What kind of mother do you want to be?

A few weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a fellow mother. We talked about our babies. We talked about how they slept. Where they were, milestone wise. How they were doing with feedings. How they were doing with baby food. At this point I heard " Oh you are that kind of mom. You really are trying too hard." I completely understood where she was coming from. Because that is completely something I know I have said to a mom at one point in time. Actually I can think of three separate occasions that come to mind. Do we really have to make it harder on our selves? I have thought back to that conversation many times in the last couple of weeks.

I am a mom who loves to take care of her children.  I am a co-sleeping, breastfeeding, cuddling, and baby food-making mom this time around. I have also been the crib sleeping, formula feeding, and Gerber food mom. Each child has and had their own likes and dislikes. I have been the best mom I could have been in both situations.

That statement really made me think. Are there really different kinds of moms? Or do we all do the what we feel is best for our children? I know for me having two different experiences I can say there aren't different kinds of moms. But rather a list of things that are important and things that are secondary.

For me as I have welcomed my second child I want to do more from scratch. I want to be more self sufficient. I admit it might have something to do with what is happening in the world around us. There may come a time in the future where a quick trip to the store might not be so easy. Lets face it. This world is getting worse instead of better. So for me I would much rather know how to do it myself.

I feel such joy watching my little one eat the fruits and veggies that I have made for him. I know his likes and dislikes. I love the look on his face when he takes the first bite of his favorite. How excited he gets when he sees his spoon and bowl coming towards him. I also love that it cost me a little less than $15 to make a month's worth.

But I have also felt those feelings when I fed Little Man store bought food. He still had his likes and dislikes. But he was also my first. I never even knew about the option of making his food for him. I stopped nursing him and switched to formula. I did the best I could. I still tried "too hard" to keep him happy. He never cried for longer then a few minutes. I was always right there when he needed me.

So yes I guess I am trying to hard. But isn't that the whole point of being a mom? The real question we should be asking ourselves is "What kind of mom do you want your children to see and know?"

I want my children to see me as a mom who loves them unconditionally. A mom who loves walking in to wake them up and see their smiling face. A mom who loves making a mess while making cookies. A mom who takes time for herself. A mom who tries again after a failed attempt. A mom who loves to cook for them. A mom who loves to make things for them. A mom who loves their father with all her heart. A mom who knows what it is like to suffer. A mom who has no doubt that God lives. A mom who isn't afraid to cry in front of them, and for that matter who isn't afraid to show her emotions. A mom who will always be there. A mom who will always kiss boo boos. A mom who will sing and dance with them. A mom who will not be afraid to talk about when they disappoint her. A mom who continues to try new things. A mom who is their biggest cheerleader. A mom who will always scare away the monsters. A mom who will always be the referee in fights. A mom who doesn't choose sides. A mom who doesn't play favorites. A mom who will teach them how to treat a women. A mom who will teach them the importance of service. A mom will teach them how to ask for help.

 There are so many more things I want to teach these sweet boys of mine. One thing for sure, there is no such thing as trying to hard. What you put in is what you get. I am blessed and beyond grateful for my boys. Now it is my turn to teach them.

Be the best mommy you can be.

Our visit to Hawaii

It has been a month since our amazing trip to Hawaii. I figured it is probably time to write about it and share some pictures. We had an amazing 5 days on Maui. It was truly one of the most relaxing vacations I have ever been on.

This trip was the first time either of our boys had been on a airplane. I was so incredibly nervous about little man. He is very active. I was so concerned that he wasn't going to handle being in the seat for so long. I was also concerned about how him using the potty was going to go. But he did great. For the trip we got him a kids sized backpack. I filled that will tons of activities and snacks. In his bag he had his iPad and headphones, loaded with his favorite movies. He also had a coloring book, stickers, markers, a new Cars look and find book, toy cars and a new toy. He was so excited when he looked in his bag and could see all the fun activities I surprised him with. For squeaks I packed a few toys. An extra outfit. His favorite blanket and a nursing cover. He only fussed when he was hungry and even then was very short. Also any moms who travel with infants, I suggest baby wearing. It made it so much easier to get around the airport! Plus, if you wear them you don't have to take them off to get through security. They do have to swab your hand but it was so nice to not have to take him off!

 I promise squeaks was loving being in the carrier.

 How's that for a view? We pretty much lived out there.

Only a short walk to the beach. 

 So this was the lobby in our hotel. It was so amazing to walk into this. So beautiful. We actually spent a lot of time in the lobby because of how beautiful it was. It was so peaceful to just sit there and listen to the waterfall. Behind it was the pool.

 Getting our feet in the ocean for the first time!

 So our hotel had the best pools. They also had tubes for sale. So of course I got one for little man. It definitely came in handy.

 It rained for one whole day without let up while we were there. So it was a very lazy day on our balcony. But it was so amazing.

 Lots of virgin drinks were had. This is a lava flow so good!

 He loved building castles. He and Ben got really good at making them.

 He also became obsessed with the ocean.

 Our cute little family of 4. Love that we had Grandma and Grandpa with us.

 Day one we had an amazingly hard time getting him to play in the water. Day 4 we could not get this kid out of the water. He would have stayed all day if he could have. He had so much fun running in and out.

 If you are ever in Maui you absolutely have to go to Star Noodle. OH my goodness you will not be disappointed. It was so worth it.

 Making chairs in the sand. These guys of mine. They had a blast.

 Who said pool food has to be simple. Oh man this was so good. So at our hotel you could forgo maid service and get a $5 voucher to use on food. So you better believe we did that. By the last day we $15 in vouchers. So we used them by the pool. Those nachos, uh, so amazing. I would go back just for those.

 No trip would be complete without a family selfie.

 May not have loved using it in the pool. But he definitely loved using it as a seat in our room.

 Our hotel had strollers that you could use for free. Oh man so glad we found that out. It saved my back.

 We were able to sneak away for a lovely dinner. One perk to having grandma and grandpa with us. It was so nice to sneak away and be together. We got to go with the group of franchise owners who were there. It was so much fun to visit, sip a pina colada and enjoy some adult time.

 My little beach buddy.

 Mommy's bracelet made a great toy.

So in the amazing lobby of our hotel they had coy fish! Every morning at 9 you could go down and feed them. So you better believe we totally fed them everyday after we found that out. Little man had so much fun throwing in the food and watching them attack it.

Everyone has asked us what we did while we were there. In all honesty we didn't DO a whole lot. But we ATE a whole lot. I may not have a lot of fun tips on what to do. But I can tell you where you should eat. This trip was so needed. I am so glad we got so many pictures this isn't even half of them! Hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I enjoyed looking back on them.


Be the best mommy you can be!