I first “met” Tina last summer when I interviewed her for my Blogspiration series. I’ve admired her sense of adventure, lovely writing, fun family, and the beautiful photos on her blog for quite some time now. I’m so excited to “speak” to her again for Bloggers on Motherhood.
Some of Tina’s Thoughts about Motherhood
What surprised me most about motherhood was the permanence of the whole thing. I had worked in daycares, nurseries, VBS, and even as a nanny to four kids, so I was never afraid of the actual care of my new bundle. I was an old pro at changing diapers, giving bottles, and so much more. But after the first few days this funny thing happened. She didn’t go home. No one came to pick her up and there was no possibility of quitting this job if I ever got tired of it. After this initial revelation and the all out panic that came soon afterwards, I realized that it was actually a wonderful thing that she would always be with us. But I had new found respect for all the parents who’s children I had cared for over the years. Being a parent was a lot of work!
My mom, myself, and my brother and sister…traveling, of course! I was bit more shy in front of the camera those days!
I think one of the funny things about our moms is that we really don’t appreciate them until we become one ourselves. Soon after my revelation of the permanence of my first child, came the next epiphany… my mom had been way undervalued for years. I started to wonder how she had managed to keep all four of us kids fed, bathed, got us to and from our activities…all the while, keeping the house clean enough for the Pope to visit, her makeup done perfectly, worked a full time job outside the home, and almost always had a smile on her face. I was beginning to suspect that my mom was a superhero. But what struck me the most as I held my newborn in my arms was the fact that my mom wasn’t a super hero. In fact, she was a regular person just like me and that kind of scared me. It meant that I would not be receiving my third arm or even those eyes in the back of my head (how did she do it?!). My mom was real and she had worked tirelessly to give me an amazing childhood. Of course, as the years have passed and I have gone from a mother of one to three, I have returned to my previous belief. Maybe she is a superhero after all. But she tells me I was worth every bit of the work and I know I will tell my kids the very same!
In addition to blogging and her non-profit Etsy shop, Tina is the mother of one Traveling Girl and two Traveling Boys. I love this recent post about Traveling Girl’s woodland creature birthday party – so creative and beautiful! If you want to see Traveling Mama “come to life,” check out the Fussell’s recent episode of House Hunters International on HGTV.