Thoughts on Motherhood Realized

Curling up with a book I can’t put down is one of my guilty pleasures. This month I am reading Motherhood Realized: An Inspiring Anthology for the Hardest Job You’ll Ever Love. The book is written by ladies from an organization I just can’t get enough of – Power of Moms. I first attended a Power of Moms Retreat back in 2011 and I’ve been hooked ever since. Like-minded, deliberate mothers coming together to share helpful (and often hilarious) experiences – sign me up!

The first chapter is written by Catherine Arveseth of the blog Wild and Precious. I enjoyed hearing this lovely lady speak at the Motherhood Realized book launch event as I’ve been reading her blog for years. She has two sets of twins and her insights are invaluable. Here are a few of my favorite posts from her delightful blog.

1. This blog post convinced me that I need to make a fairy home in our backyard for our daughter! Just do a search for “fairies” on Catherine’s site and you will see so many magical ideas!

2. I adore Catherine’s recap of her children’s favorite books each year. I love gleaning suggestions from fellow literature-loving families.

3. And though I treasure book suggestions and memory-making fairy ideas, what I love most about Catherine’s site is the realness and her gentle reminders to live in the moment. This post captures a glimpse into a positively gleeful rainy day and I love it! There are many more sweet moments like this on Catherine’s blog!

Now back to Motherhood Realized! Catherine’s chapter, “Watching You,” speaks to those moments when we glean inspiration from other mamas. She gives several examples of mothers she has observed and closes with this inspiring quote,

That is an affirmation all mamas should say in the mirror every morning, “I am exactly who my children need.” I need to tape that to my mirror!

One of my favorite parts of the book Motherhood Realized is that each chapter closes with a question and a challenge. Inspiration AND a call to action – that’s what I need!

The question for this chapter is, “What have you learned from other mothers you have watched?”

This past year I’ve been overwhelmed with examples of quiet, but brilliant motherhood.

So many of my sweet friends have struggled with getting their babies earthside this past year. I’ve watched as they’ve placed careers and life as they knew it on hold as they’ve clung to the opportunity of being the vessel of life for their child. I’ve prayed and cheered with them as week by week they have soldiered on through their pregnancies and weeks, even months of bed rest and hospital stays. Mothers are patient. Mothers give their all.

I’ve watched from across the country as a dear friend became a mama of multiples – triplet baby boys + a two year old boy. As those babies have grown into toddlers, I’ve admired her ability to capture the moment and get in the picture with her brood of busy boys. Mothers see the bigger picture beyond diapers and dishes.

I’ve discovered that mothers need mothers and mothers need other mothers, too. I still call my mom and I am delighted at the relationship my daughter has with her “mom mom.” I’ve laughed and cried with friends in the thick of early motherhood years like myself and gleaned from the wisdom of mothers who have been there and gracefully passed through that.

What an insightful exercise it has been this week to think of the mothers that I watch in my life! I am grateful for the many examples I have. This post has been just a peek into one of the chapters in Motherhood Realized: An Inspiring Anthology for the Hardest Job You’ll Ever Love. I am excited to dive into the next chapter and share more of the quotes and insights with you. Treat yourself and the moms in your life to this lovely anthology – you’ll love it as much as I do!

What have you learned from your mom?
Who are the mom examples in your life?

I am a volunteer Power of Moms ambassador. This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links – thank you for supporting my site!