“I can’t get in front of it. No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I give, it’s not enough.” — Allyson, Mom’s Night Out
My husband had just come home from a business trip. “I just saw a movie on the plane that reminded me so much of you. She was even a blogger,” he said. The movie that he was thinking about was, of course, Mom’s Night Out. I had been meaning to rent the movie for a while, but hey, life is sometimes crazy.
We went out that evening, and despite my husband having had already seen the movie, we rented the movie. I was amazed at how much the movie did parallel my life. Not only was the main character, Allyson, an aspiring blogger, but also a stay-at-home mom dealing with crazy kids and a husband who travels frequently for work. And, just like Allyson, I have struggled with feeling as if I am not enough.
Oftentimes, my house is a mess and I feel like I am just treading water trying to keep up. I often wish my house could be spotless clean like those Better Homes and gardens houses, but I try to be realistic with myself.
I have two children.
I have two young children.
There is plenty of time to clean the house, plant a flower garden (that doesn’t include just marigolds or flowers that will never grow), or even cook gourmet meals. However, you only have your kids for a small amount of time. You only have a small amount of time to influence them and watch them grow. For me, I would rather take this time with my kids than spend it making my house Pinterest-perfect.
However, I still feel like I failed in being super-mom.
I think that a lot of moms feel like this.
This is why I loved being able to host a National Mom’s Night Out party. Many of my friends are also stay at home moms, and even if they aren’t, they can still relate to needing a little bit of time to cut loose and spend time with the girls.
Since the weather is so nice now, we were able to get together outside, grilling hot dogs on the grill. In addition, we partied with fun snacks and well as drinks.
It was so nice to be able to have some time to relax, connect with other moms, realize that my struggles are ones that many moms deal with — and that is what was important.
“I’m a mess. But I’m a beautiful mess. I’m His masterpiece, and that is enough.” — Ally’s blog
Some days will be tougher than others. I know this. However, I know that this is what God made me for. God made me to be a mother these children that he has blessed me with. Teaching them to grow up to be good men, and eventually good fathers, is what is important. Having a clean house is not what is important.
However, it does feel good to have a night out once and a while. 😉
