This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commision if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
Annie Dilliard
My days might look like this:
But my life…looks like this:
And that’s a darn good life.
Poopy diapers, dirty toliets, and endless meals are tiny in comparison…
to the joy of raising my children.
Seconds,
minutes,
hours,
days,
weeks,
years…
I can’t imagine a better way to spend them.
I love this life…
this life as mom.
No one said it would be easy.
But no one told me that I’d forever wonder…
“How can it get better than this?”
No one told me that I would want a toddler around for the rest of my life.
No one told me that I’d wipe away tears everytime I’d open a photo album.
Or that I dare not even watch a home video…without having to leave the room to regain composure.
No one told me that I’d reminisce with a close friend every chance we got about the early days of motherhood and how we want them back.
No one told me that when I hit 40 I’d panic with the thought of fleeting fertility.
No one told me that one day I’d be the one writing letters to moms in the harried days of little ones saying, “Hold onto it with all your might, don’t worry about a thing…these are the precious days before you have to let the world in.”
No one told me that once I became mother everything else in life I’d ever do would be insignificant in comparison.
No one told me that I’d never ever want these days to end.
I couldn't have said it better myself. π
Great post! Love it! So well put!
So true! What a sweet post. You hit the nail on the head with this one!
oh i have tears rolling down my face….having just dropped my 3 at school- the first year at 'big' school for my littlest , i have made a cup o'tea & sat down for a read- {only found you 2 days ago} & am just very glad easter is round the corner & i'll have them all home for a bit- chaos, noise, mess & all…..thankyou for the moment…
melissa
I love this! I'm a new mom and have been feeling a bit blue this week. I can't explain why. I'm so happy to be a mom to my beautiful, sweet little gal. I guess I am a little worn out from lack of sleep or something. Anyhoo. Thanks for helping me to remember what it is all about. I don't look forward to the day when I have to "let the world in". I want her to stay my sweet little girl forever! :]
Wow.
Great post and love the pictures.
So beautiful and well put! You summed up my thoughts on being a mother who has the priviledge of being home with my kiddos perfectly π My kids are all in school now and I miss the days of having toddlers home with me. I never really believed the ladies in the grocery store who told me (when I was a young mother with babies) to enjoy every minute because it goes so quickly… and now here in the blink of an eye I'll have a daughter going off to college. Sigh.
I think in terms of musicals anymore (always have songs going through my head!) and this one reminds me of the song from Rent, "Seasons of Love"….525,600 minutes…how do you a measure a year?…in daylights, sunsets, midnights, cups of coffee….we could change the lyrics a bit….
Oh-just love this! I'm the mom of 4-my oldest is 12, my youngest is 18mo-and this is exactly how I feel. I'm 43-and my sweet husband (who only wanted one or maybe 2 kids when we got married!) is definitely done-but I still have that baby fever.
Heidi
I have been visiting your blog for some time, but just had to comment on this one… we are expecting our first grandchild and this post reminds me of how I cherish those years when the kids were little or even just in the nest. I think I will pass this post along to my daughter, who very soon will be entering into those "precious days before you have to let the world in" – love that line. love reading your blog every day!
I've been nostalgic, too, lately for times that haven't even passed yet. It's not always pretty or easy, but it's always good.
I'm nostalgic also…and I have a 9 month old! Life doesn't get any better in my opinion….
you are making my CRY!!! wonderful words on motherhood. aahh…to keep em little forever. (cry) Okay, can't allow myself to stay on that train of though too long.
Wanted to add a word of thanks for the first part of your post where you are keeping it real for all of us.
What a wonderful way to start my day. thank you
Thanks for once again inspiring and reminding me.
Oh, my….you just have this way of writing about motherhood that is RIGHT ON. I want to email my daughter your post, she will become a first-time mother in June. You've got it right: this IS the best job!
*Γ*
Joni
I'm so glad there are Moms like you reminding me of the great significane of Motherhood. Staying home with my girls is a dream come true!
I just love how much you appreciate your vocation. Beautiful pictures, beautiful children!
I've only been a mother for five months, but it truly is a blessing and a gift (even amongst the diapers!) π
What a great post!
there are people who have children and people who raise their children. thank you for being an inspiration to those of us who daily choose to raise our children.
so true and you are making me cry!
I was just telling my husband this morning over coffee that I had the best job ever and wouldn;t trade it. I remember when I worked an outside job and it was never this rewarding.
That ballerina Abby picture is gorgeous!
And I think, if we would all just decide that we really do love our lives, we would be so much happier living them!
