Cathy: Blog Mom Award

Brittany Vandeputte bestowed an honor upon me at her personal blog. She has nominated me for the Mom of the Year Award.

Here are the rules:
First, admit one thing you feel awful about involving being a mom. Get it off your shoulders. Once you’ve written it down, you are no longer allowed to feel bad. It’s over with, it’s in the past. Remember, you’re a good mom!

Why was my first inclination one of guilt when I saw it? Because earlier the same morning I made the discovery on her blog, I was internally lamenting how I am so torn between my children and my writing and its (my) need for peace and quiet. This is an oft visited topic on Creative Construction, by all of us who contribute. I was thinking I spend a lot of time in front of my computer telling my kids to or wishing my kids would go do something else besides try to interact with me, whatever their purpose in doing so is. I wish I played more board games, did more crafts, etc with them. I even promised K I would take him out for sushi during Spring Break for some one-on-one, which I feel we desperately need, but didn’t ‘get around to it’ until Monday after Easter, the very last day of break. I even commented on Miranda’s post about her art closet that I look forward to the day that K goes to college so there may be a wee bit less chaos and crowd around me as C enters kindergarten at the same time. I may actually have more time and space to myself. I also wish I generally showed more patience for S.

Okay, now that’s off my chest, I’m sure I’ll revisit the paradox plenty more, but will do my best not to beat myself up about it.

Rule #2: Then, remind yourself you are a good mom, list seven things you love about your kids, you love doing with your kids, or that your kids love about you. These are the things to remind yourself everyday that you rock!

1. My kids love that I bake cookies, cakes, treats and always eat ice cream with them often.
2. I don’t totally get on their cases about the post-apocalyptic disaster zones that are their rooms, except about twice a year. It’s my tiny nod to their free expression.
3. I encourage them in their creativity without hovering: K is writing novels that he knows I would hate all the violence therein, and S draws comics and makes short films based on the Godzilla franchise. I may roll my eyes, but I never tell them they can’t do it their way. And C loves placing abc blocks in her stacking cups to rattle them and prefers to sit on open books like a cat than actually read them.
4. I cuddle Baby C nearly constantly and play, read, tickle, etc her above all else.
5. I am mesmerized by what goes on in each of their heads, how they express it, and what developmental stage they’re in: teen, asperger pre-teen and new toddler.
6. I do my best to ensure that S’s special needs are met to the best ability of the school district. I am the PIA mom.
7. I revel in activities with them: flying kites, breaking waves, going out for a treat or dinner, hiking, taking them to movies, renting for family movie night, going to the zoo, aquarium, visiting relatives, any kind of adventure we can think of.

Finally, I am supposed to link 5 other mothers across the Blog-o-sphere, to nominate them for this award.

First and foremost:

1. Miranda Hersey Helin here at Creative Construction for getting the shebang rolling while tending to five kids and running her own editing business, and moving, and this blog.
2. Bethany Hiitola, for her courageous and witty balancing act.
3. Mary Duquette, for her consistent honesty in plumbing the depths.
4. Jen Johnson, for her magical jewelry, and sparkling stories of daily life with children.
5. Elizabeth Beck who has the happiest and most colorful blog on the net.
6. Liz Hum’s music and book reviews, rants on current hot topics, and funky blogs on family life at .

And there are many more I would like to nominate, but Brittany has already or I’ve seen them nominate before, or I ran out of the five spaces, but I must nominate one more (I was never good at following rules):

Lisa Leonard has recently revamped and moved her blog to a new address. Her photography and jewelry are beautiful as is her sense of peace about the challenges of motherhood with special needs. She never makes the big deal out of it that too often I do.

Thank you, Brittany! I am grateful you recognize a good mom in me, and made me look at ways that I do a decent job of it, as well as the opportunity to give props to other good moms in the blogosphere. Of which, of course, you are one!