On Motherhood

Source: sneakpeeq.com via Debra on Pinterest

As you may have noticed, last Sunday was Mothers Day. Ah, the annual celebration where my fairytale dreams of poems and handwritten notes are reduced to a piece of computer paper with "Love you Mom" written in pencil hurriedly before Mom notices that no one has done anything to acknowledge the day. To be fair, my expectations are only high because I tend to go all-out on Fathers Day, by beating talking my kids into some extravagant gift/presentation for their dad, making sure that they write notes or personally pick out cards. And reminding them of how hard Jay works for us and how much he adores us. I don't think it's too much to expect him to remind them that Mothers Day is coming, after all.
Do I sound a little bitter? I was. I spent part of Mothers Day in tears because I felt like the lack of attention to the day was an indication of how my kids feel about me. And lets face it. Sometimes all the hard work of mothering does come down to one day of recognition. But then we went to church, (where the dream I had of sitting in the row with my older children was dashed because they woke up late, rushed to church and listened from the foyer) and I listened to the pastor speak about how guilt eats us up in parenting, about how our kids' behavior is not always a reflection of our parenting, it's a reflection of their hearts. And God wants their hearts, not their behavior. WOW. I sat in tears. And I sat convicted. And I felt like a schmuck for expecting so much of them.
I decided to roll with the day. Let go of expectations and my bad attitude, and just enjoy the day. We went as a family to see Ironman (Mr. Handsome's gift to me.), and it was sold out. So we went for ice cream instead. We had my in-laws over for ribs. My son backed into their car.
So much for a peaceful day, huh? But hey, I wore a cute dress. And I hugged my kids. A lot.

Cory, Zach, Me, TJ and Madison (and my furry baby, Samson)

Me and Madison and my Marilyn Monroe moment.

In This Outfit:
Dress: Anthropologie Summer Soufflé Dress (similar body style)
Sweater: J Crew Jackie Cardigan
Belt: Anthropologie Rippled Ribbon Belt (Kate Spade version)
Shoes: J Crew Mona Pump
Necklace: J Crew multistrand pearls