5 Things I Gave Up to be a Happier Mom

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Image via Utah Valley 360.

This article was originally published in Utah Valley 360 by Elyssa Andrus. Below is an excerpt.

Gluten, flour, sugar, Diet Coke, food I can actually taste.

Just kidding. I love gluten. And sugar. I would never give those things up. In fact, a nighttime pint of Ben & Jerry’s is often my reward for surviving another summer day with four kids at home. But there are a few things as a mom I’ve had to quit, and I’m much happier since I did. For example, I gave up:

1. Trying to have my daughter look like a Gap Kids advertisement

A friend recently told me that my precious, 4-year-old, ONLY girl looks like a hot mess at least 50 percent of the time. Back when she was a headbanded and bejeweled infant, that observation would have devastated me. But now I can laugh and admit my friend is right. Said daughter spends her days wearing a swimsuit, tiara, flip-flop and cowboy boots. And I kind of love it. The day I stopped caring that my boys “nice” clothes were clean basketball shorts was a blessed day in the Andrus household. The any-outfit-goes philosophy has been liberating, and it’s totally cut down on the laundry (that I’m not doing anyway).

To read the rest of the article, go to Utah Valley 360.

Bridget is a newsroom writer at LDS.net. She graduated in April 2015 from Brigham Young University in communications with an emphasis of public relations. She served a Spanish speaking LDS mission in McAllen, Texas. She is a skilled pianist and an expert baker of chocolate chip cookies.