You know you're a stay-at-home-mama (to a toddler) when:
+ You see an unexpected guest pull into the driveway and you immediately wonder "have I even brushed my teeth or put on a bra yet?!"
+ You know the mind-numbing theme songs to a dozen children's shows... and often catch yourself absentmindedly singing them with your husband at the end of the day.
+ You arrange 'play dates' with other mamas... just to see if you still remember how to communicate with someone over the age of three.
+ You envision the chariot race from Ben Hur while you're all pushing strollers down the sidewalk together. (Scene 03:50 from this video clip).
+ You wonder why no one else seems to recognise that your kids are the smartest. cutest. funniest creatures that ever lived?
+ When other mamas tell you about how their kid is doing.. you're mentally comparing them against your own child. This is usually when you interrupt them and say..."Hmmm? Oh yah, that's great...but you know what? MY lil' one is already learning to speak Mandarin.. and that's not just the fruit!".
+ You also know you're a mama when you dream of the day where your child will tire of pooping in anything/anywhere BUT the potty!
+ Or when the chance of 'escape' is granted and you're out shopping.visiting.etc... but all you can think of is how eager you are to see your kid(s) again.
+ You have a purse that has now morphed into a Mary Poppins bag... holding all the necessary items for a child in need,.. or.. a zombie apocalypse.
+ When even having the time.energy to hold hands with your husband becomes an 'intimate encounter'.
+ You also know you're a mama, when you watch those souls soundly sleeping... and it's like the closest thing to Heaven on earth.
+ You wear the scars and stretch marks of birthing a masterpiece into this world.
+ When you see how weak you are - and are desperate for God's grace.
+ When you see how strong you are - and are thankful for God's grace.
+ You give. give. give from dawn to dusk. Wake up. Repeat. And you wouldn't have it any other way.
+ You feel like this crazy.cycle of dishes.laundry.diapers.tears.tantrums.sleeplessness will never end... but you also know that in mere moments they'll have grown and gone.
+ You know you're a mama when you land on your knees and say: "God, I think I'm starting to understand You better.. no matter how much I sit in my own filth, or run away, or throw a fit... You are always so eager to hold me close and teach me to walk and grow in grace".
You know?
This toddler's stay-at-home-mama,
Mel ;o)
