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!