you really wanting this Mother’s Day, Mamas? No matter what you do, I hope it is a wonderful, meaningful day with your tribe xo
[…] most favourites. The things I’ve learned about mama-hood on this journey so far can be found here, as well as what I really wanted, which was quality time with my own mom, who is our backbone in […]