Are you wondering what is UP with the title of this post.
I thought I would ease you in gently, BUT...
this has needed to be said to my generation of wife and mothers for awhile now.
So as is my typical fashion, I'm just going to say it.
Moms ~ quit being mediocre.
And please lets stop encouraging our friends to do the same.
It seems to be the latest trend on social media sites, for mothers to post article upon article expounding upon the notion that we do not need to be perfect moms.
I don't know what this lady is holding. A giant plate of party food?
Not sure.
Or more importantly...why she is so threatened by the reindeer treat making moms.
She doesn't think she can make reindeers?
She has tried and they became a big sloppy mess:
LOL....Oooops.
Sad.
We have all been there.
Trust me.
And we have cried buckets over the mess we have made, and
the wasted time we took to do it.
That is okay, Moms.
No one said you had to be perfect!!
But, look... when you chose to take on the role of being a wife and mother, was it really to stay in your pajamas all day? Was it really to have piles of laundry all over the place and dirty dishes in the sink?
Did you dream of growing up and being a mediocre wife and mother?
Have you convinced yourself your husband doesn't care?
That your kids don't care.
Cause I bet they do.
Have you told yourself:
"I'm not good at that stuff."
"I just can't do it. That's good for you, Laurie. But its just not me."
Why do we sell ourselves so short in life, ladies?
And why sell your family short too?
When I was a college single, the big trend then was that we all wanted to be "Proverbs 31 Women".
We poured over those verses and dreamed about the day we could make our husbands a dinner Martha Stewart would be proud of and host our kids birthday parties.
We very much believed our life's worth would be found in homemaking, to the glory of our Lord.
It was not something we were going to "settle for" or that society told us we "had to be".
We wanted it.
We prayed for it.
And our dreams came true the day we found it.
Yet, somewhere over the years of dirty diapers and sticky floors and busy schedules...aching backs, and cluttered kitchens....
we Christian women have deviated from our ideal to the path of least resistance.
And when we got lost, we thought others should come along with us.
To make us feel better about our sorry housekeeping skills.
Or secret spending habits.
Or lame celebrations.
And as we have gotten deeper into the pit of laziness (yeah, I said it)...we have gotten highly annoyed at the moms who didn't get sucked in too.
We started hiding from those moms who post pictures of their kids adorable homemade Halloween costumes and Back to School breakfasts.
They annoyed us.
They exhausted us.
They just plain ticked us off.
Have you ever wondered why?
Maybe because, dear friends....you have lost your way.
Lost in your cell phones and friendships and hobbies.
Lost in unfinished projects, and mundane chores, and children's books read a thousand times.
Your inspiration to BE and DO is gone.
I am not here to discourage you.
I am here to say:
Come alive!
Be renewed in your spirit.
You can do this.
I want to see us begin to encourage one another in Excellence.
In any job you have had, weren't you more satisfied when you pursued excellence?
Didn't it feel good to have someone say, "Job well done, friend!"
I'm not telling you what that will look like for you or your family.
That is certainly not my place.
BUT...I can encourage you with this:
Friends...if you know me, you know my passion is my family.
Making our house a home.
Making memories with my children that will last them a lifetime.
And I go to great lengths to do that.
Often times I fail miserably.
I burn stuff.
Like food...and my fingers with the glue gun, for example.
I drop things, I lose things, I break things.
I shed loads of frustrated and disappointed tears.
I have baskets of laundry too.
I forget to feed the dogs, my bathroom goes a tad too long without a cleaning.
I get it.
I really do.
It's tough being a Mom every. single. day.
With no end in sight.
But we do it.
So why not enjoy the fruits of our labor?
My kids can often be heard saying,
"Mom! What happened here?"
And we all laugh and they cough down my burnt creations and
proclaim I've done better and beg me never to try that again.
Making memories, people.
For better and worse.
I wish I could say I handle these disasters with grace.
But not so much.
Ask my kids about the "Dinner Rice Incident of Fall 2013".
It was bad, guys.
Bad.
But I try.
I have dozens upon dozens of times I have nailed it.
And that feels good.
Vivi paid me the ultimate compliment when she came home from school and the Valentine mantel was all done up in its red and pink glory.
So...my 6 year old daughter says,
"Wow, Mom. You always make the holidays special."
I teared up a little as I thanked her.
No pay check anywhere can buy how good that feels...
Does it make me a better mom than another because I strive to do better?
No.
It just makes me a purposeful mom.
Isn't that what we all want to be?
Proverbs 31
( from Bible gateway)
says....
Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character
10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Do you see in these verses the virtues of wife and mother you want to be?
Hardworking, frugal, prepared, wise, joy filled, diligent, a sense of humor,
purposeful, creative, generous, savvy, servant hearted, and more.
What would our relationships look like if we were inspired by one another instead of discouraged.
I have several mom friends who inspire the socks off of me.
I don't want to be them.
I'm me.
But I am so encouraged by the care at which they go about keeping their home, teaching their children, loving and respecting their husbands.
And I am honored that I have friends who see me the same way.
I made these Valentines for Vivi and posted them to Facebook:
Several moms loved them and wanted to do them for their kids.
So I made up about a dozen more templates with their kids names on them and emailed them to all the friends who wanted it. They were thrilled.
They weren't threatened by our homemade Valentines.
They were inspired.
One Mom emailed back, "Thanks for making me look like a Rockstar Mom."
You are very welcome.
I had another friend call today from across the country, and she told me that she was inspired by me to do up a wonderful spread for her kids on Valentines Day. She said they were surprised and delighted and that she even got a smile and cooperation for the whole day out of her teen son. Woohoo!
I told her she had filled up his love tank.
Maybe he couldn't articulate that, but he felt it.
It makes ALL the difference.
I had a similar experience with Keishun.
On the 13th I got mad at him for coming home late.
But the next day he came home from school to see this:
Within 30 minutes he texted
both Billy and I:
"Happy Valentine's Day Mom and Dad!! Love you!
Think of me while you are out eating and having fun tonight."
Billy texted back:
"Who's this?"
hahahaha...
It was a delightful moment.
Billy said to me, "you know its because of all that stuff you put in his bathroom, don't you."
I smiled.
Yeah...I know.
These things make a difference in the life of your family, friends.
Lets stop putting down Pinterest Moms.
Be secure in who YOU are.
It's okay if your Easter bunny rolls look evil.
My boys would take one look at that and go,
"You made Pikachu rolls, thanks Mom."
Ha....sure guys.
That's what I was going for all along.
Let us inspire and encourage one another to Greatness.
Tap into what made you want to be a wife and mother in the first place.
Refocus what it is God has you to do on this earth.
I believe quite possibly it is sitting right in front of you at the breakfast table.
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