Moms I want to tip my hat to.

In honor of mothers day Yesterday,  I thought today I would pay tribute to two moms I know and admire who inspire me everyday from afar. Let me start by saying that no matter who you are, being mom is a job. It is a 24 hour career choice with limited pay, no room for advancement, and questionable health and retirement benefits.  It is rewarding, but exhausting, demanding with little time for praise and kudos.  Fact is, kudos are deserved all around to all of you, and even if I don't mention you specifically....I have profound admiration for all.

I'm going to start with a past co-worker of mine.  Ember is mom to two young boys. She works a full time job at a dysfunctional and highly stress infected bureau for the City of Portland, and yet....she is a spectacular mom. Her boys take top priority in her life and she goes the extra mile every day. Sleepless nights are often the norm, but she has a solid partner in her husband and they manage parenthood as a fully engaged team.  I'm certain from all her posts and pics on Facebook that her boys are distant relatives of Looney Toons Tazz, and with all that Irish blood coursing through their veins they are high energy, maximum output until their systems crash each night only to reboot every morning and start all over. Olrek, the youngest, has been likened to Jack Jack in the Incredibles. a likeness, that even from afar, is obvious and clear.  Ember faces each day, each challenge with courage and tenacity and she is all heart and soul when it comes to her family. Work gets their chunk of flesh out of her hide each day, but home and her boys...well nothing can ever take away from the fulfillment they bring. She may be sleep deprived for now and the foreseeable future, but she rocks it well.

My niece Lindsey is mom and military wife.  She has two children who keep her on her toes, and she does it with grace and the patience of an angel. Her husband is often gone for periods of time serving his country and protecting our freedoms, which itself deserves a tip of the hat, but that means Lindsey takes on the full front of parenting at times.  Having been a single mom to two boys for the last ten years, I know how daunting this can be.  But Lindsey never waivers. She is creative and full of the energy it takes to keep up with two children and to always remain calm even in the most stressful of situations.


Being a mom is never easy.  It is tears and laughter. Sleepless nights, meals on the run, and last minute changes. Its cartoons that don't make any sense, hand-prints on the wall, stains on the carpet, and spilled juice on your favorite book. Its cuddles, and kisses, temper tantrums, and colds. Sometimes we face it alone, sometimes we have help. But being a mom is a life style choice that never turns off. It's nuclear and it changes the landscape of everything you know.