Being a mom is hard. I can't do it alone.

Almost always, the greatest challenges in my day come from being a mother (and aunt, in my case).  

My daughters, Grace & Ada, and nephew, Lucas

Raising children is arguably the most important and rewarding job on earth.  But as we all know, the greatest rewards usually (always?!) come with great demands.  

Besides the physical demands, we mothers often expect so much of ourselves, that we constantly feel like we're not good enough:  Not patient enough, fun enough, prepared enough, creative enough, or put together enough.  

Because if I rely solely on myself to be the mother that I should be, I will always be let down.

The best days are the ones that I put in God's hands and rely on Him to take care of everything.  I turn to Him and ask for the strength and grace that only He can give me, to do the critical job at hand.  When I do this, I am more flexible in my plans, more forgiving of my mistakes (and the kids' mistakes!), and more focused on what's really important: serving God.  When I do this, the poopy diaper that leaked, the jelly on the couch, the flat stroller tire, and the torn book don't seem like such big deals.     

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A few months ago at mass, I picked up a prayer card for mothers.  I love it so much, I have it taped to the mirror in my bathroom, so that I see it first thing every morning.  I thought a larger, more attractive version might be nice to hang up, so I made this one:

Image courtesy of twobee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I made an enlarged 8 x10 printable version that you can

CLICK HERE to print free.

I also found these two other quotes that I think 

are just perfect:

The Time-Warp Wife

(By the way, The Time-Warp Wife is an awesome website for wives and mothers!)

from Pinterest, source unknown

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And I'm pretty sure most (if not all) of us feel like the "grouchy mom" every now and then.  I love these FREE Printable Verse Cards for the Grouchy Mom from The Better Mom (below).  Such great reminders when we're having a rough day!

The Better Mom

Focusing on God has been especially important for me as a mother.  I hope you found something here that will help you too!

- Jessica