No More Perfect Moms

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Hearts at Home conference in Rochester for the second year.  This conference is a time for moms to get refreshed and renewed!

I was able to make it back to Rochester from my all-day professional development day in Maple Grove just in time for the Moms Night Out at the Civic Center.  I met up with Evie, who drove down from Isanti, and the other Stewie gals.  We enjoyed worshiping through song, laughing with a comedian, and just being out!

The next day after our mandatory Caribou stop, Evie and I made our way back to the Civic Center for a full day of speakers and workshops. (I also got to see my good friend, Becky!)  The theme for the event this year was "No More Perfect Moms."  We were challenged to take off the mask and not compare our insides to others' outsides.

With perfect family photos, tales of adorable children, amazing vacations, and picture-perfect home decor being blasted at us through Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media outlets, it's often a temptation to compare ourselves and think we are not measuring up.  Guilty.  I love Pinterest, but can find myself getting very discontent as I browse all of the wonderful meals, homes, and educational activities I wish I had time for.

And I'll be honest, I often post photos and stories of our family's good times.  This is not necessarily because I want to hide the junk in my life, but because, really, who wants to hear about all that?  I, for one, don't really care to document my less-than-ideal days on the internet.  And I reserve the deep stuff for face-to-face conversations.

Anyone that really knows me knows my life is often chaos, but in the spirit of full disclosure, here are some photos of my house from Sunday.  But let's be honest, they could be from any given day...

On Saturday I attended workshops called "Boys R Us," "Killing the Spider," "What Your Man Most Wants You to Know," (Shaunti Feldhahn) and "The Magic of Parenting Preschoolers."  Some good info!  Candance Cameron closed out the event.  Even though things got a little wishy washy doctrine-wise, I really did enjoy the conference, spending time away with friends, and being encouraged.

Steve and the kiddos survived with minor injuries.