Born to be a mother..... NOT!

In life there are a lot of people you see that you know are going to make great mothers. Those caring, gentle souls that are impossible to dislike and are far to optimistic for their own good are put on this earth to make wonderful mothers. But for the other 99% of the population, nothing about mothering comes naturally. However, if you are pregnant or a new mother and worrying that you might being doing have done everything wrong, revel in the fact that this alone makes you one of the most caring mothers around. 

Guilt- Plays a huge part in mothering. I have felt guilty all of about 2 times in the last few months. Once was when Summer fell of the bed when I turned around for two minutes. In fact I don't know who was crying the hardest me or her. The other time I felt "mother guilt" was when I realized I wasn't spending enough  time of my day with her instead I was catching up on my 'BIG BROTHER' addiction.

Let Go of the Past--  There is nothing you can do but learn from mistakes you make, forgive yourself so your child can learn to forgive herself to.

Vanity- I guess another word for this can be ego. I find myself shusshing Summer a lot in public because I am worried what others might think of her loud babbling but at home I can't think of a better noise. God forbid if she cries in public it's like my dignity has disappeared down the toilet. I've realised lately that I have to stop this, as when she gets older she will take it that I am disappointed in her and not realise it's my own vanity that is stopping her from having the fun she deserves.

Let them be kids

Disappointment- I guess this sort of falls into the vanity category. I notice I seem to be a very competitive mother for my own glory not Summer's. I get so envious when other kids reach a milestone before Summer. Walking has been a large thing where I have had to learn patience as you can't push her to learn this! At the moment she is fairly content on crawling her way to freedom and at the ripe old age of 1, I'm starting to see why I shouldn't worry!

We spend the first few years teaching them to Stand and Speak and the next decade telling the to sit down and shut up!

Having written these down in list format, I feel that I have started to address the fact that I need to make more effort in these categories to ensure that Summer enjoys her childhood as much as possible. In fact I would love others to share some self-improvement tips with me to help me along. Thank you so much for sharing in this moment of honesty from my part and I hope you all realise what wonderful mothers you all are!!!

Online resources for mothers

One useful thing for mothers is to build a positive community of online resources to gain knowledge and advice to help us through this magical period. I have collated some of favourites, mostly New Zealand based online blogs, magazines, links and websites that provide a range of opinions, facts and community between mothers.

The Domestic Wannabe-
A blog I follow religiously! WARNING: This blog contains photos of some of the cutest kids ever! You have to read this blog for some amazing insight into motherhood and the joys it contains. I highly suggest for tips and advice to add this to your favourites. I think with the combination of amazing photography and highly relatable stories, this is fun and inspiring to read for any mother.

Baby Life Magazine-
I can't recommend this place enough. It doesn't just focus around baby necessities but also includes a directory of other useful thing like Health and Wellbeing businesses, Learning and education centres etc. I love the website (Click here to visit) because it is easy to use and holds an array of great information. I highly enjoy their status updates on facebook as it is always different, inspiring and interesting, I would suggest reading everyone of them just for entertainment.

The Baby View-
Wow! I have been a facebook fan of The Baby View for a while now and have only visited their online business directory for some contact details. However I just finished scouring their website (Click here to visit) and couldn't be more impressed at the range of helpful advice and tips that this website offers. It has a big focus on baby related businesses which is really helpful for mothers wanting a certain product, they also have recipes and a list of articles. A website definitely to store for a later read, but  like their page on facebook as it will provide a lot of resources that might make your life a little bit easier!

These are just a few of my favourites, and I am pleased to let my amazing fans know that the awesome "Jackie" from Baby Life Magazine has taken time out of her busy schedule to write a blog for next week's entry! Make sure you take a listen out for her expert advice!!!