Mother May I

I just got home from a wonderful morning of mommy camaraderie. Today's gathering at bookstore Once Upon a Story was a well needed breath of fresh air. A lovely space to be among other mothers, chatting about mom stuff, sipping coffee (and good coffee at that), snacking on scones-to-die-for (they were glazed or something heavenly like that) and just being in each other's good company. A change of scenery and a topic to discuss was a perfect way to spend a Wednesday morning.
Photographer/mom of twins/Montessori teacher(pre-twins) Stephanie Pullman shared some thoughts on ways to nurture our children's independence by encouraging them to "help" in daily tasks, specifically at mealtime. The message was simple and her ideas felt very doable. I like doable. Doable is good. It's amazing how hearing constructive tips from other mothers can open our eyes to some new strategies for daily living. What's more amazing is how much a little dose of 'moms meeting moms' time can leave us with such renewed energy.
One of the things that I really took to heart today is the idea that we call have the choice to wake up each day, take a deep breath and say, "today, I'm going to be a better of a mother than I was yesterday." It was just something Stephanie touched on and it's ringing in my ears. With children, there will always be days that feel like a race to the bed-time finish line...like we're sure we've been robbed of our last shred of sanity...like we'll never get out of this motherhood purgatory alive. For me, the mere reminder that I can at least begin each day with hope, love, patience, and the possibility that I can be the best mom I can be is good enough. Still buzzing from my morning, I'm embracing that. Or maybe it's just a glazed scone sugar high. Hm.