I hate dress-up days! Spirit week, wacky hair day, school colors…they all drive me crazy. My goodness, do we have to celebrate every minor holiday with a costume? For Dr. Seuss Week my son was supposed to wear the following:

MONDAY: crazy socks

TUESDAY: wear green

WEDNESDAY: mixed up day

THURSDAY: pajama day

FRIDAY: school spirit

You guys, I can barely get my kids out the door with their hair combed and two shoes on their feet. Why you dogging me like this?

For Spirit Week we had five days in a row of costumes! The school lovingly chose a different theme for elementary, middle and high school. Six children, five days, fifteen different themes, thirty different costumes.

I freaking love Spirit Week.

My third grader recently took part in a little school play. He played a pig in Charlotte’s Web. Not THE pig, Wilbur. No, just an ordinary, no-name pig. One of Wilbur’s friends.

The night before his play, I found a pink marker and colored this costume for him.

Look at his crazy eyes. He is simply overwhelmed by the magnificence of his costume.

I drove him to school in his pig costume and then hustled in to find a seat for the show. Through the door walks one of his cast-mates. A fellow barnyard animal. This is the costume her mom somehow managed to throw together.

Why you tryna make me look bad, Goose Mom? Maybe you should dial it back a little.

Surprisingly, when it was time for the Spring Musical, I was not asked to join the costume committee. Goose Mom, however, not only joined the committee, she made all of the hats from scratch.

Do you SEE those hats? They are works of art. I mean, if you are into that kind of thing. Of course, Goose Mom has crazy eyes, too. I’m sure it’s from too much glue-gun action.

My kids asked me to take them to the amusement park. It was cold and I was tired, but I said yes. When we got there, I offered to hold everyone’s belongings while they rode the roller coasters. This is me having fun with my children.

Good times. Good times.

I wore this shirt when I picked up my kids from school.

Did I mention my children attend a private Christian school? One of my children almost died from embarrassment. “Mom, that is like you are wearing a shirt that says ‘I SIN!’”

Oh, honey. Don’t we all?

Because I don’t waste my energy on silly things like costumes and roller coasters, I somehow manage to find the time to do what sets my soul on fire. I write.

What is it that sets your soul on fire? Do that thing. Don't wait until your children are grown to chase your dreams.

It is easy to get so caught up in the impossible ideal of perfection that we lose ourselves. If we release the heavy burden of mom-guilt, we will have room to hold the most important things: our children, our dreams, our family, our truest selves.

Do you struggle to use your inside voice when yelling talking to your children?

Do your children occasionally forget to wear underwear?

Do you pee when you laugh (or run, sneeze, jump, or tie your shoes)?

Have you have ever driven away and left a child behind?

Do you count yourself to be one of the world’s okayest moms? So do I. And our children love us still. Let's celebrate the things we do well and let go of the rest.

Natalie Gwyn proudly claims the title of World’s Okayest Mom as she raises six children with her high school sweetheart. In between laundry and carpool, she is a contributing writer for Huffington Post, Guideposts, and The Today Show. She writes about adoption, faith, and how to embrace our imperfect lives. This article originally appeared on nataliegwyn.com.