31 Days and the Mission of Motherhood

Lately, I have been carrying around a notebook and pen.
Yep, a real pen, with ink in it. I find it increasingly harder to type (as I usually am holding the baby) with one hand, and I can write pretty well with one hand =).
It is absolutely wonderful to be able to capture my thoughts on paper. As scatterbrained as I am, it is really nice to see my thoughts. Does this mean I sit at home and write in my notebook while my children play quietly. Um, no. I actually get to write a bit while nursing, if we are waiting somewhere, or before bed. It actually feels a bit strange to hold a pen and form letters, as the extent of my writing is writing the occasional check.

The other day I read on yet another of my favorite blogs, IN THE HEART OF MY HOME, about the book The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson. Needless to say, I immediately ordered it on Amazon. Elizabeth's blog further inspired me to take part in "31 days to remind myself of the mission." Now, I already know I am not going to blog about this for 31 days. Writing in my personal notebook? Yes, hopefully. Sharing a little bit here on the blog? Yep. So here is a bit of what I have been pondering, feel free to go to Elizabeth's site and take a button, and ponder away for yourself!

"Increasingly, I find that women are unsure about what it means to be a good mother. They are confused by a culture that send them drastically mixed messages about the importance of a mother's influence and whet her priorities should be. As a result, so many mothers I meet are baffled and frustrated. They don't know how to reconcile these conflicting messages with the calling of God on their hearts and lives."  Sally Clarkson

Priorities. What are yours? Mine include raising happy, curious, Catholic children who have a strong connection with God, and keeping a happy home atmosphere. It is not to raise blindly obedient children who are cool, who fit in, and who have no true moral compass. With these priorities, I have no easy task, no mother does. I would never, ever describe my job as easy. That is right, being home with my children is my JOB right now.
 I realize that I am a young mother, as are my peers, and we are still finding our way.

I am often distracted by the faceless wonderful, perfect mothers who I imagine make all the pretty pins on Pinterest come to life. I know they dont really exist, as I know many a crafty mom who does not have a perfect life, who has to juggle home and work and children. But I want to be her, the mother with the perfect home, hours and hours to craft (this exists for no one i know!), and to whip up every Cook's Illustrated recipe like it was microwave popcorn.
However, the allure of all things digital is real, the energy needed to make sure my children are given the proper example is exhausting, and the need for a nap is desperate.

How do you juggle motherhood, work, faith life?