The Mother’s Day of Your Choice

If you could have the perfect day for Mothers Day, what would your perfect day look like?

For me the answer to this question changes depending on life stage, circumstances, age of my children, and more.

But even more than that, it can depend on whether or not I think I’m worthy of having a day of my dreams.

Understanding this for me personally, I hope you can hear this:

You matter. You are enough. You are important.

You are worth celebrating.

You are worth celebrating on Mother’s Day.

With that in mind, what would your perfect day celebrating you as a mother look like?

Mother’s Day can be weird for many of us. It can feel contrived, a fake holiday to guilt people into spending more money. Maybe it brings up complicated feelings about our own mothers or complicated feelings about our mothering. Sometimes we feel MORE invisible on Mother’s Day when those around us seem not to notice us or the day. It may raise questions about what we do that’s worth a whole day set aside to celebrate or maybe it highlights how inadequate we feel. It may even lead to questioning what makes one a mother. For some Mother’s Day reveals how desperately we want a break from being a mom. For some it reveals how desperately we want to be a mom. For some it reveals how much they have a mothering spirit while others may feel it reveals they don’t. And many of us may wonder why we need a special day set aside to appreciate mothers- shouldn’t that be every day?

Some lucky ones experience Mother’s Day as a special time to honor their own mother and celebrate their own motherhood.

It’s a day fraught with clichés and complexity.

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, it’s time for us to realize once again that we’ve just about heard it all:

  • Yes, we all have a mother.
  • Mothers are amazing.
  • Mothers are underappreciated.
  • Flowers and homemade cards are the best way to celebrate mothers.
  • Wine and time away from our children are the gift all honest mothers crave.

How do we celebrate moms without clichés?

By embracing where we are in our journey without guilt or shame. Sure, be aware of where you need to grow and change but shame doesn’t help that journey so let’s all agree to just skip that.

This Mother’s Day, if you haven’t already, prepare by sharing with those close to you what you’d like to do, how you enjoy celebrating, and what you’d really love to receive. If that’s a nap, tell them! If that’s a mimosa by the pool, tell them! If that’s spending the day child-free doing whatever you’d like to do, tell them that too. If you’d prefer to spend the day at the park with your family and receive a card and a special necklace, share that with them.

I hope you get to experience the Mother’s Day that will mean the most to you with respect to your personal journey. Whatever that looks like.

Most of all though, I hope you grow in your understanding that you matter, you are enough, you are important, and you are worth celebrating.

To help with that, we’re focusing on celebrating you and the mother-spirit this week with a campaign #TLBmom and a giveaway to go with it featuring brands that value mothers every day, celebrating you like every day is Mother’s day.

The support that The Leaky Boob is able to offer every day is made possible thanks to brands such as these. Not only do they believe in you and me they exist to make the world a better and more beautiful place. I hope you’ll love them as much as I do. Take a moment to follow them all on social media, see what they’re about, and check out what products might make your life better and more beautiful.

The giveaway:

Alter Eco – Fair Trade chocolates, Baby K’Tan – Active Wrap, Cake Maternity – Cotton Candy Seamless Nursing Bra, Indigo Willow breast milk jewelry – Clair de Lune ring, Natracare – cloth shoulder bag full of earth-friendly feminine/baby products, Latched Mama – Drawstring T-Shirt Dress in Black Vintage Rose, Glamourmom – nursing long top

 

One winner gets all of the product above, and 10 others will win some Natracare products in a small cloth bag. That’s 11 lucky Leakies!

Please use the following widget to enter the giveaway. Good luck, and Happy Mother’s Day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments

  1. What surprised me most about motherhood? Probably how I can feel so capable and so inept at the very same time!

  2. Genevieve Remy Ejdowski says

    I think what surprised me most about being a mom is just how fierce I can be in terms of my child’s safety and happiness. I tend to be a people pleaser, I struggle to stand up for myself, I have anxiety and struggle to vocal most often. I’ve changed so much for my kids in ways I never imagined I could!

