the best

It's been a rough past few days. I'm not totally sure why, but my patience with my family has been really short. I think that all the stuff we have going on with buying a house is the biggest factor and knowing that we're going to have to pack up all our stuff again in the next few weeks is (while really exciting) daunting. I have this long list of "to do"s and a teething baby girl who wants to be held all the time. The boys are just being boys (a.k.a. making lots of messes) and I find myself being frustrated and speaking in a way that I'm not proud of. It happens, and I'm trying not to beat myself up about it too much, but I keep hearing one of my favorite quotes over and over in my mind a lot these days... "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." - Thomas S. Monson.

There are so many women I know who I feel do such a better job at this mom thing than I do (and I'm related to a BUNCH of them), but then I look at my kids and I see them for who they are and I think, "Part of that has to be because of me, right?". There are about a thousand ways to be a good mom and my kids deserve the best. My husband deserves the best. I can't offer them someone else's version of "the best" but I can offer them my best.

Remember "Everybody Loves Raymond"? Man, I loved that show. Anyway, I will always remember a scene where Debra asks Ray, "Doesn't your own family deserve the best of you?" I've thought about that a lot and how sometimes I offer my best to others and my family gets what's left over - which is, often, not much. Anyway, I guess what I'm saying - here in my dirty pajamas and bags under my eyes - is that "tomorrow is a new day, with no mistakes in it yet"... I'm so grateful for forgiving children and a husband who give me second chances. Again and again. :)