Being a Super Hero Mom means that some days you go without a warm meal or the normal 6-8 hours of sleep that everyone else gets. Being a Super Hero Mom means that when everyone in the house can’t find the left ballet slipper, mom will be the one to find it. Being a Super Hero Mom means that there is going to be a lot of tears before hugs, a lot of “I’m mad at you’s” before “I Love You’s” and a ton of sleepless nights in your future. So, for all you new moms, here’s a little something to hold onto. Something to help you remember that everything you’re doing IS being noticed and you WILL be appreciated for it…eventually.

I remember when I was little, my mom used to do so much for me and my sisters. Holidays were always a big deal at my house. She decorated for every occasion and baked up all the most amazing treats for me, my sisters and our friends. Everyone knew that when the holidays came, my house was the place to be. Having a mother like that is what molded me into the mother I am today. She’s the one who taught me to always go the extra mile for my daughters. She’s the one who reminds me that no matter what issues I have going on in my life, nothing comes before my daughters.

The funny thing is that when you are a child, you don’t realize just how important your mother is in your life. You don’t realize all the sacrifices that she makes to ensure that you never go without. You don’t know what she gives up to make sure that you have the exact shoes you need for dance class, the perfect costume for the class play, the exact Marionette costume that you saw on Pinterest (albeit telling her at 9 pm the night before the event).  As a child, you are taught to say please and thank you and so you say them every chance you can remember to. But not until you are an adult do you really understand the REAL reason behind saying thank you.

In my head, both my daughters are still toddlers. But in real life, they are 9 and 11. Sometimes I forget how quickly time passes. Or maybe I just TRY to forget how quickly time passes. At any rate, the past few months have been quite an adjustment for us. New schools (and a middle school, no less), new school schedules, new homework routines, new dance schedules and a TON of more dance classes, working full and part-time (because let’s face it, paying for dance is like paying for college). All the changes this year took some adjusting and I literally look at my Cozi App every day just to know who will be home for dinner and who won’t. With all the hustle and bustle, Halloween sort of snuck up on me this year. I got decorations up and even managed to buy some new outdoor creepy decorations at Walmart one Sunday morning after the gym. I got the last minute costumes together and everyone was good to go. And then the day before Halloween it hit me…we never carved pumpkins. What kind of a mother am I? Pumpkin carving is huge to me. I always had fun family traditions growing up and I LOVE being able to pass those on to my daughters. Sunday night before bed, Alyssa mentioned that we hadn’t carved pumpkins. I went into panic mode.

So, Monday morning I dropped them off at school and went on a hunt for pumpkins before work. Sold out. 3 stores and all sold out. So, being that I was almost late for work now, I knew I had to wait until after work to continue my search. Monday was crazy busy at work, plus school pickups and dance drop-offs in the middle of the day. By quitting time, I was SPENT. So here I am, the night before Halloween at 5 pm, completely exhausted searching for pumpkins while the girls were at dance class. God was watching over me because the first place I went to, I found some. Slim pickings’ for sure, but who was going to care if we got Spookly the Square Pumpkin as long as we are keeping the tradition alive.

So, 6:30 I hustle over to pick them up, we pick up Happy Meals from McDonald’s (I know, I know…real healthy, Nitz!) and head home. The second we walked through the door Alyssa screamed: “You got us pumpkins!!!” The smile on her face was priceless. So, tired and ready for bed, there we began one of the messiest (but most fun) traditions ever. Nothing like 3 girls sitting in the kitchen trying to carve huge pumpkins in a hurry. Both the girls were having so much fun and it was at that moment that I realized that it didn’t matter if either of them knew what sacrifices I was making to keep our tradition going. It didn’t matter if either of them said thank you for going the extra mile. Being a Super Hero Mom means that you do ALL these things because the smile on their face and the happiness in their eyes makes your heart happy inside.

Crazy thing is, on Halloween night when I went to tuck an overly exhausted Alyssa into bed, she hugged me extra tight almost as if she didn’t want to let go. I kissed her cheek and walked to the door and as I turned her light out she whispered: “mama, thank you so

much for getting our pumpkins for us.” My heart sank. Because I know that my not-so-toddler anymore daughter completely knew what she was thankful for and that I just so happen to be on the receiving end of it.

Being a Super Hero Mom means you will work harder than you’ve ever worked in your life….but be rewarded in ways you NEVER thought possible.