  3. becky moize says

    I didn’t realize how exhausting it can be, talking all day to somebody. I have a speech delayed son and I’m trying to get him talking more by explaining everything and pointing out things and narrating what we’re doing. And as an introvert, that’s more tiring then missing out on sleep.

  4. Thank you so much for doing this

  5. Alexandra Kinder says

    What has surprised me the most about being a mom is how insane my kids can make me feel, all while loving them with every ounce of myself.

  6. Courtney says

    I was surprised by how much I look forward to seeing my kids grow up! I love them being little but cannot wait to see what kind of people they become.

  7. Jenn Stone says

    Biggest surprise of motherhood for me has been how functional I can be with inadequate sleep. Not gonna lie though, I do love naps!

  8. Sarah Smith says

    I love reading everything you write! My daughter is 5 and my newest is 4 months and reading what you write helps me get through some
    Of the rough days!

  9. Angela Campos says

    Motherhood has surprised me in so many ways but I think what always shocks me most is how much I learn every day about myself and these little humans I’m wrangling

  10. I’ve always been close to my own mother, and loved Mother’s Day, as it was an excuse to celebrate her even more than usual! Now that I am a mother myself, I love Mother’s Day because it’s an excuse to celebrate BEING a mother. I love my babies, and everything that comes with motherhood! I think the thing that surprised me the most about motherhood was how adaptable we become. We are given a lot of crap that we have to shuffle and make the best of – mothers are the hardest workers, and are truly amazing! Bless all you mothers, for everything you do everyday! Happy Mother’s Day!! ❤

  11. The most surprising thing about being a mom is how brave I can be when my children are around. Lifelong fears of spiders and June beetles gone in an instant.

  12. Kambra Brotherson says

    Thanks so much for this giveaway! Happy mother’s day Jessica!! Thanks for all of your wonderful breastfeeding advice and information over the years! You’ve been such an inspiration (:

  13. Michelle says

    I think what surprised me most about becoming a mom was how quickly you forget what it was like before the baby came. What did I even do? Who was I? I can only hope that I’m a better person now.

  14. I was surprised by the expansion of love with each additional child. I thought, I love Xx so much, how could I possibly love Yy. I am now on child 4 and the love just expands with the family.

  15. Great to learn more underwear options. Thank you!

  16. My daughter turns 6mo old today!! I have been shocked by how much I enjoy spending time with her! I always assumed I wouldn’t be a fan of the baby stage but I really am. Can’t wait to snuggle her all day on Mother’s Day (…and eat ribs. And cobbler.)

  17. One thing that surprised me most about motherhood is that you can do everything”right” and still have a challenging baby/child – that not everything is about your parenting.

  18. Brianna S says

    I was surprised how hard it is being a mom. Yes, it’s amazing and I wouldn’t trade it for anything but it is hard, hard work.

  19. Kristin Wolke says

    The unconditional love you experience as a mother is amazing along with pure exhaustion and the need for chocolate and a spa day 🙂

  20. Veronica Bohan says

    The most surprising thing about becoming a mom was never getting enough sleep and that none of parenthood is like it bis portrayed on tv. Anything that I find funny that my kids do, anyone else finds abhorrent. It becomes very isolating and lonely when no one can relate to you because you do parenthood a bit differently than the mainstream. I thought there would be tons of friends and support once I became a mother, but I have my husband exclusively.

  21. Lauren Simms says

    It’s surprised us how much our priorities have shifted as we’ve added to our family.

  22. In response to what has surprised me most about motherhood, it’s how good I would become at picking things up with my feet. Also, for Mother’s Day, a massage would be great. 😊

  23. Those rings are so cool!

  24. I have a Latched Mama dress and it’s incredible!

  25. I would take any of these in a heartbeat! Not picky at all just happy to have the honor of being a mother

  26. Brittany says

    I am surprised that I can survive on so little sleep for so long! 🤔🙄😴

  27. Liz Ryan says

    I am most surprised by how quickly you go into mom mode. It is like a seamless transition.

