"Dear Mommy, it's okay to have messes..."

Messes. We all have them. Whether it be the dishes pilled in the sink after a delicious family dinner, the mound of dirty laundry laying on our bathroom floors, or the handfuls of goldfish infesting our bed as we doze off to sleep forgetting we haven't swept the floor in the past four days. We'd be lying if we said we didn't have them and we'd be lying if we said they didn't bother us.

I will be the last one to say my house isn't messy and it doesn't bother me. As you can see by this picture, it is far from clean. I'll admit, I have been known to get upset when I walk out of the bathroom to find that my living room looks more like a tornado has ripped through my house in the two minutes it took me to pee than the fact that it took me over an hour to get it looking half way decent. My eyes widen, my blood starts to boil, my fists clench, and my lips pierce as if I am holding in some choice words. But then, the sweetest of voices whispers from underneath me, "Mommy, don't you like my tower?" I look down to see my innocent four year old holding a stack of Legos. I take a deep breath and look around the room to find my other two children playing in harmony on the rug. I smile with a sigh of relief. They are happy - happy in the chaos of the mess.

They continue their play as I sit on the couch and watch with the smile still plastered on my face. I giggle watching them tickle each other, fight with one another, and resume playing once again. This is a typical day in our household - the fighting, the playing, the smiling, AND the messes!

And now, let me tell you a little secret, especially if you are a brand new mother to a sweet little baby stressing over chores needing done - it's okay to have messes.

I repeat...

It is OKAY to have MESSES!

Life is messy and life is even messier when you have children. Plain and simple. But in all the dirt and crushed Cheerios living in my carpet, this right here is what I live for. I live for those messy snuggles in the middle of the night as I rock my teething baby back to sleep, kissing on my sweet girls in the middle of my disaster of a house, and wiping peanut butter smears off the TV knowing that my little ones bellies are full. Nothing sounds sweeter than digging for my amethyst earrings in our vacuum after my oldest tried to clean up her spilled milk, folding the same load of laundry three times in a day only to have my children rip it apart looking for their Elsa pajamas, or frantically searching for the missing car keys which happen to be hidden in the bottom of the Lego box. The mess will be there tomorrow just as it was today, but these babies will not be the same as they were yesterday. They will be a day older. A day bigger. A day closer to not wanting my snuggles.

So Mama, young or old, put down that broom and dustpan. There is no need to slave over having that Better Homes and Gardens house pictured in this months magazine when there is time to be spent with those kiddos. I know it's hard to let go of your perfectly, perfect house. I have been there. It took me a few years to really 'get used to the mess', but now that I am, I can honestly say I am so much happier. I am truly happy. And most importantly, my family is happy!

Today (and quite possibly tomorrow as well) I am going to put the cleaning behind me and sit to snuggle my girls a bit longer, kiss my husband a thousand more times, and soak in this moment. Tomorrow isn't promised, so spend every second you can as if it was your last.

~ Brittany

Your Protector, Your Mother

Do you remember running into your parents room after a scary nightmare?

Do you remember how safe you felt in their arms wrapped up in your little blanket?

Do you remember the sound of your Dad's strong heartbeat as you lay with your ear on his chest?

Do you remember how graceful your mother twirled your hair in her fingertips as you drifted off to sleep again?

I remember it and I miss it. I miss being an innocent child feeling safe and secure in the presence of my parents and oh, what I would do to be snuggled in their bed again! My parents always made me feel safe, no matter where we were. If we were home or if we were traveling, I knew that as long as I was with them I would be safe from any harm. I hope to be the kind of mother my mother was to me and I pray my husband will be the kind of father my father still is. They never told me I couldn't climb into her bed for comfort and they most certainly never turned me away. They always opened their arms and accepted me, even if it were the middle of the night.

For I remember my parents calming my fears and wiping my tears in the middle of the night, and I will do the same for my girls. Children won't be children forever, I will only get them for a short time - and because they are only mine for a short time, they can climb up in my bed at any hour of the night. I am their security, their protector, their mother.

~ Brittany