Friday Five: What I Love About Being A Mom

If you've been following my blog since it began, way back in October of 2011, you might remember my two Friday Five posts - Five Things I Said I'd never Do As A Parent and Five Things I Never Thought I'd Google. I had intentions of it becoming a weekly thing, but life got in the way so I stopped at two.

But I'm back and at it again. I don't know why this topic popped into my head. Maybe because it can be way too easy to focus on the negatives of motherhood when you're dealing with poop and messes and laundry and dirty dishes on a daily basis. But instead of focusing on all that I'm going to talk about the...

Five things I love about being a mom

Can you believe she's fast asleep in this photo?

1. Kissing my kids after they've fallen asleep Is it wrong that my favorite part of the day is sneaking into the kids' room after they've fallen asleep and giving them an extra goodnight kiss? They are so sweet and lovable and cuddly when they're fast asleep. Then my husband and I can have a glass of wine and congratulate each other on making it through another day!

2. Making new friends In college it's so easy to make friends. They're practically built right into the dorms. It starts to get a bit more difficult when you join the workforce and your co-workers are various ages and in different stages of life. But once you become a mom you immediately join this wonderful group of women. Motherhood isn't all about the kids. It's also about finding a community of moms that you can relate to, commiserate with and share funny stories about your kids.

3. Understanding my mom more My mom passed away almost 5 years ago. I found out I was pregnant with Finley a year after her death so I never got to experience my pregnancies with her or watch her be an awesome grandma to my kids. (I have no doubt she would have been the best grandma out there.) I was very close to my mom so it definitely makes motherhood a lot more difficult. But I'm so happy that I get to experience it and understand a bit more of what it was like for her. I just wish I could share those feelings with her. (And maybe apologize for a few things!)

4. Laughter I laugh every day with my kids. (I won't tell you how often I cry, but I definitely laugh.) If you're having a bad day, go tickle a kid. I dare you not to smile when you listen to their giggles.

5. Excitement Christmas and birthdays are always fun, but the excitement wanes a bit as you get older. As soon as you have kids it's like you're a kid again, too. And it's not just holidays. We all see cars driving down the road every day. But to an 18-month-old boy that can be the greatest thing he's ever seen, ever. I love the way Grady exclaims "Car!" (with some sort of Boston accent) every time we go somewhere. Sometimes I forget that everything is still very new to him and when I hear him yell, "Car!" it reminds me to slow down and enjoy things with him.

What do you love about being a mom? Bedtime? Snuggles and cuddles? The silly things your kids say?

Since being a mom isn't always sunshine and rainbows and kittens running through fields, maybe next Friday I'll do a post on the five hardest things about being a mom. I can guarantee numbers 1 - 3 will pertain to potty training.

Now it's time to feed the kids, read some stories, give some goodnight kisses, and then high-five my husband for making it through another week! Hope you all have a lovely Friday night!