  28. What an amazing giveaway!! Can us Canadians enter? 🙂

  29. Melissa Hunter says

    Just how tired I would be, all day! 😉

  30. Love this giveaway!!! I never realized how hard and rewarding and amazing being a mother would be!! Would love to try out all of these amazing items as a first time Mom!! My baby is going to be a year next month and I can’t believe how fast it went, but we are still going strong with breastfeeding and it has been the best thing I have ever done. I absolutely love it!

  31. Kimberly says

    The sheer will to keep moving despite the extreme sleep deprivation-that is what has surprised me the most!

  32. Love it when you guys do Raffles!

  33. I was surprised at how my relationship with time changed because of naps and feedings. I live life in 2 hour chunks and always have a fairly accurate idea of what time it is.

  34. The thing that has surprised me most as a mama is how I can be so tired, so exhausted, even angry. However, the second I here my little one say, “I need snuggles!” Everything goes away, the stress and anxiety just drift off. I’ve always struggles with anxiety, I never would have thought my children would be the fix.

  35. Jessica Martinez says

    I would pick G. I absolutely love when my kids make me homemade gifts!

  36. Kathleen Z. says

    How absolutely confident I felt in my ability to parent. Yes, I question some of my choices but my mother always told me to go with my gut……..what felt right. I still feel that way as I navigate adult children and grandchildren. I was lucky to be a stay at home mom (my choice) and really did like being Mom to this brood.

  37. Sharon Almstrom says

    Some great brands you are promoting here! Thanks for the opportunity to enter.

  38. Lee Dixon says

    I was surprised how much of a intense bond I could have with my child! I didn’t understand it until I had my own because my relationship with my mother was not very good.

  39. Kristy Lauriat says

    I think we all find our own balance. For me, working all day with other people’s children, I crave the time with my own. I don’t look for someone to take my kids for a few hours bc I want to spend every second with them, but that doesn’t make me better or worse than the mom who craves an hour alone! We all find our own balance, and sometimes, the dishes can sit in the sink!

  40. Michelle Mallard says

    What truly surprised me the most about motherhood was how difficult it was! Not just physically demanding but how emotionally demanding it was. I had a very difficult first birth followed by pain and surgery and a very difficult recovery. The pain of that birth trauma still pierces my soul and my body 9 years and 4 babies later. I have grown so much in these 9 years of parenting and I am still becoming who I want to be–as a mom and as a woman and as a partner to my husband.

  41. Jason Bohan says

    How much my wife has changed since becoming a mother has surprised me. She is a new person after kids.

  42. Sarah Meints says

    I was surprised by how often I thought of my daughter. My world literally revolved around her when we were breastfeeding, and I couldn’t do anything without thinking of her needs. Now that she’s a bit older, I’m finding better balance 🙂

  43. Carly Absher says

    The most surprising thing being a mom was how happy I am to have a healthy baby. My family is filled with girls & I was so sure I was going to have a girl & I was ready for pink, glitter, & tutus. When I found out I was having a boy I was shocked, upset, & angry. Everyone else was having a girl why wasn’t I? It wasn’t until very late in my pregnancy when I started looking for specific clothing & toys that I finally got excited about bringing this tiny human in to life. It took us 2 years of trying to get pregnant & I was being really selfish. As soon as I had that baby in my arms all of that negativity vanished & never came back. I am thrilled to have a son & I absolutely love him with everything in my soul! But what I really care about is that I have a healthy baby that I get to love unconditionally & be his Mommy. The thing I’ve always wanted to be. We are hoping to have more babies in the very near future & I have made the decision to not find out the sex of my child because at the end of the day I’m going to love them no matter what.

  44. Keriann Cuvo says

    The thing that has surprised me most about becoming a mom is how many people are no longer there for me when I need them, but I’d give up that for my beautiful children any day.

  45. Kimberly Moore Messina says

    What surprised me most about becoming a Mom was how much my natural instincts kicked in, HARD.

