"Good Job Mama!"

We are in the throw of toddlerhood at our house. It is both a joy and frustration at times as we battle temper tantrums that dissapear as quickly as the came. 

I am blessed to have Tuesday and Thursday mornings at home with my favorite girl. We usually stay in our jammies as long as possible, watch a show on Netflix and always do a special activity for what I call Tot Time. This is a time for Addyson and I to play together with some kind of learning goal in mind. I like to think it's something she looks forward to, mostly because of the element of surprise, since the activities are different from her regular toys. 

 The other day we played with playdoh, sponges and magnet letters. My little bit was clearly done with Tot Time and in her hungry tantrum dumped all of the magnetic letters all over the kitchen floor. Of course I tried to make this a teachable moment and said "uh oh, lets clean them up together." I started putting them back in the container, not noticing Addyson has moved on to something else. Next thing I know I feel a little hand patting me on the back saying "Good job Mama!." My reply is of course something to the effect of "thank you, but we need to work together to clean up this mess." 

 It was of cute and adorably frustrating moment because let's admit as moms sometimes it it so much easier to just clean up toddler messes on our own. There are times when it is so much easier to do things myself without encouraging Addyson to take responsibility for her actions. As I attempt to take advantage of teachable moments I realize how easy it would be to do things, which my two year old is capable of doing, for her. 

I realized two things in this "Good job Mama" encounter. One being that I must take advantage of these teachable moments and lead by example. The other thing I realized is that all moms need to hear "Good job Mama."

 This week my heart has been heavy for my fellow mommy friends.

 To the stressed out single mom who is working two jobs to put food on the table, "Good job Mama" 

 To my mommy friend who is overwhelmed and asked for help, "Good job Mama".

 To my friends that have experienced tremendous loss this past year. Your tears are tears of healing. To you my mommy friend I applaud you and your boldness, your courage to walk through the grief process with strength which only comes from the Lord. "Good job Mama." 

To the mom working two jobs to pay the bills, "Good job Mama".

 To the mom that has been up all night holding a crying infant, "Good job Mama"  

We all need to hear "Good job" from time to time. This week instead of just praying for my mommy friends I am also sending them cards to encourage them. Letting them know their hard work, tears, compassion and comitment to their families doesn't go unnoticed.

 "Good job Mama!" Who do you know that needs to hear those words?

  It's amazing how hearing the words "Good job Mama" have helped me to be fully present in the moment this week.