How do you measure success as a Mom?

Wow! I've got to be better about posting (at least every 2-3 days), but in all honesty, it's been a busy week! I can't say it was the kind of busy week where we had tons of places to go and people to see. It was just an intense week of toddler-chasing, swim-teaching, house-cleaning, diaper-changing, dinner-making, arts-and-crafting, baby-rocking, spit-up wiping FUN. 

As a mom to young children, every day is jam packed full of constant activity with little to no breaks in between, yet at the end of every LONG day (as you FINALLY climb into your unbelievably comfy and underused bed) you too often wonder, "what exactly did I do all day? What did I actually accomplish today?"  I've ended many days (a few this week) asking myself those questions and struggling with pinpointing the answers. Just this week, I washed and re-washed the same load of laundry twice (partly because it had been sitting in the washer too long and partly because I didn't have the energy or desire to fold it). I let Caden help  "sweep" the floor and I ended up with twice the dirt spread out in various locations.  My daily life as a stay at home mom is much different than my former office job. When completing a project, there were always tangible checkpoints along the way. Measuring success was a matter of tracking your progress from where you began to the middle and ultimately to whatever your end product turned out to be. Life as a mom is hectic, often chaotic, minutes sometimes seem like hours, yet hours somehow never seem like long enough when you're desperately trying to get everything done. I used to exercise because it felt good to move after a day sitting at my desk. Now, I exercise because it's the most relaxing and most serene thing that exists in my crazy day-to-day "routine." 

A friend recently asked me if I miss my office job. I don't even have to think about it. The answer is "no." Because even though I may not always be able to numerically list or measure what I've accomplished each day, I am able to see and celebrate the greatest successes as I experience life with my two little men. I see it in the way Caden sweetly hugs his baby brother (in between trying to sit on him), and I hear it in the way he politely asks "peeeeeeaaaaas" as I pour him a glass of milk. I witness progress when Cooper grasps each toy within his reach and responds with such excitement and satisfaction. As Caden puts his puzzles together, names and matches animals, or asks to go "pee pee" in the potty, I feel nothing short of absolute pride. There has NEVER been a more exhausting, exhilarating, hectic, and rewarding time of my life than the phase I'm living in right now. As cheesy as it may sound, my children are by far my greatest accomplishments, and there is no salary or any amount of money that could make me as rich as I already am. I know that, as with every job, I won't be perfect (at being a mom), but I will go at it with 110% dedication and love (I can't promise that much energy though...).

I'm going to measure my success in hearing new words from Caden, cuddles with both boys, kisses, tight squeezes, story time giggles, and all the other tokens of love I collect in my too long and not long days. 

How do you measure success as a parent? 

Caden climbs into the baby tub with            Cooper to "help" ...

Look for our special Father's Day post coming soon!!