I am NO Wonder Woman!
By mommy of many™. Filed in attitude, children, community, encouragement, family life, kids, mom, sharing |Tags: attitude, children, community, encouragement, family life, kids, mom, Mommy of Many, mommyofmany, MommyofMany.com, sharing
Recently, a friend said that she passed my blog and podcast onto a friend of hers hoping to share a little inspiration and a little fun. The friend came back to her saying that women like me come off as “Wonder Woman” and that she frankly can’t keep up.
AH! NO, NO, NO! There are NO wonder women in this house! In writing these (almost) daily blogs, I am hoping to convey to women everywhere (mommas or not) that life is serving up a constant dose of challenges in MANY forms but that together and with God and a sense of humor, we can make it. I’m hoping to plant the seed that will make a mom look at the room sprinkled with brown sugar or uncooked oatmeal and be able to take a big breath, utter a small prayer, remember something funny and then grab the vacuum. I’m hoping that I can help take the edge off of the daily grind and help everyone remember that this challenging time is not forever and to see the beauty in the little faces (challenging as they are) that surround us, demanding the very last drop of our time and energy.
Together in support and understanding we will be able to laugh about how we got it all done (except the laundry. That will never be done!).
A frequent visitor to the site sent me this picture of her little one enjoying the minute that he found his mom looking the other way.
Have a great day~
Thursday, June 5th 2008 at 10:00 am |
I know in the past, probably several times, I’ve said that you are amazing and I don’t know how you do it. I do know, like you said by the support of others, w/God and a sense of humor. Really if you look at motherhood and all it’s challenges that way, actually any daily or life struggle, you can do things that at times appear “Super-Human” to others. I hope that woman didn’t offend you. I’ve never heard you claim any of this was ever very easy.
I love you, keep doing what your doing. You have some awesome children.
Thursday, June 5th 2008 at 10:16 am |
Hi Jen,
As someone who knows you well, I know that like all of us you are not perfect, and you are not Wonder Woman. I believe you are so GREAT at running your life because you CHOOSE to look at things from a sunny, positive, outlook.
You choose to pray where there might be anger, you choose to laugh when you should probably yell, you choose calm when you could easily chooose confusion; you choose to let things go instead of holding on to bitterness. (etc, etc.) Just last night, I read this. I think that you and your other readers might enjoy it………..
An excerpt from The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale
Why do we become what we think about? Well, I’ll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.
Suppose a farmer has some land, and it’s good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn’t care. It’s up to the farmer to make the decision.
We’re comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn’t care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn’t care what you plant.
Now, let’s say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand- one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds-one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land…and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted.
As it’s written in the Bible, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”
Remember the land doesn’t care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the two plants – one corn, one poison.
The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn’t care what we plant…success…or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal…or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety and so on. But what we plant it must return to us.
You see, the human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.
Thursday, June 5th 2008 at 3:55 pm |
I’m glad you posted this…
Perhaps it could seem as though you are Amazing beyond reality with Everything you keep going at all times…but, you’re right…it takes Support, Love, God and Humor….
!
We are all capable of the jobs we’re given, sometimes we just need a lil help
Love you xo
Thursday, June 5th 2008 at 7:24 pm |
Wouldn’t it be cool to have an invisible jet though!!!??? I remember spinning around in circles to be like WW. Seriously though, your blog does exactly what you want it to- it offers a connection to another mom (you) and a little diversion from the daily routine. You, in no way, come off as being pretentious at all. In my mind, all moms who are doing their best to raise their children with love (even when their best may not seem good enough to them) is a wonder woman simply bc she chooses to get out of bed and take care of her kids, her home, and her husband. It may sound simple, but we all know that it isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Another observation I’ve made is that sadly, motherhood can become a competitive sport! After the first baby especially, I was guilty of this in my little pea brain. Sometimes I thought I did better than another and their were many times that I felt terribly inferior. I’ve learned though now, as each day passes, that we need to put that competitive malarky aside and show compassion and help out when we can. Maybe your friend’s friend has had encounters with moms of the competitive kind, and those experiences tainted the way she sees other mom’s comments/ thoughts. Hopefully she’ll read some more blogs and see that you’re a humble, loving mom trying to do her best like the rest of us
Friday, June 6th 2008 at 6:37 pm |
Unfortunately, the other side proves true…I know I tend to think that I am the only one going through tough times, and that everyone else IS a superwoman, and IS too good to have time to commisserate with me.
And, yes, this is one of my bad days, so please excuse me while I go hide in my little corner for a while…
(By the way, thanks Jen for the effort you put into this blog…it really is an inspiration to me!)
Saturday, June 7th 2008 at 9:31 am |
I just wanted to say thank you to each of you. Your support helps keep me going! I hope that this site continues to draw wonderful women, like each of you and that others can find a support system as great as I’ve been fortunate enough to find!
And Alexis-you continue to crack me up!
Saturday, June 7th 2008 at 7:54 pm |
I know for years I felt you were just so together and that I would never be as good a mom as you are. But once I had Sophia I knew I had to get up the courage to tell you exactly how I felt. I guess I just needed to know that I was a good mom and I was going to be okay and that you aren’t here and doing this blog to one up everybody else, but to say, “Hey people this is what I have learned along the way and I thought I’d share in case it may help others to know they’re not alone. I am so grateful for the relationship that has grown between us in the past 10 years since I moved to San Diego to live with you. Yes, it has been quite a roller coaster at times, but I wouldn’t trade a moment because it has brought us to today. It has been so wonderful to finally feel I can be myself with you and NOT feel inferior, which I know was my own doing all those years. Becoming a mother does an interesting thing, it makes you very humble and it helps you realize that there are times when you have to let go of your pride and say softly or loudly, “I need help. I can’t do it all by myself. I am not Wonder Woman.” No one is. Even Linda Carter, the actress who portrayed Wonder Woman has said it would be impossible and unrealistic for anyone to live up to that title.
I love you Jen. Thanks for being my sister, but most of all for being my friend.