Society tells us that motherhood will be the same for all of us: you’ll never eat a warm dinner again for the rest of your life, working will never be the same because you can’t do anything productive with an infant, every day is a repeat of the last, you will become your mother… But what if those truths don’t have to be yours? Do we miss out on some of life’s biggest mom-moments because we’re already sure they’re destined to be bad?

She dreamed about relaxing. About smiling more. About sitting on the floor and actually playing with her kids, instead of just being in the same room with them while she picked up around them.

But she’d lost the ability to prioritize all the things in her life and she’d fallen into the habit of just doing whatever was in front of her.

Instead of beating yourself up for “falling behind”. Or fighting to get “caught up” again, you shrug your shoulders and remind yourself that this is life. And especially life as someone with a professional job and kids and a household to manage.

Memories, adventures, and experiences don’t just happen. With careers, kids, responsibilities, and routines, an entire season can pass you by if you don’t think about what you want to create. A life that you'll remember takes intention, but it doesn’t have to be hard.

I never used to describe myself as a "fun mom". That just wasn't me.

I was diagnosed with postpartum depression after I had my first baby and I remember worrying that he would turn out to be a serious kid because he rarely saw me smile. And it broke my heart.

I accepted that this was just who I was.

Why do you work?

If you’re anything like me, that answer has changed over the years, and especially since having kids.

Before I had my son (my first), I worked because it was what you do. I needed to support myself, to pay off loans, to pay for fun things like trips and nights out and new clothes, and to save for bigger future purchases (car, house, etc.).