Perfectly Imperfect

Approximately once per month, I tell Brian that I'm going to quit blogging and shut down the Internet for good... go back to the life of a pioneer woman, and get out of dodge. I won't, of course, but I definitely take advantage of the fact that I'm my own "boss" and can take a few days off any time that I want, whenever I need time to clear my head.

I was in a foul mood the end of last week. I can't exactly pinpoint why a Thursday and Friday would feel so terrible... Bad moods are generally reserved entirely for Mondays.

It may have had something to do with the fact that I went to Pilates both days at 6:30am and I need my beauty sleep... or the fact that I had a Luna bar for breakfast one of those days, and that's just starting things on the wrong foot to begin. A real breakfast is necessary in my world.

Really though?

My children were melting down left and right, and disobeying and crying soooo much... we haven't seen a week like this in ages. ALL children have these weeks, but when you're in them? Perspective gets skewed. I began thinking how terrible a mother I must be that my children wouldn't listen to me. How terrible I am that our field trip to the park was unpleasant. How I must sound saying "no thank you!" to my children left and right... I was telling myself how many ways I was failing, and believing it.

When our children are amazing and say beautiful things and are kind to their peers, do we pat ourselves on the back and tell ourselves that we're amazing too? Or do we look around at our life & home and say, ohhh, I could do better with this or that? I tend to do the latter. Why then when they have a tough week do we blame our imperfections and get down about it all?

I love new weeks, new chances for improvement, new chances to show love. I love God's grace, I love new chances to make the most of a day, week, moment. I love that I don't have to be a perfect mother for my children to thrive and succeed... I just need to do my best, and pray my hardest. ;)