Super Mom?!

Eric came home from work the other day and asked me if I was okay. Said it seemed like something was bothering me. It was. I was having a bad day..AJ was acting up, Lauryn kept taking her clothes off at nap, and the twins hadn't slept a ton so I hadn't got as much done around the house as normal. I will add however that in the same day I was alone from 11-9 with all four cooked a real dinner, gave all four a bath, played with them, read them each a story did 3 loads of laundry and got a good chunk of school work done, so it wasn't as if I hadn't accomplished "Anything" Just compared to other mom's my kids just didn't seem to be well behaved or anything as everyone Else's...(or so it seems....) From that evening I walked away KNOWING that

* I am an amazing Mother & Wife
* I have an amazing Husband and Children
* I am NOT Super Mom

I mean spend just one day looking at my Facebook News Feed and you would NEVER call me Super Mom again.

Apparently I am the mom friend of some child prodigies out there! This is the problem with the Internet and social networking. Just because I have the option of typing that I am 5'8" 123lbs doesn't necessarily make it true. Just Saying.

FB will never again have me questioning my abilities as a mother. I am happy for all of those mom's out there who have the perfect children. You know the ones...the ones who go to bed when told with NO fights, and the ones who clear their plates at meal time, the ones one who hit all developmental milestones right on time or even early, the ones who are obedient when in public...etc.

I am a very positive person. I always look on the bright side of things BUT sometimes I can certainly be a realist.

I love my family. I have pretty amazing kiddos! But guess what? I wont even begin to lie to you or myself about them. Not a single one of them is perfect by the "book"...yep I admit it I do NOT have a "textbook" perfect child.

I have a 3.5 year old who has JUST recently started expending his vocabulary and communication skills. Who frequently has accidents in his underwear during the day and is not near ready for night potty training (even though he wakes dry many mornings) He does not know all of his colors and although he CAN count to 10 he cant ALWAYS, and the ABC's??? He knows the melody of the song and several of the letter but not all of them!!! He throws a fit when he gets told no and he even hits his sister for toys sometimes. Yep...I admit it my kid isn't perfect...but you know what...He has an unconditional love for his sisters and his parents that trump all of the other stuff. He loves Spiderman I LOVE watching him play spiderman and pretend to shoot webs out of his wrist. Hearing him say "sissy you pretty" and "mommy, I loves you" makes not knowing his ABC's a small issue. He might not be able to do everything your kid ("Your" being a general term) does but I bet "your" kid cant make spiderman sounds as good as AJ. LOL

I have a 2.5 year old who, for lack of better description, keeps us on our toes. Now this one DOES know many colors, can talk VERY well, knows many shape, can kinda count and kinda do her ABC's. However; she CANT stand still, she is always into stuff she shouldn't be, climbs onto tables, climbs over gates, stands on the back of couches, climbs into baby swings with babies, will NOT eat her veggies and she too throw tantrums when angry & the one thing that annoys me most of all is she wont keep her clothes ON!! I am tired of walking in on a Stark Naked toddler at nap time...SHEESH I think the girl needs wood flooring in her room, I am over the carpet. While I graciously admit she too is NOT perfect she is pretty amazing. I love it when She "fights" with AJ because I'm "her mommy" not his, I love the way her faces lights up when I mention cheeseburgers, and you haven't gotten the best of Lauryn until you see her in her "princess" (all pretty dresses)this is a girl that can pee on the floor intentionally than 5 minutes later giver Ava a sweet kiss on the head and make the world perfect again. What more could ANY mom ask for!

Then I have the twins. Our little blessings. My little stress makers. These girls have cause stressed since our intensive care stay while I was just 6 weeks pregnant with them!!! I do not have words to describe my pregnancy with them, but I cant tell you that as nearly 4 month old babies they are pretty awesome. They might not be as big as "your kids" (heck NONE of my kids are as big as yours) they might not be as photogenic, the might not talk as much as your kids...but you just cannot beat the smile that spreads from cheek to cheek when I talk to them. I cant put into words the blessing these two TRULY are. So what they aren't the definition of what a "normal" 4 month old should be...I can only say this...They are exactly who they are supposed to be!!!

As a mom I am very proud of my children!! Nothing is a better feeling in the world then watching your child get excited after mastering a new skill. The look in his/her eyes when they figure out exactly where that last puzzle piece goes gives me the best feeling in the world.

For some reason I find that many mom's feel like raising children has become a competition and a game of compare/contrast. I fell into this category at one point. I always wanted to compare my kids to others, but than I learned that no two kids are the same. By constantly comparing (even comparing siblings...which I am guilty of)you will ALWAYS end up disappointed. No matter how hard you try someones kids will always be bigger, faster, "smarter" or more advance. LIFE.

At least if I am honest with myself and friend NOW...next time you are with me and Lauryn throws a fit I don't have to use any excuses (for example: oh she's cranky bc she missed nap, oh she must be teething, she's weird around new people) You will just know that my kids aren't perfect and I accept that and LOVE that about them! :o)

I measure my success as a mom right now by how happy, emotionally "healthy", taken care of, and adjusted my kids are and not by how early he or she started counting. For those who do use this form of measurement; FORGIVE ME please because on your child's 5Th birthday when you announce that he has received his driver's license or high school diploma...I might have to laugh at you :o)