Everything I learned about being a mom I learned from the awesome moms and women around me.

My grandmother LIVED to be a mother, and raised eight children.  Her face still glows around kids, and her eyes twinkle when she talks about them.

My own mom followed me along the same creative journeys when I was a kid, watching my little brain work, always doing crafty projects with me, and teaching me the first very basic steps of how to draw.  She was there for all the firsts, all the cuts & scrapes, all the tears, all the smiles.  Even still, she’s the first one I call when I’ve got a mom issue.

(The photo above is of my mom serving up slices of my little sister’s birthday cake.  I still remember VERY clearly standing next to my mom in the kitchen–which probably wasn’t annoying and distracting AT ALL–as she decorated the details in that cake, which we seem to have lovingly demolished in a very short amount of time…)

My younger sister had her kids before I ever even considered one, and has  always been an example for me of what an amazing mom is.  Working and struggling to make a good life for her girls as best as she can, it hasn’t always been easy.  She’s the most amazing at working wonders with what she’s got.  And she’s someone I call when I need perspective on what’s normal mom stuff and what I’m blowing out of proportion after spending too much time Googling.

I am lucky enough to have a mother-in-law that is an amazing mom, and is always great at giving advice.  She’s like a great friend…who also knows funny stories about my husband from when he was a kid.

I have a sister-in-law who is the mom of a now one-year-old, who has toughed out this first year like a champ, and is well on her way to raising a super smart (and goofy) little girl.

My best friend Christine is an amazing mama with the same sort of “devil-may-care with messes” attitude as me, and I get to tell her all the fun stuff I’ve already gone through…and help her sort through all the stuff she’s Googled.

I have mama friends that I can talk to and share with, bounce ideas off of, gauge if something is “normal” or not, and be inspired by.  I have friends that are dog-moms and friends that are not YET moms, and friends that are just amazing, wonderful women.  I gauge my mom-abilities against them all to be sure I’m always doing what I think is right.

I have friends who have NO IDEA how awesome and amazing they are.

And the main thing about all of them is their ability to love, despite–and sometimes even BECAUSE of–all of our flaws.

When I was pregnant and worried that I might not be a good mom, my mom said, “If you’re the kind of mother that’s worried if you’ll be a good mother, it means you’re going to be just fine.”

So to all you moms out there, and all you wonderful, inspiring women, I’d just like you to know that whether you know it or not, even if you’re just a passing face in someone’s day, people see you.  And you are loved.

Happy mom’s day to all of you!