Who me? Really?

I am honored to receive my first blog award from Liz at Eternal Lizdom. She gave me the "Mom of the Year" award! I guess there are "rules" to this type of thing, where I share my experiences of being a mom, both good and bad, and then pass the award on to others. So here goes:

RULE #1: Admit that One thing you feel awful about involving being a mom. Get it off your shoulders. Once you've written it down, you are NO LONGER allowed to feel bad. It is over with, it is in the past. Remember, you're a good Mom!

I received this award during a particularly trying week. Boo is a very strong willed child and had been testing my patience all week. I feel badly that I am not more patient with her, but sometimes it is so difficult as she seems to push every button I have. I have tried many different approaches with her and am still trying to find what works best. I also worry about her self esteem as she sometimes says things like "No one likes me." and "She does this better than me", etc. It is hard for me to know if she really feels that way or is trying to get my attention. I've tried hard to treat her equally and wonder where I've gone wrong. So I feel like I've failed her somehow and am not sure what to do. I worry sometimes that maybe I've been too hard on her (by losing my patience, etc.) and caused her to feel this way.

RULE #2: To remind yourself that you ARE a good mom, list SEVEN things you love about your kids, you love doing with your kids, or that your kids love about you. These are the things to remind yourself of EVERY DAY, that you rock!

1). I am a very loving, affectionate, hands on mom. Not a day goes by that I don't hug or kiss my children and tell them I love them. Even after our worst days, I make sure they know I love them.

2). I am a hands on mom. I help out at school, play games with them, read, etc. I'd much rather be with them than do my chores, which is why I have a messy house.

3). I love to dance and sing with them. We put on silly music and dance around the house and just laugh. This is probably one of my favorite things to do with them.

4). I also enjoy reading to them, and listening to them read to me. My highlight of the day, especially on a particularly busy one, is sitting on the bed with them at night, cuddling and reading together. Once in a while they get to bed late because I don't like to put them to bed without reading to them. Sometimes these reading sessions lead to lengthy discussions. They love to ask questions and I do my best to answer them!

5). I love going swimming with the girls in the summer, when we practically live at our neighborhood pool. They truly enjoy swimming and I love getting in the water with them and playing. Some of my best memories of my childhood were days at the pool and I hope they feel the same way someday.

6). I love listening to my girls laugh. Nothing makes me happier than their laughter. They both have very contagious laughs so it is hard to keep a straight face when one of them gets going. We joke around often and try to find humor in everything we do. My dad taught me the importance of a good sense of humor and I want to pass that on to them. Life is too serious most of the time.

7). I love every part of my girls. They are so beautiful, inside and out, and both have very different but wonderful personalities. Kiki is outgoing and inquisitive and a caring child. She is the first one to help someone when they are sad. Boo is a good mix of shy and outgoing, depending on her situation, and despite being strong willed, she is also strong and independent and I love that about her. I am so blessed to have them in my life!


I am passing on the Mom of the Year Award to:

Burghbaby, one of my all time favorite bloggers to read. She is funny, sarcastic and so much fun to read. She takes the most amazing pictures and I highly recommend you check out her blog.

Emily from DesignHERMomma is another fantastic blogger. I love the way she writes. She has a way of making you laugh, and then the next minute you feel your eyes welling up with tears. Highly recommend her blog as well.

Piaku is written by Mandy, a neighborhood friend of mine. She started a new job this past fall and hasn't had much time to update her blog. I know she loved blogging and wants to find her way back to her blog, so I am hoping this inspires her as I sure miss reading her posts!

I also chose Throughthisvalley, written by a friend of mine from high school, whose has a son with Neuroblastoma cancer. She has only written one blog post and I know would love to do more, but she has her hands full with caring for her son, and three other children. With all she has been through, I felt she deserved to be Mom of the Year.

And of course, please check out Liz at Eternal Lizdom. She is a wonderful blogger and has so much to share about motherhood and life in general. She is another one who can make you laugh and cry in the same post.

Thanks, Liz, for this wonderful award! ! You really lifted my spirits during a difficult week and helped me put motherhood in perspective. I've also been suffering from writer's block lately and this gave me a chance to write again!