My name is Johanna and I am the mother of 2 girls who are turning 4 and 6 soon! I am divorced and back in school as a “non-traditional” (I’ll say!!) student.

I have moments of feeling like a “real mom”. When my daughter fell and hit her head and we rushed her to the hospital on her first birthday, I was cool and collected and afterward felt like “That’s it! I did it and I was so calm and everything! I AM a real mom!” But that feeling has since come and gone many times! I remember once when all the dishes and laundry were done… oh wait, I must be thinking of someone else… never mind! I am not the mom that my mother was! I wish I was! She was perfect! She always kept the house in order, she always had meals ready and she always shared her candy. I won’t even share my candy! My kids don’t eat what I cook, the laundry is never finished (even though most of the time, my 3 year old is naked…) and the dishes are ever piling up! There is not enough time in my day to be a perfect mom! How did she do it? I feel like I’m really awesome if I can get up in time to just fix scrambles eggs!

Despite my downfalls, I really am a real mom! I care for my kids like no one else could. I bake birthday cakes, I make sleepovers extra fun, and most of all, I LOVE being their mom! The things that make me feel like a real mom are knowing what no one else knows about my little family. For instance, my daughters won’t eat yogurt or ice cream if it has fruit or nuts in it. They only eat Grandma’s waffles, they can’t sit in the back seat together without fighting, and they can play all day long if you give them a couple of Barbies.

I think this blog will help me put on paper all of the “real mom” things I do. It at least makes me look like a real mom! I’m so excited to begin this journey we call a blog and to hear from you too!  What makes YOU a real mom?