Kids say the (most embarrassing things ever that they’ve never said before but are only now saying while meeting strangers) things. . . Amiright?! . . Today on my Facebook page at 4pm Eastern, I’ll be going live with these two nuggets for a chat with the kids behind Mother like a Boss. They are going to give you the kids perspective and what it’s like growing up in a home where everyone’s help is valued and EXPECTED. . . But see, they are 11 and 5, so the conversation could easily divulge into a discussion about dragons, or Paw Patrol, or poop. Or butts. 🙄 . . So let’s do something fun today. Tell me the most embarrassing thing your kids ever said to a stranger, or a teacher, or maybe your judgy mother-in-law . . #motherlikeaboss #kidssaythedarndestthings #kidsareembarrassing #kidsaretheworst
Uncommon things that can send me into an anxious panic 1. The beeping sound of a card reader at Target 2. My cell phone ringing 3. Getting the mail 4. Checking my bank balance . For years, these things always meant one thing: We had no money and were being forced to confront that. The rejection of a card at a store for insufficient funds, the phone call from someone asking for money, a letter in the mail as a final notice or checking the balance only to see $1.67 in there. . We didn't set out to live a life like that. And it wasn't always that way. We had some super high highs, but very depressing lows that left us shaken and worried about our future. . I didn't want to be the business owner that became a statistic. I didn't want to have to ask for help. I wanted to thrive. I wanted to live in abundance. I wanted to go to bed every night feeling peace, not gripping and paralyzing fear about how to pay the bills. . Our lowest time felt a lot like this photo: loneliness. Sitting in the middle of the road, not being able to move, all alone, hoping someone would save us. We knew the car was coming and we needed to get out of the way, but we didn't know how and we felt strangled by fear and uncertainty. . These low times gave me empathy. They gave me understanding. They gave me pride in where we are now. I no longer have to sit in the middle of the road, lonely and unsure. Today, I'm the driver of the car. I can take myself wherever I want to go. I'm in control. I'm in charge. . So are you. . Today's podcast episode is my story, from pregnant college dropout to mom boss CEO. But really, it's a story about redemption and the power of asking for help when you need it. There is someone today that needs to hear this story. I hope that person is you. . 👉🏼 Click the link in my bio to hear more. ❤️
Yesterday, you forgot to give your son lunch money, and felt guilty all day. . Yesterday, you were too busy to make dinner and poured bowls of cereal instead. . Yesterday, you yelled at your toddler louder than you intended and made her cry. . Yesterday, you realized you tuned out when your oldest was telling you a story and can't remember when they said. . Yesterday, you locked yourself in the bathroom and cried in the shower. . Yesterday, you left 3 loads of laundry sitting in the living room, unfolded and watched Netflix instead. . Yesterday, your youngest told you he hated you and slammed his door in your face. . Yesterday, you felt like a bad mother. . But yesterday, you kissed your babies more times than you can remember. . Yesterday, you drove to school to drop off the lunch money you forgot. . Yesterday, you came out of the shower to find your daughter holding a beautiful painting of a sunset. . Yesterday, you stayed up all night with your toddler who was sick. . Yesterday, your son came out of his room, apologized and said he was sorry. . Yesterday, you sat down with your kids and laughed at the stories they told. . Yesterday, you were a good mother. . You aren't defined by one moment of motherhood. You'll fail, you'll fall, you'll do it all wrong. Then you'll learn and do it all right. . Yesterday you learned. Today, you'll do better. And your kids loved you equally both days.
My favorite color is fall. My favorite season is fall. My favorite food is fall. My favorite outfit it fall. My favorite kid is fall. Fall.
Recently, I read a post on Facebook that had me doubting what I do. And when I read it, I started to doubt that what I do is important enough to even keep doing. . The roles of women have changed over time and there are a lot of people out there that want to disregard the importance of "homemaking." In the moment I read that particular post, I started to think about all the serious ish going down in the world. Why does anyone care about how to set goals in their home, or clean, or help their kids to do chores? Why is this even important right now? . And as these stories usually go because God is always working some serious magic, I got a notification very soon after my descent into "I'm not good enough" madness. It was from someone in my group, someone sharing a win. . She saved me. . Because what the world needs now more than ever isn't more conflict. It isn't more stress. It isn't another news story that fills our heart with the burdens of sadness. . It's joy. And joy starts in the home. . We carry our homes with us everywhere we go. When we leave the four walls of our house, we bring what we've cultivated with us into society. We bring it with us to the grocery store, Starbucks, to work. What happens if what we're cultivating is chaos, stress and unhappiness. We bring that with us...wherever we go. . But what happens when what we cultivate on a daily basis is community, communication, consistency and compassion? Suddenly, we're in the world as a mom that's carrying that with her. . And imagine what we could do, what our kids could do, what our spouses could do in this world if we all carried a piece of our joyful home with us every place we went? . I'm here for the moms that aren't content to be discontent. I'm here to help you cultivate your home by managing your house. . I'm here for you. . If you're feeling overwhelmed today, if you're feeling the pull to quit, I'm here for you. . You can have a heaping spoonful of grace today, on me. . The world needs us to step us as women now more than ever. Our homes are the start. . Your walls don't make your home, you do. . We are the homemakers.