Beautiful post…so very very true. These days are long, but the years pass by so quickly. You captured motherhood beautifully. I love being home with my four…and oh do I miss having a toddler around…..
julie
Just lovely!
absolutely beautiful! thanks for the inspiration this morning!
That was a beautiful post in EVERY way!
Love this post…thanks for the reminder!
Beautiful and right on. Thanks.
I love this post. One of the dirty little secrets no one tells you when you become a mother is that when they are grown and wonderful and raised, then they leave. And that separation is beautiful, but it is the most painful stepping stone. Enjoy every day that all the chicks are still in your nest. It's way too short.
you are so right. i posted a complainy, whiney post last night while i was feeling overwhelmed and miserable. if only i had read this first–truly, it would have helped me see the beauty right in front of me. thank you for reminding me of what i already know to be true. thank you.
Thanks, Sarah! Beautiful post! I enjoy your blog every morning, it's such a insightful start to my day! And your words and pictures couldn't have said it better today! Thank you!
What a joy it is to read your blog each day! I'm approaching my journey into motherhood as I prepare to go to China next month to adopt my daughter. As unconvential as it is…I'm a 35 year old single woman who has desperatelyy wanted to be a mom, but marriage hasn't come and so I will wait no longer as I jump into this emotion filled pool with you and all the others! I'm thankful for bloggers like you who share your experiences of motherhood so I can learn and prepare better. Blessings to your family!!
Gorgeous ballerina. She has superb form!
BEAUTIFUL post! Thanks for the encouragement!
Oh your kids are so darn cute. I love your photos and can I just tell you? My boys have adopted your son's phrase, "You don't have to be a jerk in the butt". Hmmmmmm, not sure if I should have told them about that story.
i am going to save this because it rings so true. Thank you for the sweet reminder.
I admit that I don't regularly find inspiration in pop music, but through these last few years 1000 Maniacs' "These Are the Days" has thankfully rung through the recesses of my heart and soul, as if it were a hymn almost. "These are the days you'll remember. Never before and never since will the world be as warm as this."
*tear* What a great post, made me cry! π
I'm a new follower to your blog. I love this post. It is a good reminder for me. I only have one child, but I get so bogged down in cooking, errands, cleaning, playing and taking care of him that I forget sometimes how fast it is all going. I think I still need a perfect home, but it's ok when his toys stay out all day and there are dishes in the sink. It truly is the hardest job I've ever held! I also cry every time I see a baby picture of him or an old blankie, etc, and he's only 2! Thank you again. I needed this great reminder today.
Sarah,
Your post went straight to my heart. I chuckled when I saw the picture of the diaper and the pictures of your life. So true… π
Thanks for making me cry! mostly thanks for making me take the time to really appreciate all that I have been given – I Love my family!
LOVE this! We had a rough morning & this was perfect! Thank You!
I adore this post.
the picture of your little guy asleep in the hammock is precious!
sometimes it's just too easy to focus on how our days look, thanks for the reminder to look at the beauty of our lives.
Thank you as I am having a CRAZY day and decided to take a few minutes for myself. A few minutes well spent!
Very well put. These are the best days of my life. Great post and photos.
Wow, I am crying like a baby. I am a 33 year old first time Mom who has been so blessed to quit my old career to stay home and enjoy this one. I LOVE my baby boy so much and I realized right after he was born that I had no idea what life was all about until he was here. Thinking about my baby growing up and leaving this home breaks my heart cause he just got here 7 months ago! All these chores are nothing compared to what he gives back to my husband and I. Great read, thank you π
Beautiful pictures, beautiful words.
Don't know whether I'm crying because I'm pregnant and hormonal or because you said it perfectly and expressed exactly how I feel! Awesome post!!
LOVE this!!! I also love that I have been able to be home with my three wonderful blessings these past 13 years. I am thankful, as well, that my sister, at age 44, is finally experiencing the joy of motherhood. Oh, and I {heart} your ME calendar!!! Blessings!
No one told me I'd become such a cry baby and bawl every time I read or saw anything having to do with motherhood! Thanks for such a touching reminder on one of my ordinary mom days.
So beautiful. No one told me today's post would make me cry π
Amazing! I feel very much at home with Clover Lane….
I'm going through the same thing…my oldest is graduating college in May…getting Married in October. I swear I just had him yesterday. My youngest is almost 10…it makes me cry just thinking about it.
Oh Sara- this speaks right to my heart! Thank you for a beautiful post!
oh man….now i want another baby again!! just when the urge had begun to subside. π i want more babies. sigh…..
could you talk to craig for me?