  46. Hayle Williams says

    🙂

  47. Being a mom is a lot of rewarding work. Watching your children grow and develop. Learning patience and making time for my self. I think what amazes me is how fast time goes by and things change so quickly. Enjoy being a Mother because in a blink they are another year older!

  48. What has surprised me most about being a mom is the love you can have for a child we can have the roughest day and at the end of the night you look at your kid and love them with all your heart

  49. Sarah Naidu says

    I’ve been most surprised at how much patience I can find when I dig deep. And how much I’m willing to give up /comprise on for my babies wellbeing.

  50. Samantha Junge says

    Being a mother comes with many surprises every day, but the biggest surprise to me has been the lack of support I’ve gottwn as a mother. Every single friend I had before giving birth is no longer around, and there is judgment being thrown around like crazy for every choice we make for our children. Being a mother is hard, but I wouldn’t change it for a thing.

  51. Cynthia Wingood says

    A maid for sure!! That way I could enjoy the time
    With my family rather than keeping the house in check

  52. I was surprised how much I enjoy being a mom. When I first got pregnant I thought I would be an ok mom, but I had no idea how great it is. I’m now pregnant with my second baby and after running around with a toddler all morning, I’m grateful for naps!
    Thank you for the chance at this incredible giveaway.
    Happy Mother’s Day!

  53. The thing that surprised me the most was how quick my babies have outgrown there clothes and socks.

  54. Dallas Coplin says

    I was surprised mostly how things that were not pleasant,or even miserable, at the time – over time become pleasant memories.

  55. Christina Almond says

    I think that learning along the way that unexpected things are going to happen and that you won’t be the perfect Mom each time…especially for new Moms! You go into that thinking it will be a certain way and…tada…it’s totally different!

  56. Sarah Simmons says

    The judgement from others, about how we sleep, feed and care for our babies 🙁 on the good side i was surprised how easily nursing came to me 🙂 and how supportive my husbands family is!

  57. Natalyn Lewis says

    I am most surprised by how triggering tiny attitudes can be. My oldest is six and i feel like im dealing with a teenager most of the time.

  58. My answer is E!!!

  59. I would pick H! A stylish and comfortable wardrobe that is also nursing friendly?? Now that I’m done with maternity clothes, I’m looking for cute summer dresses and tops that I can nurse my baby in–why is it so hard to find? Thanks for the opportunity to win this awesome prize package!!!

  60. Kelli M. says

    I’ve been surprised by how becoming a mother has caused me to change and grow into the person I am today. Not only limited to parenting related aspects of my life, but things like my diet, lifestyle choices, social circles, etc.

  61. Jamie Burks says

    The most surprising thing to me was how hard breastfeeding was and how much it affected me that I was having issues.

  62. Went to the zoo for my very first Mother’s day! It was so fun and sweet. Even though my little 8 month old won’t remember it’s something I will always cherish!
    Always

  63. Nicole Marshall says

    What has surprised me most about becoming a mom is my natural mommy instincts of just “knowing”. Whether it be if something is wrong, my babies different cries, etc. It came to me more naturally than i expected.

  64. I would choose a maid.

  65. Entered! What a fun post

  66. I think the thing that surprised me most about motherhood is how with each child it seems like your heart just grows more and more to love each child the same amount. I always get nervous before a new baby is born but once they’re here it’s like they were always here and all that worry was for nothing.

  67. Jennifer says

    How much my life would completely change. I was not prepared for absolutely everything to be different.

  68. Diana Hernandez says

    The one thing that has surprised me about being a mom is the resilience that I had no idea I carried within. I’ve had traumatic births, I’ve had very painful breastfeeding experiences, and I’ve had a few phases of PPD and anxiety. Yet, here I am. I am pulling through. We as women are resilient, and motherhood is the first eye-opener to that.

  69. Morgan Martinez says

    The thing that surprised me most about becoming a mother was how even when my babes are having a difficult day and make me crazy, I still miss them when they go to sleep.

