Each day moms are bombarded by social media, the news, and other women on how they “should” mother their children, cook for their families, dress fashionably, throw a birthday party, and the list goes on and on. It’s no wonder that moms can be stressed out, over tired, and overwhelmed!

Here are 6 mom facts to embrace and be happier with life today!

1. Every mom has her strengths and weaknesses.

Some moms are great at making cute snacks, some are great at reading to their kids every night, others are great at sitting down and listening to their kids. Quit Comparing! Each mom has her own strengths she offers to her family whether it’s making healthy, delicious meals, saving her money family, or being a great listener. Your family loves you for who you are, not what they want you to be. Give yourself some grace. God made you unique and gave you the family you have for a reason, because you were the perfect woman for the job!

2. Parenting advice comes in all shapes and forms.

I remember being pregnant with my first child and being bombarded with parenting books, magazines, and friendly advice from anyone who could see my very pregnant tummy. It was even worse after I had the twins. We were like a circus show everywhere we went with people wanting to look at them, touch them, ask if they were identical, and tell me that their 2nd cousin twice removed had a set of twins, too.

People mean to be helpful with advice, even if it doesn’t always come across that way! Listen, learn, and make your own decisions! You know your child best, not some parenting “expert.” Just because one person got a baby to sleep by playing a musical instrument standing on their head (ok I totally made that up, but you know what I mean…) doesn’t mean that one method works for all!

3. Your to-do list is never going to shrink!

You know that long to-do list that you always want to get done? I am going to let you in on a little secret…there is no end to a to-do list! Even if you mark everything off your list today, tomorrow will come, dishes will be eaten on, clothing will get dirty, and that darn list starts all over again! So go ahead and let the dishes sit so you can play a game of Go Fish with your 4-year-old or have a popsicle out on the patio, or cuddle up with a book at nap time.

Time goes by quickly and your kids will grow up, quit wanting to play games with you, and will no longer want to cuddle up on your lap. Enjoy those precious moments! The dishes can wait 20 minutes until you are done!

4. Your kids will love you the same whether you are an A+ Pinterest mom or a D+ Pinterest mom!

I am blessed because my kids know there are some things that I really stink at. This past year, my oldest was studying Finland for a school project and needed to make a recipe to represent a Finnish dessert. We chose Tiger Cake after some help from one of my cousins who lives in Finland.

We mixed up the first batch, baked it in the bundt cake pan, and when we tried to get it out, it crumbled all over the serving dish. Being the A+ mom I am, I stayed up an extra hour to make a second cake so she’d have a nice cake to take to school. The second cake was even worse than the first!

The next day for her project she took very crumbled up Tiger Cake and still got an A on her project. I was so embarrassed at how it looked! When she got home after school that day she said that her class thought it tasted so good they ate every crumb of that cake! She was very happy with her project and we had some fun memories neither of us will probably ever forget even though it definitely wasn’t Pinterest worthy.

Whether you are preparing a birthday party, cooking a recipe, or trying a DIY project your kids will love you the same whether you do it perfectly or not!

5. Each stage of parenting has difficulties.

As a first time mom, I remember thinking as I was shopping at Target, “This will be so much easier when the kids are older!” In some ways that is true. Shopping is easier. However, shopping with my older kids costs more because they no longer want $10-$20 toys, they want electronics, name brand clothing, and consume 5 times as much food as they did when they were little!

Whether you are potty training, going through the tween years, trying to figure out how to help your high schooler with homework, or waking up every two hours with a screaming baby, being a mom can be challenging. The challenges are just all different!

6. Moms need to spend time doing things that they love!

When is the last time you did something just for you? Whether it’s reading a book, scrapbooking, seeing a movie with a friend, going on a date with your husband, or going on a run in solitude, spending time doing things that you enjoy doing is important! Moms are wonderful and putting every person that they love before themselves but when they neglect themselves their tank runs empty and soon everyone suffers from it. Keep your tank full by investing in your own self-care and by doing those things that you love! (If you need help, each month I publish a free self-care calendar on my blog to help women take care of themselves! Check it out!)

Which of these facts do you need to embrace?