i like me

I had the opportunity to be a part of the MOMS Club here in the Ripon-Salida area for about 6 or 7 years.  What a blessing!!  I learned so much about motherhood and friendship when I was active in the group. But I also learned to be me and to be happy being me. 

In MOMS Club, you could try to impress everyone who came to a play date at your home with a clean house and fabulous snacks, a gorgeously decorated home and a superbly planned play date. Or you could invite them into your family room full of thrift store furniture with toys scattered across the floor, serve up some Ritz crackers and Cheerios, put on a pot of coffee and let the kids play on the afore mentioned floor covered with toys. Whatever you did, the moms were just happy to be there! We got together because of our common bond of motherhood, not because of who did what the best, or because of who had the nicest house.

And I could go on and on about this super supportive, life-changing club, but once again I'll get to my point.  

I had a conversation with an awesome mom today. (I get to have some great conversations with people!) (And it looks like I'm probably not going to get right to my point...) We were chatting about maintaining the standards that we sometimes feel because of all the seemingly perfect moms around us. Through our conversation she got me to thinking, which can sometimes be dangerous, but not in this instance.  Do you ever stop and just think: who do I want to be?  Who has God created me to be? 

It's so easy to get caught up in trying to be like the mom whose kids are perfect or whose house is spotless. You could create a lot of credit card debt making your house look pretty. You could get dressed up nice every time you drop the kids off at school. But is that you? 

I am the mom with the thrift store furniture and the toys on the floor.  I serve a big pot of coffee, Ritz crackers and Cheerios. I wear a ponytail in my hair a lot.  And I am most comfortable in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and a pair of Converse. And I'm learning to be okay with that because as it turns out, people like me anyway! 

I like it when you are real.  I like to know that you aren't perfect. It makes you relatable.  

There's nothing wrong with striving to be a better you, but make sure you are being a better you, not trying to be just like someone else.

(Would you look at that? I wrote about comparison and contentment again. There's always some heart issue He's working on with me!)

KC