5 THINGS I LEARNED FROM MY MOMMA

Happy Mother’s Day everyone!

In honor of this special day celebrating the women who raised us and made us who we are, I’m sharing a few things my incredible momma taught me. Kids are definitely something in the (very far) future for Cole and I, but like most women, I’ve been thinking abut my future children since I was playing with baby dolls as a child, and now that I’m married, I think about it a lot more frequently. Lucky for me, my mother is the prime example of exactly the kind of momma I wish, pray and hope to be, so writing down these snippets of advice is both for myself and to brag a bit about the amazing woman myself, my sister and my brother have the pleasure of calling mom.

You can start by reading one of those pieces of advice here in this Huffington Post feature I was so tickled to be a part of, and I’ve listed all of them below.

1. Believe in Magic

If you know me at all or have followed me for a while, you’ll know why this piece of advice is one that has definitely stuck with me throughout my life, which is why I included it in the Huffington Post article. We may have watched Disney movies and believed in Santa Claus for far longer than most children, but my momma worked hard to preserve our innocence and keep our childhood spirit of believing in the impossible alive, and so much of that has made us who we are today.  Read more about it here!

2. Kindness is a Necessity

My mother is probably the kindest human I know. She is the type of person who finds joy most when she is giving back to others, whether that is her children, her friends or people in the community in need. Since I can remember, she is constantly doing things for others, from volunteering for anything and everything the school would possibly let her do throughout our childhood to currently being a part of an amazing group of women who meet once monthly to work on projects for those in need. She is always the last one to leave a party, getting lost in conversation with an old friend or even a stranger and she sends book-long text messages to people on their birthdays (or any significant occasion for that matter). Her kindness and compassion for people is so evident from the moment you meet her.

3. Life Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Wonderful

If I could describe my childhood in one word it would be: happy. I lived in a home where my parents were madly in love with each other and never afraid to show it, so love and happiness constantly radiated throughout our lives, no matter where we lived or what financial state her and my dad were in. Now that I’m older, I know that they faced really tough financial times when they started out, but I would have never known it for a second when I was a child because they did everything in their power to separate their stressed from the happy sanctuary that was our home. We never lived in a giant house, traveled the world or ate at fancy restaurants, but for all I knew as a child, I lived in a castle and had a fairytale kind of life.

4. Family is EVERYTHING

My mom is the prime example of what God designed a wife and mother to be. From the second we were born, her wants and needs no longer mattered – it was all about her children and her husband, and she made endless sacrifices for us throughout her life. We took it for granted then, but now as a 25 year-old, I often think about my mother (who became a wife when she was 23 and a mom when she was 24) and the things she gave up for us and our happiness, and her selflessness and unconditional love both amazes me and humbles me to be a better woman and to start preparing myself to be the kind of mother she was.

5. Money Cannot Buy Happiness

This is a cliche, of course, but it is one that my mother preached and practiced everyday. My mom has never sought after designer clothing and handbags or luxury vacations, her happiness has always been found in the love of her family. In today’s world and in my own profession of fashion blogging, this value is something that has become so important in grounding me today in what truly matters – love, family and relationships. Those are the things we will take with us into God’s kingdom when we go.

Fair-well xx,