Though sharing décor inspiration and bits of our sweet country life are what our blog is all about, my home rarely looks like the lovely shots my husband takes. Today I wanted to share an honest look at our farmhouse and chat with mothers of  small children. I hope to give some encouragement to moms who are struggling to meet with all of the demands life brings.

It just so happened that my first Mother’s Day as a mom of 2 little girls was also my 30th birthday! To celebrate my hubby gave me these pink tulips he arranged in my favorite teapot.

I can’t believe how blessed I am to have these precious girls and a husband who loves us three so openly!  Life at Bryarton Farm is sweet! However having 2 kids under the age of two, caring for farm animals, juggling a major home renovation, regular house work, writing a blog, and keeping my relationship with my husband strong has been overwhelming for me. There just isn’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. Living up to the “Proverbs 31 Woman” seems impossible.

I have come to realize that God doesn’t require us to be “super-moms”. He just wants us to give each day our best and to let go of the little things. If the house isn’t perfectly clean and the laundry unfinished it’s okay. As an artist and interior designer, that can be a hard thing for me to let go of. I wish my home always looked like a magazine, but it doesn’t. Here are some beautiful shots I styled and my hubby shot for a recent post on the blog.

Here are shots taken this morning before I took the girls to story time at the local library. If I had spent the time to clean the living room perfectly we would have missed a meaningful time with our friends and a great learning experience for Cami Grace.

Now that I am a mom, I can truly appreciate my mother’s ability to care for 5 kids and keep the house looking so nice. She did a wonderful job! I had to stop comparing myself to her or any other mom though. Being honest about my weaknesses and strengths has been very freeing. Somedays I get very overwhelmed and those seem to be the days that the Lord shows me His love and mercy the most. My girls won’t be little forever and eventually we will be finished with the farmhouse renovation, so I need to hold on to God’s promises. He will never leave me or forsake me.

To the stressed out mom I want to say, keep holding on to the Lord because only He can get you through life’s crazy ups and downs. The house work can wait. Go read a book with your babies and snuggle!