I was in the boys bathroom tonight helping the twins (age 2) brush their teeth before bed.  I pulled the toothpaste out of the drawer only to find it completely empty.  Dry as a bone.  This tube of toothpaste that we bought YESTERDAY is now empty?  And dammit if it isn’t the fancy organic toothpaste because, you know, buying that makes me feel like I’m a better mom (maybe that makes up for me going off on the kids for being too loud in the van on the way to the grocery store?).   I busted into our oldest sons bedroom (who I knew was the guilty one here) & told him yet AGAIN to only use a pea sized dollop of toothpaste on his brush.  I would have sent him to his room or something too, but he was already grounded for being a turd all day.  Sigh.  I finally squeeze a tiny bit out from another empty tube in the drawer (because God knows no one in this house can just throw something away when it’s all gone) and got the boys teeth brushed.  Somewhere in the middle of this process, I caught of glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror.

“How do you do this?!”  I said to the reflection.

I suddenly felt like I didn’t recognize the person looking back at me – and genuinely wondered how this woman does this job.  I mean, seriously.  Running a business from home single-handledly with a VERY feisty 6 year old, TWO boys in the terrible twos, and a 6 month old baby.  Dude.  I think sometimes I am going SO. FAST. in autopilot mode I don’t stop to look up – and realize that I AM doing a lot.  And sometimes I am horrible at all of it.  And I pray that my children don’t need therapy because I am a crappy mom.  But sometimes I do okay.  …and I need to give myself a little credit for holding this house & job together.

Moms, give yourself a little credit today.  You kick ass.  Even on the awful days when little things like empty toothpaste tubes send you over the edge.