Can anyone else believe that Mother’s Day is less than a week away?!  I know I always say how it’s hard to think about how quickly time flies by, but I really mean it.  It feels like just a day or two ago, I was grumbling about the fact that it still didn’t feel like Spring and we’ve all but fast tracked it to Summer around here at this point.

I wanted to do a Mother’s Day Gift Guide for y’all this year, but I just wasn’t able to pull it together.  (And if I did pull it together, it might have been titled, “I don’t need a spa day, but I would like some sleep.”)

Instead, I decided to write a post to reflect on and celebrate motherhood.  That’s the point of Mother’s Day anyway, right?

The truth is, as a blogger, I try to write things that I think you might want to or need to read about.  But often as I’m writing, I realize that I need to write these sorts of posts for myself, too.  I need them to help my perspective and I need them to look back on during the hard days.

You see, motherhood is messy.  It’s hard and it’s chaotic.   But it is also wonderful.  Wonderful and beautiful and totally awe-inspiring.  In many ways, motherhood is nothing like I imagined it to be and still everything I’d hoped for.

Today I want to talk about 10 things that motherhood has taught me and reminded me of.  And as a special treat, I’ve partnered up with some of my favorite bloggers to share their own stories about motherhood this week. So be sure to scroll to the bottom and check out their posts as well!

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10 Things that Motherhood has Taught Me

Motherhood has taught me that there are lots of ways to be a great mom.

Remember that instruction manual they gave you at the hospital when you checked out to take your sweet little baby home? No?  Yeah, me either.  Women have been mothering since the beginning of time and still, there isn’t a fail-proof guide.  It’s because every one is different.  Every mama is different, every baby is different, every family dynamic is a little bit different.  And that is a GOOD THING.

You see, there are so many ways to be a great mom.  What works for me might or might not work for you.  But when we share with one another and build one another up, we can all learn a little something.  Am I right? Yes.

And that mom brain is a real thing.

I know you’ve heard of mom brain before.  The “I have to write it down immediately or I will forget it”, the “I am hearing what you are saying, but no I didn’t process it.  Please repeat”, the “where is my phone again? Oh, yes.  My back pocket.”  Mom brain is a real thing.  And it doesn’t get better with more kids, I’ve learned.

There are things I used to be so good at remembering that are simply lost to me now it feels like.

There are other things that I can remember better though.  What Little has been snacking on.  When the last time was that he had something for dinner that wasn’t chicken nuggets.  How long nap time was and what time it ended.  Doctor’s appointments.  The list goes on.  Of course, I still rely heavily on lists and my planner, but I’ve gotten a lot more efficient about remembering those things.

You see, motherhood doesn’t take away your brain’s capacity – it just shifts it to different things.

Motherhood has reminded me that good friends are solid gold.

One thing I preach all the time around here is community.  The old saying “it takes a village to raise a child” is accurate, y’all.  I cannot even tell you how grateful I am for my neighbor who asks if we can go for a walk at the end of a long day or the friend who will meet me at the park early in the morning to accommodate nap times.  The friend without kids who comes by for dinner when Hubs works late and plays with Little while I put Hug down for bed.

Motherhood has taught me that I just cannot do it alone.  We all need someone to vent to, to laugh with, get advice from, and so on.

I really believe that friendships are necessary.  And when you find a good, deep connection friend.  Do not let them go.

And that Strong marriages take work.

Similarly to the point above, motherhood has taught me that strong marriages don’t get that way on cruise control.  Hubs and I make a really great team.  I am thankful every single day for him and the way that he loves and leads and serves our family so well.

But, I would be lying if I said that having kids hasn’t changed some things in our marriage.  We just don’t have the time to ourselves or for one another that we used to have.  And while I always expected that, what I didn’t expect was how hard it would be to carve that time out.  I could write a whole blog post about this alone, but suffice it to say that we’ve learned a lot since becoming parents about being intentional in our communication and our time together.  To really prioritize our marriage and one another.

I don’t think we’ll ever stop learning, but there is no one else I’d rather be on this journey with.

Motherhood has taught me to use my imagination again.

Adults get out of the habit of imagination and it’s really too bad.  There is absolutely nothing I know of better than spending time with a little one to learn how to use your imagination again.

