I follow a lot of bloggers on social media. Many of them are moms of young ones, not so many of them have older ones. They enjoy super cute outfits, playdates with friends. They have swipe ups for their favorite products and outfits. It’s all so adorable.

Have you scrolled through blogger’s stories on Instagram? Their days are filled with try-ons, lunch and dinner recipes, games with kids, fun outing. They have these great homes, clean and nicely decorated, no laundry piles to trip over. Now I know, a lot of their lives are pre-recorded and posted later. And we all know they stage their homes many times. But still!

I’m an introvert, so talking on stories gives me anxiety many times. But I do share a lot there. My kid’s lives can be more interesting so I tend to put them on there a lot as well.

But then there are those days when I climb into bed at 11 and think back on the day and wonder, what in the world did I do today? I feel like I didn’t stop the entire day, but I also feel like I didn’t accomplish a darn thing! Do you ever have one of those (or multiple) days?

How do I stay positive during these times?

Last week I had one of those weeks. Each night I would look at my to-do list and not be able to cross much off. My list just kept getting longer and longer. On nights like these, I have to keep myself from getting down and upset. I tell myself I accomplished the most amazing feat ever!

I kept my kids alive all day long! Let’s be honest, that can be a hard task many times, especially if you are a boy mom!

I fed my kids all their meals. They didn’t go to bed hungry.

I got my kids to school on time. I picked them up on time. I didn’t forget an appointment. My kids weren’t left anywhere! This can be a very hard task if you have super busy kids like mine!

I may not have the tidiest house, it’s definitely not magazine-worthy but it’s cozy. And most important it’s clean (as in no bugs, disinfected).

I have food in my home. I don’t grocery shop (I really don’t like this task) but I have how to make myself and my family happy. Grocery delivery (you can read more about this here).

Finding the joy and being grateful

Each day brings us joy. The hardest part is finding the joy and being grateful for the life we have. We all can’t have the Reese Witherspoon life, or the personality of a blogger always sharing their life and favorite products. But our lives bring us joy in so many other ways.

I’ve written posts before on this blog about not comparing ourselves to others (you can find them here, here and a great devotion here. In order to find peace and joy in our lives, we need to find peace and joy in ourselves. The comparison doesn’t do that.

I learned years ago my journey through motherhood is unique. Even my closest friends have different journeys, and that’s ok. But you see, I had to find peace in that before I could move forward and find peace in myself.

I no longer scroll through social media with jealousy and anger. I don’t compare my life to others. There’s a quote that I love:

When I was a young mom there was a controversy going around about working moms vs stay at home moms. Many women felt that for years they had fought for the right to work, they wanted women to continue working once they had kids. There were many of us who choose to stay home after having our kids and walking away from careers. For years women shamed each other because of their choices in life, what path they chose to choose.

Stop the comparing

It’s no longer about the controversy between stay at home moms and working moms but so many other things.

That mom has a clean, well-decorated home and I have piles on laundry on my kitchen table and we just ate on the couch today.

That mom takes numerous family vacations each year and gets to squeeze in mommy weekends away too while I can barely pee by myself.

That mom just threw the most amazing Pinterest worthy birthday party for her one year old while I rented a bounce house and bought a cake on the way over.

Wow her OOTD is on point every day while I’m over here in jeans and a graphic tee.

That stay at home started a business from scratch and now has a million-dollar company and all I did this week was binge-watch three series’ on Netflix.

We all can’t be the same mom. We all can’t be the same woman. This world needs us all in it, differences and all. I need the binge-watching Netflix mom to tell me the shows to watch. I need the well decorated, should have been an interior decorator to post her photos so that maybe one day I can be half as awesome.

Find your peace; straighten your crown

Own your choices in life. Be proud of the woman, wife, and mother you are. Stop the comparison and judgments. Be that woman who straightens the crown of another woman. Have those days, and weeks, where your only accomplishment was keeping your kids alive. Don’t be ashamed of it, don’t get down on yourself. Instead, go to bed in peace, shine your crown in the morning and put it on straight and wear it proud!

And if you can’t do this for yourself, do it for your daughters. Teach them to love themselves, to be confident in their decisions and life choices. Teach them that the world needs all kinds of women; no comparing and no jealousy.

You are an amazing woman and mom! Nothing nor no one can take that from you, including yourself!

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