Soccer Mom-ish

Once upon a time, in my naivety, I believed I'd be the put together mom - a pencil skirt and heels - picking my kids up from school after a day in the office.

I'd be the room mom, the team mom ... the best mom.
I would have dinner on the table at 6pm. The whole family would sit down and enjoy the healthy, homemade feast as we had meaningful conversations.
My dream was to be the soccer mom.
I wished to be the homemaker.
I would dress like Jessica Day every day if it were at all practical. It's not.
If school pick up and drop off doesn't require leaving the car who would know you're still in pajamas?

But know - A day might come when your Kindergartner is stung by a bee just before the final bell and you must retrieve him from the nurses station. -- it's a different sort of walk of shame.
My husband often works late. Soccer and Little League practice pull us in different directions three nights a week. There is no convenient dinner time. When we are able to sit down at the dinner table there's much less meaningful conversations and many more bodily functions than I imagined. That's dinner with three boys still learning how to be a gentleman.
None of it is quite what I imagined and with my years and three kids I've gained a little wisdom. David Allen's quote may say it best, "You can do anything but you can't do everything."
As a domestic goddess I have to balance my many roles and importantly still, be me.

I don't want to lose myself striving to be the idyllic soccer mom stereotype.
I don't want to hurt my marriage identifying myself only as a mom. There's a balance I'm striving to find.
I'm a hard-working man's wife and a mother of three. I'm all that that entails and more.

I'm a woman learning how to give herself grace. I am finding a balance in the chaos and joy of simplifying life and relinquishing mom guilt. I'm discovering a sweet spot between Pinterest-Mom and Amazon Prime-Mom – content to be Soccer Mom-ish.