Today, I’m filled right to the brim with gratitude. . There was a terrible tragedy in our local area this weekend that rocked the community and even made national news. 20 people lost their lives and in an instant, a beautiful, fun-filled Saturday turned horrific for them and their families. . These events hit close to home because we feel the grief internally for those affected. We’re empathetic beings that feel for others, not only because we understand, but because we CAN’T understand and want to understand. . This photo was taken on Sunday, while we apple picked in the rain. We got wet. We were a little cold. And we’ve never had more fun. I could have complained. I could have cursed Mother Nature. Instead, I was just excited to be with the people I love that love me back, making memories that no one could ever take from us. . We don’t know what’s in store tomorrow. We don’t know when the perfect Saturday will turn into the worst day of our lives. So why not live with such gratitude that the present moment is literally the best thing to happen to us, every moment of everyday? . To those hurting today, to those whose weekend wasn’t filled with this kind of levity, know today I am thinking of you with a heavy heart and an empathetic spirit. ❤️
WHY I STOPPED COMPARING MY KIDS TO ONE ANOTHER . This little sweetie right here has been compared to his older sister for years. See, his sister was that first born unicorn child. Never cried. Never whined. Never talked back. We went through the terrible twos for about 4 minutes sometime in her toddler years and then, they were done. Everett on the other hand has always been more spirited. . From the day he was born, he's had energy in his soul. Even his birth was quick and energetic. He was unfortunately also born with skin and allergy issues, making it hard for him to sleep as he scratched furiously at his own skin. His sleep and skin issues made their way into the toddler years and I don't think we got a good night's sleep until he was well over 4. . He's always been the child to speak up, to talk a little loudly, to express his opinion. He's got moxy, even when the situation for sure doesn't call for it. His terrible two years followed us well into the threes, but as I look back, how terrible were they? How terrible are any of our toddlers? They are two, trying to find their way in a world that tells them they can be anything, as long as they sit down, shut up and listen to adults. They are pent up energy and frustration in energetic little bodies. I'd be terrible, too. . For a long time, Everett has been compared to Ava, but I don't do that anymore. I quit that years ago. They are two different beings with two different personalities. And this kid here is about as loving, friendly and compassionate as they come. He lives to have a good time and make the people around him feel like they're having a good time, too. . I don't want to be compared to another mom, always trying to live up to standards of someone else. So, I won't do it to my kids anymore. Instead, I'll compare them to who they are in their souls and urge them to do the same. Comparison is the thief of joy and I don't want to steal one single ounce of happiness from their lives.
They say that the truth hurts. I get it. The truth is a mirror and it forces us to see part of ourselves that we keep hidden from view. The truth is triggering and makes us defensive. But the truth can be freeing and the catalyst to totally change your life. . This here is a bit of truth that I have 100% had to face and it was heartbreaking. Each and every time we take back a job or task in the house because our kids "just don't do it right" is another reason for them to believe that their overall value for helping in conditional on it being done perfectly. I don't know about you, but I sure hope when they grow up, they don't look back at my parenting and motherhood style and think, "She was only great when she was perfect." . One night, I was cooking dinner and Everett asked if he could help. Feeling rushed (which is a nonsense feeling because we put time constraints on ourselves) I said, "Not right now, bud. I just need to get this done." The look of disappointment in his face was haunting. In a matter of seconds, he had gone from wanting to contribute to being told his contribution wasn't valued because there wasn't enough time to teach him. Are we sometimes in a rush? Sure. Are there times when it's just easier to do it ourselves? Absolutely. But when we refold the towels, or rearrange the diswasher, or reclean the toilet, we're not showing our children the better way, we're instilling life-long perfectionism. "If I can't do it perfectly, why bother." Does my son fold his socks the way I would? Nope. But I can show him the faster way without taking over. I can allow him to make mistakes. I can give him the grace to do it the "wrong" way so he can feel the accomplishment when he finally does it the right way. If we wish to have grace as mothers to make daily mistakes, learn from them and grow, then our children deserve that same grace. They deserve to be given the opportunity to take an hour to clean the table, to make a little mess when washing the dishes, to vacuum the floor in a zigzag manner that makes you want to twitch when you see it. We can show teach them to be effective without stripping them of their intrinsic and absolutely precious value.
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