One of the toughest yet most satisfying job ever = Being a Mom.   This year marks the 13th year I’ve celebrated being a Mom.  Each year it means  more as the memories increase and my “Mom resume” gets longer.   Just as our children grow and change so does parenting.  Things look and feel differently now then when I was in my late 20’s.

Previous years (especially some of my first few) I was so excited to be a Mom and my energy was spent trying to keep up with all the ways to parent correctly.  In the beginning of this parenting job I felt like I had so many rules, stigma’s, and the unknown to figure out.  Trying to keep up with all these expectations while also worrying too much about judgement from others is HARD.  This may or may not make us parent better- I don’t know?  I do know that with each child it got a little easier and by my third I’m more confident and less worried about judgement.  Confidence grows with parenting and it’s sure nice to get to a point of parenting with less outside influence and more from within.

This year My 3 daughters are not babies anymore.  With age comes all sorts of ups and downs.  We have friends and family that have gone through cancer and won, some that have not won, trauma and loss.  It seems that we get this news more frequently with each year.  With these experiences I feel my parenting focus shift.

Enjoying the moment, not taking anything for granted and taking care of my health (the best I can) will be my mantra this year.  All the little choices about food, exercise, adventure, and love are so important in the big picture and they add up over time… Parenting is tough but I want to be celebrating Mothers Day for as long possible.  My big “carrot”…   my 3 daughters.  Whats your carrot? 

Happy Mothers Day!