a love letter to the tired mama

So it's February. And in our little corner of the woods that means nothing. Just more snow. And then the occasional day like today where it gets into the 30s and you swear spring is around the corner and the icicles melt and all seems hopeful and good.

And then the temperature drops. And it starts snowing. Again. And dammit.

I'm tired.

Dada stayed home from work sick today. He hung out with the girls reading books while little man and I were outside for awhile. Then the whole clouds/snow/cold thing happened. And it was dinner time. And the kitchen was already a mess. And my three hours outside with a cold started making me tired and crabby.

Pizza? I say.

Yes, he says.

And as I look out into the swirling snow I realize. Dammit. Valentines day.

So Valentines Day is officially on Friday at our little house.

Mama Fail.

I know its not a big deal, but I've been super hard on myself lately. Those Pinterest boards of kiddie crafts and nifty school ideas mocking me. All those damn crockpot freezer recipes I've been meaning to try. And the "firm abs in 20 minutes a day" etc (20 minutes?? Maybe 2??) Then the kids colds. They are sick again? someone says. And I think geez. Why ARE they sick again? Not eating healthy foods maybe? So I flip open my favorite "I can never eat like this but it's a good idea to try" cookbook and start feeling the mama guilt creep in. And then there were Christmas thank you cards found underneath a stack of papers the other day. More guilt. And yes, I am ready to cry right now.

But here is the happy part, the love letter part. Because we need it. I need it. Sometimes we need to let our inner wise mama comfort ourselves I think.

Ready?

To the tired out mama on Valentines Day:

Here is the thing.

YOU, you mama, are amazing.

You can survive without 8 hrs of sleep...for years. You can soothe feverish heads all night. Clean up puke ... without puking. Smile and laugh even when you have a headache and the car wont start. You take an hour to walk around the block just to crunch the falling leaves. You order cheese pizza. every. time. You smother sticky faces in kisses. Sweep and sing and inspire adventures. You know where the water bottles are. Always. You can soothe tears, repair ripped books, tell stories on demand, mediate lego guy wars, laugh at 3 yr old jokes, understand toddler speak, convince little mouths to eat vegetables, walk hallways for an hour singing the same lullabye OVER and OVER to get baby to sleep, exult in tied shoelaces and loose teeth, find missing puzzle pieces, marvel at crayon stick figures, clean up potty accidents, talk on the phone while answering questions, catching the toddler from falling off the table, and making Mac and cheese. While blindfolded. (Ha.)

You rock.

And it is hard. And you are tired. And it feels lonely somedays. But all good things are hard. And afternoon naps and Sunday morning papers in the sun and hours alone to write and think and create... all that will come.

For now. This beautiful crazy exhausting exhilarating ride called motherhood is in front of you.

And not only CAN you do it, you ARE doing it. And dear girl, you are doing it well.

So. Cry sometimes, sure. But know that you are valuable. You are precious. You are doing a kickass job. You are bringing a creation into the world with each wiped tear, each peanut butter sandwich, each kiss. Little souls who will make the world a better place.

For you, you are mama.


So. All that to say. Happy Valentines Day mommies.