There is nothing glamorous about what I do... I’d say motherhood in general is the antithesis of glamorous. Most days are messy in more ways than one, like really really messy. You have the obvious mess of dirty clothes draped on every piece of furniture, you have the dishes full of food that 3 out of 3 children refused to eat, and let’s not forget the laundry. The piles upon piles of pent up resentment as you wash, fold and put away clothes, along with your feelings of distaste for those 90s cargo shorts collection your husband can’t part from...

Motherhood also has a whole other level of messy that (dare I say) can actually be worse than all of the above I just described... being a mom is messy with emotions, lots and lots of volatile emotions. Sometimes it’s the exhaustion you feel after battling it out with your toddler over the color straw of her sippy cup, knowing giving in the slightest bit will offset all you’ve worked towards. Or the messy emotions of sibling rivalries after one child is deservingly rewarded which only results in an inevitable meltdown by the sibling not rewarded. Or the mess of pressure you find yourself in to be the advocate mom that is constantly fighting for your kid when all you want to do is cry.

All this messy emotional pressure we put on ourselves to be this all star mom, domestic diva and goddess in the bedroom for your partner... the. struggle. is. real. and 100% impossible to achieve all of it. Why do we do it to ourselves?!?

So when I was getting ready for this Life of Mom photo shoot, I thought...

“I want a reason to dress up and look glamorous because I never do!”

“I want to be real and not take myself too seriously because I always do!”

“I want to play make believe and be silly because life never affords me that chance!”

You see, I wanted to reign as the Queen that I know I am... It may just be Queen of the Laundry but mama’s gonna drape herself in that resentment and take some fun back!

This is my beautiful mess💖

Lucy Riles, Life of Mom Founder