What a beautiful, beautiful post! You have a precious family, you are indeed blessed! π
You don't know me but I just have to tell you that this post really made my day. I'm one of those harried mom with 3 kids under 3. Somedays I think I'll never survive, but today was a really good day. It made reading this more meaningful because I'd like everyday to be filled with enjoying my little kids a little more and yelling at them a little less. Thanks!
amazing post, amazing pictures! life is pretty amazing isn't it….you are a beautiful writer.
It is a darn good life…I agree 100%! Well put!
Your family is so very fortunate to have you!
I love reading your blog.
Non Consumer Girl
Thank you for this. I friend just recommended your blog recently and this one hit the spot. I've got a 4 yr old, a 2 yr old and am 33 weeks pregnant….in those trenches! And today those trenches included puke, diarrhea, and at least 4 pairs of pajamas per kid. But still. They also involved cuddly babies, snuggly reading all day, and long naps for everyone. Thanks for the reminder.
ain't life grand!! and I love the new header…
I have never commented before, but felt complelled today…
what a beautifully written post. It brought tears to my eyes.
I am showing this to my husband who doesn't understand that while I complain at times, and I say being at home as a mom is not an easy job, this is what it is all about and I never want it to end. You say it better than I ever could.
Your writing always moves me. Thanks for what you do.
I loved staying home with my girls… and later I worked part-time (3 days/week during school hours) which was perfect. I don't feel like I missed anything. Time is precious and kids remind you of that each day. Enjoy!
What a lovely post. I love your Annie Dillard post – one of my fave authors. Sarah, you have such a beautiful ministry to mothers & those of us who are excited to someday be mothers. Thank you!
Like so many others, you speak to my heart.
Hear, hear! Love that post! Your kids are so lucky to have a mum that loves what she does π
Love your new banner…in fact, I love them all! Look forward to seeing them change every month. Jenn S.
Oh I how love these days of my life π And I love that new header of yours π Have a blessed Holy Thursday π
..and no one HAD to tell you did they? You figured it out. And you figured it out just fine. Boy, those kids are blessed! (And so are YOU!)
Your most beautiful post! Bravo!!
So very true!
Isn't life amazing?
I can't think of anything I'd rather do!
I love being a wife and mom…even when it's over my head.
God is so good! I'm blessed because He chose me for my family.
Yours is pretty special too! I can see!
Great post!
Love this post and your new header is beautiful! Life is… oh so precious indeed!
Happy Easter!
This is just what I needed today after two long nights & days with a sick little one. Thanks for the awesome reminder. I do cherish both my boys very much & sometimes just need to look at those challenging moments in a different light.
http://sweetlifebaker.blogspot.com/
That brought tears to my eyes…I have felt every word of your post. Thank you for sharing your heart with us. ~fara
What absolutely gorgeous and wonderful pictures, from the "mundane" to the fun ones of all your kids in their various activities! Loved the way you wrote this, and the sentiment of it! I have 2 young ones only, and I'm 37, and already I'm sad about when they'll grow up. Being a Mom really is the best.
Wow. I loved reading this. I have three little ones and am strongly considering #4…something I thought I would never do, and also something my friends and family will think is absolutely crazy. But, I'm so wrapped up in all of this. This lovely, enrapturing, crazy, stressful, and utterly delightful motherhood. It's the greatest and most soul-bending thing I've ever done in my life. And, in a phrase, I just want more of it. And, in a longer phrase, I look at my girls and think "Why wouldn't I want to do that again? How can I NOT?"
Anyway, LOVE your blog and loved this post especially.
-Jennifer (aka Mavis)
That was so sweet…in fact I might have to steal that idea…
You captured motherhood completely. Thanks for reminding me…
I love your blog you say it like it is and I agree being a mother is the best job ever every bit of it!! You are a beautiful writer!
Beautifully and Simply Put!!
Amen!! =)
Jenn~
What a perfectly put post. Thank you for the reminder and dose of perspective.
Beautiful – I can't even scrapbook because it is so "painful" to look at them when they are little – I miss smelling their hair and their delicious little snuggly selves – their baby talk – Now I'm going to cry. You get it. I love meeting Moms that do – and most really do. I've always felt sorry for men- it may be easier to be a man in the world – but we have the well-kept secret – we have it best. We got the sweetest gift from God – the gift of motherhood – Thank you for the beautiful post and for bringing smiles of knowing and joy from so many readers.
And your counters look gorgeous!!
This is why I love your blog so much! I couldn't have said it better myself… Thanks for sharing!
I love this post so, so, much. It's perfect in every way. π Thank you, Sarah.