  70. What surprised me most about being a mom, is just how fast they grow up. I swear I blinked or something because my oldest is turning 12 this year.. where did the time go?

  71. Raynette says

    Love this!

  72. Meghan penton says

    the ring is the coolest!

  73. Kylie Roberts says

    The thing that surprised me the most was how I would overcome things that scared me. Scared to drive with my baby in the car, breastfeed in public, hold my baby “right”, get her to sleep, a hundred little Can I Do It moments in a day and somehow I do them all

  74. What’s surprised me the most is how I’m learning and have learned to adapt living with limited sleep and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. And breastfeeding is a lot more difficult than I imagined but I’m hoping to get better as my little grows- he’s only 3 weeks. So we’re both learning.

  75. Promise Hanson says

    How much I want to be a stay at home mom. If I could do everything myself and spend 100% of the time encouraging, teaching, loving, and caring for my daughter I would wholeheartedly and gladly!! I always thought i wanted a career as well but being a mom is my biggest and proudest identifier!!

  76. What surprised me most about motherhood is the constant WORRY. The inability to just assume that everything will be OK. You love these little people so much and can’t imag a life without them i it. I worry about everything!!!

  77. I had a wonderful Mother’s Day Church with my family, breakfast out, visiting in laws and visiting cemetery. Then we ended the day with ice cream for dinner. It was perfect.

  78. I’m surprised about the amount of patience it takes to be a mother. I’m a pretty patient person, but my children can seriously push buttons! No matter what they do, I have this amazing unconditional love for them!

  79. Kim Barnes says

    I’m most surprised by how much we talk about poop!!

  80. I’m always surprised at how overwhelming motherhood is! I never expected it to fully consume me and I never expected it to become a identity that I fully embrace.

  81. What has surprised me most about becoming a mom is truly how selfless I’ve become. I used to love sleep and always worried I’d not be able to give myself to the kids completely but I am ok with it. I’d sleep never it meant my kids were happy! I love seeing things through their eyes, being a mom has been the best thing I ever did!!

  82. I love being a mom. What suprised me most was learning my daughter suffered from a mental illbess. She was Dx at 4 years old and we have strughled thru treatment every day for almost 5 years. I can handle the diapers, bottles, pumping, etc. That came naturally. I still dont know if Im doing right with her.

  83. Cassandra Kimbrell says

    Perfect Mother’s Day would be with my husband and soon to be baby girl. Either spending it outside, going on a hike, or some event where we all can enjoy it and create great memories. It’s even better when I don’t have to cook. 🙂

  84. I have been eyeing that ring for a long time! I would love to have it.
    I spent my mother’s day with my daughters and my mother in law. It was a great day 🙂

  85. Mmm chocolate!

  86. I think what has surprised me most about being a Mom is how protective I am!

  87. What surprised me most about becoming a mom?
    Is how much more I can be with my daughter.
    I can be brave, strong, kind, wise, loving, giving, fearless.
    I am not just a regular human, she made me a home. She made my body a place worthy of praise and love. My body free and protected a human being. That’s amazing. She made me a mother, which is one of the most extraordinary opportunities that I feel like anyone can be given.
    She taught me that my heart has no max capacity and that love is limitless.
    She surprised me because she showed me that I can do anything. She is my everything.

  88. I was surprised by how much I could love someone I’d barely met and how much more I would love my husband for it.

  89. Rebecca Bahr says

    What a great post! Every mom likes to celebrate in her own way.

  90. Kandace Ferguson says

    I am a new mom going through pretty bad postpartum depression and anxiety. This giveaway makes me feel a little better.

  91. Melissa Heaton says

    I think there most surprising thing for me was just how hard motherhood is! And how angry my child could make me.

  92. Dynal Roberson says

    I think what surprised me most is how much they mean to me and how I don’t know what to do with myself if they aren’t around!

  93. I think it is the amount, the kind, and how fast you fall in love. I love him so much!

  94. Kristen Patton says

    It has surprised me how much I love my baby girl already and she isn’t even here yet!

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