We’ve built farms and zoos, jungles and seas.  We’ve marched around in parades, and colored with chalk.  And a favorite things now to do is for Little to ask us to tell him a story.  He’ll give us two things the story should be about and then we tell him the rest.  Some examples: “a hippo and a watermelon” and “a cow and a giraffe.”

This isn’t always the easiest for me to do on my own, and I am so thankful for my boys who without knowing it, inspire my own creativity and imagination.  They make me more playful and silly and I absolutely want to embrace it all.

So the next time your child asks you to take a trip to the moon with them, climb up in that rocket ship, Mama.

And that just because something doesn’t come naturally, doesn’t mean you can’t be good at it.

Okay.  Truth be told, I was mostly reminded this from one of the books I read this year, I’m Failing at This Thing Called Home, (which I highly recommend).  It’s a book that is largely about homemaking and in it the author encourages readers that might not think of themselves as naturally gifted at things like organization, or cleaning routines to simply practice.  Not to get stuck in the “I’m not good at that” mindset, but instead to just practice until you are good at it.

I think about this in terms of so many things that I do as a mom – meal planning, putting together fun activities for Little, playing pretend, tackling our laundry, etc.

Just because something doesn’t come naturally, doesn’t mean you can’t do it and you can’t do it well.  Maybe you could just start practicing.

Motherhood has taught me how to say “no” more easily.

Y’all.  Can I tell you one of the most powerful words you can use?  No.  That’s it.  No.  Because every time you choose to say “no” to something, you are saying “yes” to something else – hopefully something better and more important.  Since becoming a mom, I’ve had to learn to say no more and more.  Because I have to say “yes” to what’s best for our family and our children.  Sometimes that’s not going out to dinner because it conflicts with baby’s bedtime.  Sometimes it’s missing a birthday party that conflicts with nap time.

My biggest tip for this is to determine what the most important things are that you want to say “yes” to.  Then say “no” to everything that doesn’t allow that.

And has reminded me that no one has it all together all the time.

That’s not even a thing that happens in real life.  Sure, we post our highlights on social media and I blog about the fun activities we do around here.  But, that’s only a snippet.  The other times, I’m repeating myself again, washing dishes from two nights ago, or dousing my hair in dry shampoo because, no I didn’t have time to wash my hair last night.

I always post these sorts of things to be an encouragement to you.  That’s why you’ll always see my reminder on craft posts that the fun is in the process, not necessarily the finished product.  As moms, there are days we’ve got it totally together, and some days we don’t.  Don’t judge your crazy day to someone else’s best day.  It’s just not even worth it.

Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and start over tomorrow.  Or after nap time.

Motherhood has reminded me to savor every season because these days go by so fast.

Finally, motherhood has reminded me that the days go by so quickly.  Like so incredibly quickly.  The good days, the hard days, the sleep regressions and teething – they all pass by and then they’re gone.  Motherhood has taught me how to embrace each season and to find something to be thankful for at the end of everyday, but especially the hard days.

I never ever ever want to take these days for granted because I know I can’t ever get them back.  There are such sweet things about each of my boys that I always want to remember – the scruchy face toddler smile, the uninhibited baby laugh.  Every little detail.  I just wish I could bottle it right up.

And since I can’t I’ll just be over here trying to soak it all up.

Motherhood has changed me for good.

It’s hard to fully put into words the way that motherhood changes a person.  There isn’t anything that can adequately prepare you for it, either.  Motherhood has taught me to be less selfish and less rushed.  It has taught me to be more gracious and empathetic towards others.  It’s made me slow down and be patient.  It’s taught me about grace and forgiveness and love.  So much love.

It’s taught me more about the gospel and my faith than anything else.  My heart is bigger, my hands are fuller, and my faith is stronger.

Some days, it’s hard to remember what life was like before having kids and other days, what I wouldn’t give to be able to have a girls’ night any night I wanted or to go out with Hubs spontaneously.

But y’all this is where I am.  Motherhood is truly a refining process.  It has brought out the best and the worst in me.  It’s made me laugh and cry and beam with joy – sometimes all at once.

This is my favorite.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mama!

Will you join me in celebrating motherhood this week?  Be sure to check out some of the posts below for more stories of motherhood from some of my favorite bloggers below.