Stop trying to be perfect. Just be you.

Are you sick of trying to do it all? Are you tired of trying to be perfect? I sure am. Let it go. I am. That way of thinking is so 2013.
2014 is the year of being you. Yes, it is the year of being un-perfect. It is the year of being realistic.
As I write this, I can hear my husband reading Madilyn (my now 4 year old) her bedtime books upstairs. In between sentences, Madilyn is negotiating with my husband and trying to figure out how she can stay up “a few minutes later.” She still climbs into our bed in the middle of the night. Part of me loves it and part of me can’t stand it. Juliana (my almost 14 month old) is trying to fall asleep. I am watching her on the video monitor as I type. She cries for a few minutes and gives up and falls asleep. We had a hell of a time getting her to sleep in her crib a few months ago. She is now and I am so damn grateful. Mama likes her sleep. My living room looks like a toy store. It looks like Toys R Us and all of the staff have quit. There are toys everywhere. I see four tea mugs in my living room with half full cups of cold tea in them. Most days I get a sip or two of hot tea. I leave my mug down somewhere and forget all about it. Tonight, I served my husband corn chips with melted cheese for dinner. The girls and I ate all of last night’s leftovers, he got home late, so that was the best I could do. The girls went to bed tonight in pjs that may or may not have some stains on them from this morning’s breakfast.
My Pinterest board, however, looks quite different. There are pictures of beautifully organized kitchens and living rooms. There are pictures of beautifully put together meals from scratch. There are photos of happy kids in beautifully put together poses.
Motherhood is not perfect. It is far from it. It is real. It is raw. It is downright hard as hell sometimes.
I lose my temper. I get frustrated. I let my 4 year old eat chocolate chips. I don’t clean my bathrooms often enough. I have 5 loads of laundry that needs to be done and 3 baskets of clothes that need to be put away. I eat corn chips late at night when I am by myself.
It’s OK. I am totally normal. I am a mom. I am far from perfect.
Motherhood is about being you. It’s about knowing what is best for yourself, your kids and your family as a whole. It’s about not worrying so much about what other moms are doing. It’s about waking up every morning and starting over. It’s about laughing at Pinterest “perfect” photos. It’s about taking one day at a time. It’s about setting realistic goals and working towards them. It’s about laughing at the messes,stepping over all the toys and smiling at the fact that you and your hubby haven’t had an adult conversation in weeks.

Motherhood is about letting go of perfection. It’s about setting realistic goals and becoming a happier and healthier mama every day. It’s about being kind to your kids. It’s about looking into their eyes when they ask you a question. It’s about putting down the iPhone from time to time and talking to your kids. It’s about eating meals together as a family a few times a week. It’s about talking to each other and more importantly, listening.

I don’t like resolutions. I like realistic goals.  Motherhood is about trying to make ourselves a little better every single day.
Let’s stop trying to be perfect. Let’s be realistic in 2014. Let’s be easy on ourselves this year. Let’s take one day at a time. Let’s set realistic goals, work hard and reach them.
Let’s eat gluten but maybe a little less of it. Maybe going totally gluten free is just not going to happen at the moment and that’s totally OK.
Instead of gluten free I am doing gluten “less.” 
I made these cupcakes for Madilyn’s 4th birthday party and they were delicious. I served them with a strawberry sauce that was a hit. 
Gluten “Less” Birthday Cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups cooked millet
1 1/4 orange juice
1/2 cup organic butter, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, seperated
assorted fresh berries and powdered sugar for decorating
Directions:
The night before, soak the flour, orange juice and apple cider vinegar overnight on the counter. Cover. Soak a cup of millet in warm water and apple cider vinegar overnight as well. The next morning, drain the water and cook the millet in 2 cups of fresh water and some sea salt. Let millet cool a bit.
Preheat oven to 350F. Put millet in blender and blend until smooth. Add water as needed to get the millet to blend. Add butter, maple syrup and vanilla. Blend. Add egg yolks. Blend again.
Pour ego whites into a glass bowl and beat until a peak forms. Pour millet blend into a large bowl. Add rest of dry ingredients. Fold egg whites into batter. Pour batter into cupcake tins. Bake 30 minutes. Serve with fresh fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Recipe adapted from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair