I have to admit that this post is a bit of a pep talk to myself, so I thought if anyone else struggles in this way, it might be good to get out of my journal and onto the blog.

I’m a recovering perfectionist, learning to let go, and aspiring to stop with the unrealistic standards I hold myself to. Being a perfectionist and a mom to two littles means I live life in almost constant conflict in that I always want things to be a certain way, but they rarely go that way. Because life with kids is messy and a constant reminder to “go with the flow”. On days that this is especially a struggle, I end up being extra hard on myself and go to bed feeling like a bad mom.

On the tough days gentle parenting gets a laugh and falls to the waist side as I yell from a short temper have very little patience. When I’m feeling overstimulated and short like this, I find that more often than not I can directly tie it back to having set some impossible expectation for the day.

Like I should be giving the kids grace, I should be giving myself grace as well. I should be prioritizing time together over a to-do list. It sounds like common sense when you put it in writing, but as you get caught up in the day-to-day, it’s easy to lose sight of the beauty in front of you and focus on the messes made that need attention. Truth be told, these little souls need nurturing more than the house needs cleaning, and they don’t stay little long enough. The mess will be there later, but babies don’t keep; so take a breath, refocus, and get back to love and grace.