Here’s something you might not know about me…

I had my first daughter when I was 27. Not exactly a young mom, but definitely younger than my friends. I also had no idea what I was doing.

I hated babysitting and wasn’t a huge fan of babies or kids in general. I’m an only child so I hung out with adults when I was growing up -even when I was young I didn't relate well to other kids.

So there I was, 27, didn't know what the heck to do with this baby, but at the same time I wanted everything for her. I wanted to be the best mom. I had to do all the things, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, making baby food - basically a Pinterest perfect mom years before Pinterest was even a thing.

Luckily, I went to a new mom support group at my local hospital where I not only made some great “mom friends”, I also learned one important lesson - if you don’t take care of yourself first, how can you expect to take care of your kids well?

Yes, I’m talking about being a mom, but I think this is generalizable about any role we play in general. If we aren’t taking care of ourselves, how can we successfully take care of others.

There are times when life gets too crazy and I lose sight of this, but I constantly come back to this when I think about the kind of mom I want to be.

• I want my daughters to learn from my example.

• I want them to know that they are strong women that can accomplish whatever they put their minds to.

• I want them to be confident and courageous and embrace their creativity.

• I want them to realize when they need to take a break and have self-care rituals to lean on when they need them.

• I want them to have a growth mindset that sees challenges instead of limitations and focus on abundance.

Sometimes my take on motherhood might seem selfish but I’m just doing the best I can and what I think is best for my girls.

What’s your mom-life style?