I Wanted To Be The Do-It-All Mom

I thought to be a good mom I had to be the do-it-all mom

I wanted to be a homeschool mom, a successful small business owner, a savvy home cook, an expert gardener, an avid exerciser…the list goes on.  I envisioned a life filled with things that mattered. But the more I tried to be the do-it-all mom the more I felt the stress of a life that was bursting at the seams.

It wasn’t sustainable

I felt myself constantly speeding up and rushing through my days to get it all done. It made me realize that I don’t want to be the mom who does it all.  I want to be the mom who does only the most important things and has the capacity to do them with grace, presence, and appreciation.  So I started slowly carving away the things I thought were necessary to make space for the things that are worthwhile.

I decided to do only the worthwhile things

It’s taken a while but I’m finally wrapping my head and my heart around what the worthwhile things are. Sometimes they are more glamorous, like drawing up plans for the house we want to build. Usually they are more humble, like finally finding the perfect sourdough flatbread recipe. They can be challenging, like sitting with my toddler who’s having a tantrum. Most of the time they are simple, like snuggling my baby girl after she nurses in the morning.

I’m learning that what’s worthwhile in my heart changes with the season of life I’m in. I’m recognizing what’s worthwhile are the things that fill my cup up. Sometimes I find them by choosing the easy path but often times I need to lean in and be in the trenches to see them. Doing-it-all doesn’t make me a good mom. It actually takes away from the mom I really want to be. So I’m letting go of doing all the things so that I can rest in the worthwhile moments that I want to make up my life.