10 Things I Love About Being a Mom

Having recently shared some of the things I'm not so fond of as a Mom, I feel it is important to share some of the many aspects of Motherhood that I love.

This was one the hardest posts I've written. How do you only pick ten things you love about being a Mom? I have typed, deleted, retyped, added, and removed a million times because there are so, so many things I love about being a Mom.

For the sake of your time and mine here are my ten, but know there's about 10,000 more.

1.Pregnancy

First and foremost, I loved growing my babies. The fact that I got to create and grow a human is incredible. I guess my Husband helped a little bit, but us Moms do most of the heavy lifting.

Neither of my pregnancies were perfect, but I can't complain. I really had it pretty easy compared to some of you. The usual nausea, discomfort, and fatigue pretty much sums it up for me. There were definitely days that felt like hell, but all in all, I really enjoyed both of my experiences. I say that now, anyway. If you would have asked me in the midst of being pregnant I might have said otherwise.

2. Snuggles

Snuggles has to be one of every Mom's favorites, am I right?! If there was a word stronger than love I think it could be used appropriately here. I jump at the chance to snuggle either one of my kiddos. I am trying to soak it in as much as I can because I know it won't last long.

3. Naps

Oh, and naps! Napping with my kids has to be right up there with the snuggles. Naps are few and far between for me these days so if I get the chance to nap while snuggling with the kids I take full advantage.

4. Bedtime

Bedtime is always good for snuggle sesh too. We rock our kiddos to sleep and I'd be lying if I said we hadn't fallen asleep with them while rocking a time or ten.

Clearly I love snuggles enough to have it in 2, 3, and 4 but, it's not just the snuggles and an extra few minutes of shut eye that I enjoy about bedtime and naps. It's the quality time. I would love to say that I always give my children my undivided attention, but unfortunately that's not always the case. Our bedtime routine allows us all to slow down and enjoy our time together. No phones, no multitasking, just strictly us and the kids. A good story, a few rounds of Wheels on the Bus, and our undivided attention make for some solid quality time.

5. Learning

I once heard that most of what you learn in your entire life you learn before the age of five and that has always stuck with me. I found it absolutely fascinating. The early years are so important and we, as Moms, get to be a part of it from the very beginning. It's so fun to watch my kids light up when they discover something new, and knowing I was a part of that makes it all the more special.

My son has been working on his colors and it brightens my world when he sees something blue and yells it out in excitment. He has grasped blue and green very quickly, but blue seems to be his favorite. We hear about something blue all day long. "Blue shoe." "Blue ball." "Blue shirt." His current excitement about learning is adorable to watch and something I hope he keeps. I try to make it fun for him when we work on your basic colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. What he doesn't understand is just how fun it is for me too.

6. Being a better person

I love that being a Mom makes me want to be a better person. I know that sounds odd, considering I should want to be the best person I can be regardless of my Mom status, but I'm not perfect.

My kids are watching my every move. They're watching how I react to every situation. They're watching how I interact with other people. I want my children to grow up respectful, kind, compassionate, understanding, hardworking, and the list could go on. As much as I would love to think that I'm all of these, all the time, I'm not. I'm human. With my littles watching, I am striving to be the best person that I can be. I owe it to them as their Mom and I hope that they recognize and learn from my behavior.

7. Growing up

If I figure out how to slow down time or keep babies little forever I'll let you know. I have a love/hate relationship on this topic. I didn't realize how fast life passes by until I had kids. I have a two year old and a four month old which can't be possible because I feel like I just had my two year old four months ago.

Kids growing up is so bittersweet. As sad as it makes me that my son is no longer a baby I am really enjoying watching him grow into a little man. He is growing like a weed and learning new things everyday. Each new stage he enters, I love just as much as last. Even though I wish they could stay little forever, it is absolutely incredible to watch them grow into who they are and develop their own personality.

8. Holidays

I thought Christmas was the best as a kid, but now I know Christmas as a parent is even better. Sure, getting gifts yourself is fine, but to watch your child's face light up on Christmas morning is a feeling like no other.

This last Christmas I wish I could have frozen time and just stared at my son and the look on his face when he saw the tree and his gifts that morning. Next year he will have more of a concept of Santa, which will make the experience even more magical.

9. Picking up from daycare

Typically I drop the kids off at daycare and my husband does pick-up. I look forward to the days that I get to pick them up so much. I try to sneak in so my son doesn't notice me and I can watch him play and interact with the other kids. It so much fun to watch him with friends.

The absolute best part is when he notices me. His eyes brighten, his smile could light up the world, and he breaks out into a sprint with his arms wide open. He runs straight to me, crashing his body against my chest and swinging his arms around me. My heart truly skips a beat. I could live in those moments forever.

10. Reading

I started reading with our kids around five weeks old. I felt kind of silly at first because they were barely old enough to hold their head up to look at the page. It was like holding a large bobble head trying to get it to face one direction. This has turned into a book obsession for my son, which I absolutely love. "Book."  "Book."  "Book." That's all we hear.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't get annoying sometimes especially if the book happens to be blue. He could read the same book twenty-seven times, literally. Of course, he always picks the longest book too, but how can I turn down that sweet face saying "pease book, pease book?" I love that he loves books. I love the time we share together while reading. I hope that my daughter ends up with the same love of books.

I truly feel like reading to your kids and with your kids is one of the best things you can do for them. They learn so much and it is just more quality time that you get to spend with them. My son is two and he already knows the words to some of his favorite books and he will help turn the page.

It's so hard to pick things that I love about being a Mom because even the things I hate, I love, because without them I wouldn't be a Mom.

Sure, reading the same book over and over gets annoying, but I try to embrace it. The 5am wake up call, I embrace it. Fighting going to bed, I embrace it. I know this is easier said than done, but someday I will miss these things. Someday my kids won't want to read with me. Someday they won't want to snuggle next to me. Someday I'll just be their embarrassing Mom that they won't want to be seen with. So, for now, I'm trying my best to take advantage of ever little detail that I love about be their Mom.

Embrace it all, Mama.

Fran