Happy Mother's Day

This morning I woke up to find this:

{Yes, I literally 'found it' as Parker had hidden it and wanted to play 'hot or cold' until I found it....sneaky little guy!}

And, not only do I love me some homemade cards, this card was perfect for another reason.  It was simple and it held the most important message inside.

The media recently has had a major focus on moms these days.  And, while I think they meant good to start with, I believe {purely my thoughts} what the media has done is taken some little 'motherhood issues' and blown them up to pit mom against mom...making ALL moms feel inferior.  In my book, that's the worst outcome imaginable.  Aren't moms supposed to have an invisible line that connects us all?  A line that whispers, "I am here for you and I will support you when you feel like no one else does."  The recent magazine articles and headlines such as, "Are you Mom enough?" are hurting us all and {other than this tiny paragraph I've just written} I am choosing to ignore all of the hype.

Why, you might ask?  Simply put: Because in my book, this is all that matters:

My kids don't care how long I breast fed them, their world knows that I go to work {almost} everyday, they don't judge me for my clothes, the way my home is decorated, and what kind of car I drive {although, Parker once told me he wanted a red car like Lightening McQueen}.  They don't care that the towels are folded perfectly in the closet or care if we have a huge home-cooked meal every night {honestly, they'd be happier with PB&J and homemade pizza every night}.  They don't know what Pinterest is and how many of those recipes or crafts I've actually completed and they don't care about how many 'likes' my Facebook photo has gotten.

They've got it right.  They care about playing games, snuggling, yummy snacks {okay, so they do care about food}, hugs, and get this, they care about FAMILY.  They care about all of this and, in the end, they think moms are like rainbows and butterflies and yellow flowers.

I love these boys of mine.

They make me a Mom.

This weekend, my only goal was to spend as much time possible with my boys and read from cover to cover this book that I bought myself a few weeks ago.  {It was my Mother's Day gift to myself...along with the new purse, shoes, pedicure...}

Kelle Hampton has a blog and it is amazing.  

I bought this book {off of Amazon} wanting to get a glimpse into the life of a strong mother and writer.  At times I feel like the weakest mother on the planet and I wanted this book to 'pump me up' almost like a pep talk to get myself going on those days when I feel like I'm not cutting it.

And, in light of the recent media hype about mothers, I couldn't have started reading this book at a better time.  Hampton writes about family, friends, and her children in a way that pulls you in and captures the very meaning of motherhood, sisterhood, and the value we all have {and in my case, have been taking advantage of} in our daily lives.  

I started this book on Friday night and I couldn't put it down.  It not only 'pumped me up', but it gave me the exact opposite feeling of the recent Time Magazine cover...it made me feel secure and, more than ever, it put me back in the 'super mom' category, without asking if I was mom enough.  

Simply put, all moms must read this book.

So, in honor of the 'mommy system' {sorta like the buddy system}, I want to pass this book on to one of you other moms out there.  And, all I ask in return, is that you keep passing it on and continue to support one another.

And because today is the day to celebrate moms, I want you to tell me: "What is your most favorite part in the role of Mom?"

Mine: Snuggles and kisses and homemade cards and playing outside and bedtime stories and little socks and...okay...I'll stop there.

Give me an answer by Wednesday and I'll let Andrew in on his first contest to find out who gets the book!

Happy Mother's Day!!

{Oh, yes, I had a wonderful Mother's Day!  Thank you for asking!  I'll fill you in on all of the celebrations we had this week in a couple of days...I'm off to get the massage Brandon promised to give me this morning!  I am one lucky Momma!}