It's May. That means it rains here in Wisconsin. (We don't follow the general guideline of "April showers bring May flowers").
And it rained today. All day. Except in the late afternoon when my kids came home from school. It stopped for an hour and of course my kids went out to play.
I love when my kids play outdoors. I strongly encourage healthy, imaginative and organic play.
And sometimes that includes digging. (Okay, who am I kidding? It ALWAYS includes digging). I did lay out some ground rules (ha! pun not intended) and in an attempt to let my grass, flowers and veggies live long, healthy lives, I allotted a corner of my yard for digging.
I was enjoying a quiet, uninterrupted phone call with my Mom this afternoon, and I looked out the window just in time to see a mud ball whiz through the air! So I very calmly told my mother, "Oh. my boys are playing in the mud. Ha!" and in the same breath I thought, "Well, I should probably go outside just in case - you know be preemptive". And then I said, "Wait! I should get my camera. K. Bye Ma!"
And by the time I got outside (not one whole minute later) my boys were elbow deep in wet mud. Yes. I said elbow deep!
So I did what any mother would do. I just let them rub it all over their arms! And then (even though it was only 50-something degrees), I hosed them down fully clothed until they started complaining that they were too cold and getting frostbitten. Then we went inside and got all clean in a fresh, warm bath!
And this my friends, is the third realization I came to. (Well, it's not a new realization. It's something I've always strongly felt and believed. But today I have reconfirmed it).
LIVE AND LET LIVE.
So what if they get mud all over themselves. Everything is washable. I hope. (That reminds me. I need to check the clothes in the washer).
But look at their smiles! They're so happy!
After all is said and done, they're only kids once and I want them to have a happy, healthy childhood.
And yes it can get tiring. I'll be honest, I was so gone by the time I had to clean up the dinner table and I may have been a bit impatient during bedtime.
But this is all part and parcel of the beautiful, chaotic and sometimes muddy journey, called motherhood!
Moms out there, I know Mother's Day is coming up. If you're celebrating (or even if you're not) you should take the time to celebrate yourself. Let your expectations fall to the ground. (Throw them in the wet mud). LET GO OF THE PERCEIVED PERFECTION. Social media makes it so easy for us to believe that everyone else's lives are all peachy. When really, it's all just a curated feed. Only your own life is real. And inherently beautiful. So just inhale, smell the roses, and enjoy your lovely and/or crazy family.
And if you want to talk about documenting and capturing that family of yours, you know where to find me. RIGHT HERE!
My spring and summer availability is shrinking by the day, so do not wait around to book your session!