What's your "Mommidentity?"

I stopped by My Cup 2 Yours today and saw pics of the fun projects Genny has done with her kids in these last days before school starts.

At first I was a little envious and and a tad guilty-feeling because I had grand plans for fun projects with my kids this summer too. Somehow though, the finger paints, little wooden models of trucks and airplanes, the garden stepping stones and all those things never made it out of spare room where I stash all kinds of fun stuff I'm not ready to break out yet.

But when I started to comment about what we hope to accomplish in the 4 remaining days before Bug starts Kindergarten (a car show nearby, a visit to the fun park with the water stuff to play in, a trip to the train museum), it dawned on me that I'm not "Arts and Crafts Mom" I'm "Field Trip Mom!"

That was a happy revelation. No, my kids won't have memories of us spending the summer doing lots of messy stuff around the kitchen table, but they will have memories of riding the cable cars from the wharf to Union Square and back again, the San Francisco Zoo, an afternoon wandering Pacific Garden mall looking for the perfect lunch spot (which turned out to be the first real restaurant we walked past)...and it's ok if there was no paint or glue or scissors involved.

Yeah, I still want to break out of my comfort zone and throw caution to the wind by allowing glitter to gather in the seams of our Tigerwood floors, but my kids aren't totally deprived. In fact, given the choice of an outing and a project, I can bet my two would pretty much always choose the outing.
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So what's your "Mommidentity?" Find the one you're most familiar with and capitalize on it. And when you're in a rut, choose something new to explore. I'm hoping that as you find your mom-style, it will be one more thing to give you confidence and one less reason to compare yourself to anyone else you know!

Arts and Crafts Mom--You have a closet full of art supplies and aren't afraid to use them.
Field Trip Mom--You have an arsenal of maps and almanacs and an idea for where to spend every random day off.
Kitchen Fun Mom--You always have a recipe for cooking up some fun.

Sporty Mom--You don't just sign your kids up for sports, you're ready to throw a ball, ride a bike or jump in the pool without planning ahead to make sure your hair, make-up and clothes are suited to the task (because they pretty much always are).
Serving Mom--Christmas at the Rescue Mission, Valentine's Day at the convalescent home, random summer days spent picking up litter or weeding at the community garden...you're the mom who knows there's a need and brings your kids along to meet it.
Nature Mom--You fully appreciate God's creation and are instilling that into your children by going for hikes, camping at the lake (or in the backyard), planting a garden...
Teacher Mom--whether you homeschool your children or not, you see "teachable moments" everywhere you go and in everything you do. You visit the library weekly (and actually read the whole stack of books before you return) and your kids definitely don't lose 2.5 months of their educational level over the summer break!
Fine Arts Mom--You’re the mom who can get an 8 year old boy to don khaki’s and a polo shirt on a Saturday afternoon for a trip to the symphony. Art exhibits at the museum, professional performances of the Nutcracker, all find their way onto your calendar.
Media Mom—You’re the one in line at midnight to get tickets for the latest Star Wars release. You had a Wii stashed in the gifts closet before most of the country knew to pronounce it “wee” and you’re as likely to have “joystick wrist” as you are carpal tunnel syndrome.
Silly Mom--Funny faces, food fights, harmless pranks, your home is full of laughter and you're at the center of it.

hmmm...I'm sure there are more--those are just a few of the kinds of moms I know. What kind of mom are you? How did you live up to that over this summer? Tell us about it!


13 comments:

Michelle said...

I always have dreams of these wonderful times in the kitchen preparing wonderful, nourishing meals or doing fun arts and crasts moments. Whenever I try, I always end up crazy and frustrated. You can probably tell from my blog that I am more field trip/nature mom with teaching added in.
I always say that I don't bake kids birthday cakes, but I create my own invites/thank you cards and goodie bag toppers. I leave cake baking to Safeway. Likewise it is better that I leave artd and crafts and cooking to our community center classes in someone else's space and where we might pick up a bit, but they do the big clean up.

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Mostly a "teacher mom." But that's even a stretch. According to your categories, I am perhaps a bit of a "loser" mom as I don't seem to fit anywhere. I want to, but alas, I'm so tired. Now I'm depressed, but thanks for giving me something to shoot for.

peace~elaine

Genny said...

I love this!!! You are so creative. Thanks for the mention, and I'm sorry my post made you feel guilty--not my intention at all :) Yes, we did a ton of crafty and spur-of-the-moment things this week, but it was out of the norm for us. We are usually so scheduled (thanks, unfortunately, to me), and I feel like I don't make enough time time to be silly and spontaneous, so I'm glad we had the week we did. Have a great weekend!

RefreshMom said...

Elaine you are sooo NOT a loser mom! You're farther ahead in "Mommying" than most of those categories accounts for. You're sort of a "Launching Mom" and you must have done something really right to have a son that traveled to the other end of the earth to serve (where do you suppose he got that example?) And judging from your re-cap of VBS, maybe I need a "Drama Mom" category (and I mean that in the nicest possible sense of bringing music and drama to your family). You're where a lot of us hope to be 10 years into this; getting to see some of the results of what you've invested in these early years. Be encouraged (and take a nap when they go back to school!).

erika said...

Yeah! I needed this.. I'm prone to compare and come up short. However, (do I get to brag a little?) I did make it to the library this week.. Nicole, Aiden, AND 7 week old Kate. (Yes, the purpose of the trip was to check out about 15 videos.. as well as books.. because I need the older ones to be busy these days.) But I guess I'm "teacher" mom and maybe "serving" mom and a mix of a few others. Comparing is useless and God made us different. Thanks for the lift. -E

Anonymous said...

I am a combination of "field trip, nature, and teacher mom". I thought i'd be the arts and craft mom, but no...
-Leigharev

Jyl @ MommyGossip said...

Saw you over at Genny's site. Glad I followed the link. It's funny how I could assign an identify for all of my friends just by going through your list. I am definitely a field trip mom, so who knows? We may be kindreds. My husband thinks I am over the top, but truth is: I like to get out, I like to socialize, I like to mix things up, and I think hands-on learning is the best form out there. Most of all, it is just plain fun and provides so many terrific memories. And, let's not forget the photo ops.

Anyway... loved the list. Glad I know my identify too.

Jyl @ MommyGossip said...

BTW: I do know how to spell IDENTITY! LOL

Mozi Esme said...

Strange how when I read this list I WANT to be them all, and feel so guilty that I'm not! My kid deserves it all!

OK OK I know that's the opposite of your point.

Maude Lynn said...

This is such a cool post! I'm definitely an arts and crafts / teacher mom!

Forgetfulone said...

I'm a little bit of several of them, but mostly, I'm a silly mom!

Rachel said...

I tried to be the Arts and Craft Mom this week -- yeah, that didn't go so well!

Over all, I'd say I'm just a Silly Mom . . .silly faces, silly voices, silly songs about the state of diapers. . . yep -- just Silly!

Dana said...

this is a really fun post. i am like michelle for sure- which a bit of the athletic side thrown in. this last year, i have been really striving for balance in my life- for me personally, in all areas. that is something i want to do/be as a mom too. so that the kiddos get a good taste of life and all that God creates. though i am LEAST of all the arts & crafts mom, i still want to attempt it every now and then =) who knows i might even like it!

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