"I'm Pretty Sure I Forgot to Brush My Teeth This Morning" and Other Mom Confessions

I am pretty sure I forgot to brush my teeth this morning. They felt grimy a few times throughout the day but I didn't really think anything of it until I went to brush my teeth tonight and realized...oops. So apologies to anyone who had to be within a breath of me today, and a special apology to my husband who was apparently gifted halitosis kisses by me. Your welcome honey.

After I realized my faux pas, I began to wonder if I would have made this slip up pre-children. Don't get me wrong, I have had my share of dingbat moments throughout my life...some may even say I am a tad absent-minded at times. But something seems to happen when you have kids (tell me it's not just me?!) that permanently sidelines your brain. I think when you decide to have kids you should get a warning label:

 Sometimes I wonder how my non-parent friends now see me. I have to confess that before I became a mom I had all kinds of "opinions" on mothering and how it should and shouldn't be done. Am I the only one who changed my tune once taking care of little ones 24-7 became my reality? I eased up a bit on my stringent idealism and realized two things. One: being a mom can be a blast if I give myself some grace and learn to go with the flow and laugh at my mistakes and failed plans. Two: being a mom really does take up a ton of mental energy and physical stamina. It isn't as easy as it looks!

So there may be times I let my toddler watch too much television or don't feed her enough vegetables. I might overuse a pacifier with my baby boy because I just want him to go to sleep. Some nights I might go to bed with toys still strewn all over the family room and dishes still overflowing the kitchen sink. I have gotten snappy with my husband and huffy with my kids. There are days I count down the minutes until bedtime and I know I don't cherish the everyday moments as much as someday I'll wish I did. On occasion, I may even forget to do basic things like brush my teeth or remove the seven stickers I have plastered on my shirt and face before answering the door. I'm not a perfect mom, wife, or homemaker. But I love my family fiercely and, in the end, I think that matters more than the perfection I often seek. So, mamas, here's to learning to live in the grace and beauty of the journey as we seek to be the best mamas we can to our littles. And here's to letting Jesus make up the gap where we fall short.