Six Reasons I’m Over Trying to Be a “do-it-all” Mom

{if you ever need a reminder: free printable}

Once upon a time, long before I actually had children, I envisioned myself as a “do-it-all” mom. You know the type… she cooks Pinterest-worthy dinners, puts on real clothes every day, and exercises regularly.  She keeps a spotless house, somehow manages to work from home, and still keeps up on all of her hobbies and her social life. She makes juggling all of this and raising her kids look easy, and she never, under any circumstances, loses her cool.  In other words, she’s the mom you love to hate, and I’m so over trying to be her.

Here are six reasons why I’ve given up on trying to be a do-it-all mom:

1.  I like wearing yoga pants.  Don’t get me wrong, it feels really good to put on real clothes sometimes, but the majority of my days are spent playing legos on the floor, transporting kids to and from school, and doing load after load of laundry.  These activities do not require me to be clad in Anthropologie from head to toe, and honestly, I’d prefer to be comfortable. Athleisure is my jam and I don’t care who knows it.
2. Trying to keep my house spotlessly clean was a waste of my time. For the longest time I spent my days stressing about keeping my house clean. I swept my kitchen floor repeatedly and I picked up our playroom no less than five times a day… you know where it got me? As soon as I picked up, my kids would dump an entire bin full of toys on the floor. As soon as I swept my kitchen, there were crumbs all over the floor again. It was making me crazy, so I decided it just wasn’t worth my energy anymore. Now I wait until after my kids are in bed to clean, and (some of) my sanity has been saved.
3. When it comes to working out, I’ll take what I can get. I need a good workout now more than ever, but trying to workout 5 days a week with 3 kids at home was killing me.  I’d be 18 minutes into a workout and the baby would start crying… every. single. time.  I do have a membership at gym that offers child care, so it’s probably time to start taking advantage of that again, but in the meantime, I’ll take what I can get. If it means an 18 minute workout at home, well, it’s better than nothing.
4. Macaroni & cheese from a box never killed anyone. Let’s be honest, as much as I enjoy a homemade baked macaroni and cheese, my kids much prefer the blue box.  So be it.  I’m just happy if they finish a meal these days. Theres no point in slaving over a meal that they won’t even eat.
5. Sometimes I miss being social, but most days I’d rather just stay home. I often worry that I have lost a piece of myself after having children. I used to live for going out, but these days, I’m happiest at home. Maybe someday I will be a social butterfly again, but for now a glass of wine in my pjs will totally suffice.
6. Losing your cool is part of being a mom. I don’t like yelling at my kids.  It doesn’t make me feel good.  More often then not, I feel terrible when it gets to that point, but it happens, probably more often then I care to admit. Tiny humans are button pushers, and sometimes you have to raise your voice to get your point across. It happens, and it doesn’t make you a bad mom.

At the end of the day, I’m learning to accept “good enough” over being “perfect”. Sure I wish I could do it all, but trying to was doing more harm than it was good. Everyone needs balance, and trying to juggle too many balls was throwing off mine. I’ve reached a point in my life where I feel like it’s okay to just say “that’s good enough” over striving for perfection. I’ve accepted the fact that trying to do it all is unreasonable, and that giving myself some grace feels really, really good. 

If you ever feel like your coming up short, try to focus on all of the things that you did accomplish today. I kept my kids alive, so that’s a win, right? What’s your win for the day?