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Thank goodness I have many moms who inspire me because I could surely not do this whole Mom-thing on my own!  In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought I would share some of the women who really keep me going.  I may get a little a lot emotional so let’s start with something fun.

Let’s start with the TV moms.

I grew up during The Brady Bunch era, except my own mom wasn’t a fan.  She thought watching the show would give me an “unrealistic expectation of motherhood” (her words) because Carol Brady had Alice, her nanny/maid.  (My mom also wouldn’t buy me coloring books because she thought they stifled my creativity, but I’ll explain that later…) Anyway, I don’t think I watched the show because I wanted to have a mom like Carol; I watched the show because I idolized Marcia’s hair and thought that Greg was hot. I also had aspirations of starting my own family band but since I just had a brother for a sibling, an unwilling brother who didn’t want to be in my rock band, that dream was dashed too.

But when I became a mom I started to notice other moms on TV.  My first TV Momspiration was from the former Disney show Good Luck, Charlie: Amy Duncan.

Her pint-sized sassiness stole the show from its namesake Charlie.  Her ability to color- coordinate her living room pillows was also uncanny.  I even found myself watching when my kids weren’t. That’s when you know you have a problem.

My latest TV Momspiration is from the 80’s throwback show The Goldbergs.

Beverly’s  level of smothering takes mothering to a whole new level and I hope that I can overlove and overwhelm my children as much as she does.  I have even found myself calling my youngest “Smooches” at times.  He’s 8 so he doesn’t mind…yet.

Next up are real-life moms that I don’t know but admire from afar.

Michelle Obama. Enough said.

Jen Hatmaker. You must read her books.  Very inspiring.  Lots of good mom vibes. Maybe start with this one: For the Love which I wrote about here in a previous blog post.

Joanna Gaines. The Fixer Upper star and Magnolia-everything owner wrote an inspiring must-read recently about motherhood: “A Letter to Moms.” Check it out on her blog.

And now some real-life, in my life Momspirations who I think are kickin’ it every day and making me mom better (including my own mom).

Gina Sabric

Gina’s not only a member of the United States Air Force currently stationed at the Pentagon, but she is also a single mom to her cutie pie son Tyler.  She has completed several tours of duty for our country and is the BEST example of honor, courage and strength not just for Tyler but for all of us. Plus, she flies F16’s! How cool is that??

Mindi Isaacson

My very good friend was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2015 and made the difficult decision to have invasive surgery about a month later in order to drastically reduce her chances of the cancer spreading or later returning.  This was a major mom move and sacrifice; I’m sure her 3 beautiful kids were a huge part of that decision.  She is beautiful and vibrant and healing.  Hell, she gets out of bed every day which to me is impressive.  And she doesn’t complain.  Mindi lost her own awesome mom way too early in life and I think that ups the mom ante. Mindi has inspired me with her strength and determination and I love her so much.

Marilyn Burke

My mother-in-law. She raised the man of my dreams.  My husband, “The Boss,” is THE best and I know that it is a reflection of the way that his parents loved him into who he has become.  Now I get to see 1st hand that love because of the way she nurtures my 3 children (and her other grandchildren, my nephew and niece). I am beyond blessed to have Marilyn for my “other” mother and I hope she knows each day how thankful we are for her.

Ada Harvey

My grandma. This lady is a wonder.  Truly.  A medical wonder who has defied so many odds in life but also just a plain wonder like the acts that traveled with the carnival she used to work for.  If you met her, you wouldn’t forget her.  She’s a pisser.  And she won’t mind me saying it.  In fact, if you looked at her Facebook feed right now, you’d probably see many slightly offensive jokes and references.  She even joined Instagram last week for her 89th birthday.  Follow her @adacroneharvey .  There’s 1 picture so far; it’s of her and the man of her dreams, my Poppy who is 94.  They have been married for 70 years and their love is still so strong; you can feel it.  That inspires me so much!

And now, my mom, Betty.

I wrote one of my favorite blog posts about her and a bottle of Joy perfume that I keep on my dresser.  I think about my mom each day but Mother’s Day especially.  As I mentioned earlier, my mom was pretty progressive.  She breast-fed in the 70’s when everyone else was bottle-feeding, encouraged creativity by discouraging TV viewing or coloring within any lines, sewed our clothes, made homemade yogurt, cultivated beautiful vegetable and flower gardens, went back to school and changed careers in her early 40’s, filled our home with books and more books, and loved me and my brother so much.  So very, very much!

My children never got to meet my mom who they call “Angel Betty” but they must feel her love through me.  They hear her in my words that I use. They feel her love in the items that we craft together, the art we create, and the plants and flowers we sow.  They see her love in the same traditions that we follow and how I sign all of their notes and cards with “your momma loves you!” which is how she signed all of mine.

As a mom, that’s what we can do best.  Make our love so tangible for our children that they always feel its warmth, even if we are not there to provide it.  I feel my mom’s love each day and it gives me comfort&strength&all sorts of good feels when I need it most.

So now I wish Happy Mother’s Day to all of you! And, who are your Momspirations? I’d love to know!

ps. If you find yourself free at 8pm tonight, don’t forget to watch our episode of Flea Market Flip.  It’s on the Great American Country channel.  Did I mention how nervous I am?? If you like the episode and want to see behind-the-scenes pics and stories, check back later this week.  I will be posting all about it!

Thought I’d end with a pic of my crew. Don’t ever forget: your momma loves you!