Thank you Swap.com for sponsoring this post.
It’s an interesting thing – motherhood. It changes and grows and is hard to grasp.
It’s tears and work and preparation and love.
Eliza Shirt: Old Navy c/o Swap.com | My Shirt: Old Navy c/o Swap.com | My Jeans: Kut From The Kloth c/o Swap.com
Abe’s Shirt: Old Navy c/o Swap.com | Abe’s Jeans: Gap c/o Swap.com
Growing up, I was that girl, the one who only wanted to be a mom. Sure, I had another life-long goal to be a teacher, but really, I just wanted to hold babies all day long. I wanted to create a home where my family and friends felt safe and secure and loved and welcomed. I wanted children that were best friends with each other, and with me. I wanted to take care of little souls that I helped create. I wanted to mother.
And then it took 12 months for that dream to become a reality, and another 9 for that reality to be born. And during those waiting months, I dreamt of motherhood, of what it would look like and what it would mean and what it would be.
And now, 3 years a mother, the truth I’ve found that is that motherhood is a beautiful gift, that is filled with hard moments. It’s ever-changing, ever-evolving as more children come and those children grow and as your family dynamic changes. It is love. And it is change. And it is hard. No one’s motherhood looks quite the same, and what it look like truly varies on the day, the minute.
But on those days that I’m ready to scream, to throw in the towel, get a job, and pack my toddlers off to daycare, I look at their sweet faces, mirroring my own, and I know I couldn’t ever do that. Because being a mom – especially having the special privilege and opportunity of being a stay-at-home mom, is all I’ve ever wanted. It is my dream. And now that dream is a reality. And yes, that reality is a harsher one that I anticipated when I was merely a child myself, but I know that never, ever will I feel more fulfilled in any line of work, as I do now.
Because really, my only task is to love.
Because by teaching them, I’m showing love. By showing them Jesus, I’m showing love. By feeding them, I’m showing love. By playing with them, I’m showing love. Even when the times are hard and challenging and I’m exhausted and they push my every button…. I am trying, oh, I am trying, to only show them love.
And so, each day my reality changes a little bit, and my heart grows larger, and perhaps sometimes my patience grows thinner, but I am loving them. I am loving and mothering them as we go through the motions of our day, as we make memories that will last a lifetime, as I try to be ever present with these little souls who call me “mommy”.
If giving gifts and finding good deals is one of your definitions of showing love (raising my hand high over here) you need to check out Swap.com. Swap.com is the largest online consignment and thrift store! They generously partnered with me on this post by giving me credit to shop for my family. There are many options to select when shopping online, including by price, by brand or by condition. All the clothes I received were either “like new” or “new with tags”!
Their customer service is fantastic, too, as is their return policy. Not pictured above are the shirt and pants that didn’t fit me. All I had to do is select the items I wanted to return, print the return slip & label, and drop off the package at my local FedEx. Once received, they let me know and issued my store credit to my account. Easy-peasy! Use code “25MOM” for 25% off your purchase (and all first orders ship free!).
