Empowered womanhood.

I gained a new consciousness of the world through becoming a mother. The mundane all of a sudden became extraordinary. Stopping to smell all the flowers, a short walk around the block became a slow adventure under the guidance of my three year old. A floating balloon made my baby's entire face light up with glee. A quiet morning at home turned into a spaceship ride to the moon, as the three of us struggled to fit into a cardboard box together, chanting, “321 blastoff.” 

The simple has become profound. 

My kids have allowed me to see the world through new eyes, and maybe more importantly, they have allowed me to see myself through new eyes.

Through the eyes of my children, I am strong, fun, creative, and full of endless love. They see the most raw version of myself, and they see the most beautiful. Perhaps they are one in the same. 

Motherhood has challenged me in ways I didn’t anticipate, and yet, has gifted me a resiliency and bravery I didn’t know I was lacking.

Through motherhood, I have gained a different type of confidence in who I am.

When I first began my extended maternity leave with Cambria, I wondered what it might look like to be an empowered stay at home mom. 

In my mind, the vision of an empowered woman was one who wore a business suit, had a powerful career, went to yoga, and still had an abundance of family time. The ability to have it all, and do it all well. Maybe it is just my own perception, but I also feel like this is the image of an empowered woman that society has perpetuated. When a woman has a career, she is seen as empowered. When she is a stay at home mom, she is not. 

However, I am slowly discovering what it means to be an empowered stay at home mom. 

Empowered means finding your power; to empower means to make someone stronger and more confident, especially in controlling and claiming their life.

Here I am in this season of womanhood, feeling powerful, confident, and strong. Dare I say I am an empowered stay at home mom? 

(Photos from a family date when we went to watch the sunset and the big waves that caused the pier to be closed. We all got a little too wet and cold, and finished the night with warm pho. At dinner, Matt spilled his beer not one, but two times because of the kids. Apparently, we had forgotten why we don't go out to dinner with our kids, but now we remember.)