We've been potty training our oldest, Micah, (seriously) for the last two months. This week, I think it finally clicked. We are on Day 3 without an accident. I've still been putting him in a diaper during naps and nighttime and today he even woke up dry (praise hands!)

During this process though, I have tried many different things. Building up the initial excitement of buying underwear, candy after every potty-attempt and then eventually I went to a sticker chart. And that's what, I believe, really helped him gain the endurance. He had to earn his reward. 1 sticker for pee, 2 stickers for poo and once he accumulated 10 stickers he got to pick out a prize from a little toy box (if you're not a parent, stick with me, I have a point to all this potty-talk).

Giving Micah the reward was exciting (not only for him, but for me too!) after all, he had earned it. But there were little eyes watching - and eventually the inevitable happened and little sister, Hannah, wanted in on this reward business too! So each time Micah got a prize, Hannah was right there beside him receiving one too. She is only 17 months old, so I knew she was too young and would never be able to do enough to earn hers (I did try sitting her on the potty - it was very foreign and humorous!) But because I love her, I reward her any way. 

As I was pondering on this today, something "clicked" for me. God's grace is a lot like that reward. And we are all like my little Hannah - underserving. 

He knew we could never do enough to "make it" to heaven. Heaven is a place of perfection, where God exists and sin does not. So in order for us to live eternally with Him, he chose to give us grace freely through paying the price of our sin, by the blood of Jesus. We just have to accept it.

That connection hit me like a ton of bricks. 

I think there are a lot of us out there who are trying to live on a reward-based system with God. And while I do believe that our Father is rooting us on when we do good works, because He LOVES to see His children walking in obedience, if we're not careful, we can become like my son Micah (when he hasn't had his nap) and turn judgemental and envious and prideful and condemning of our brothers and sisters who get the same reward of grace, but have done nothing to earn it. 

I know every analogy falls short. But if I've learned anything over these last several months - it's that potty-training and grace have a lot in common. And Lord knows, I've been praying for both. 

Moms spend a lot of time comparing themselves with each other. We want to know the secret to how some moms seem to "do it ALL" while others struggle to "just do IT."

Don't be fooled, Mommying is hard work. And there is nothing worse than trying your hardest to be somebody that you're not created to be.

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I found out quickly that I am not the most organized, stay-on-top-of-it-all type of mom. And that's okay. My personality leans heavily towards being Type B. I am pretty easy-going by nature and don't tend to get stressed out very easily. 

But you know what I discovered? The one area where I do tend to get stressed, is finding the balance between being a creative person and a mom. If I don't have an outlet to create, I feel suffocated. But finding an outlet to create and also managing to take care of two small children at home can be humorous at times. And as I began thinking about some of the hilarious situations I find myself in, I thought maybe some of you creative moms out there could relate. So here goes...

10 Signs You May Be a Creative Mom

1. You are known to lock yourself in a bathroom or closet to get some alone time to 'create.' 

2. You struggle with letting your children watch too much TV, unless it means you get time alone to create something.

3. Your children are never bored. You have mastered the art of improvisation and can make fun out of everything. 

4. Speaking of making everything fun, you sing the "clean up" song when it's time to pick up mess around the house. More for your entertainment than theirs. 

5. The idea of homeschooling sounds exciting, but the discipline needed to implement it sounds stressful. 

6. You know the trick to getting crayons, markers and paint off the walls, tables and floors - magic erasers.   

7. You spend more time on Pinterest than you would ever want to admit publicly. And your photo gallery is full of screenshots of "crafts" and "recipes" that you never pinned. 

8. Finding time to shower is a real struggle. And when leaving the house the debate is always, "be on time" or "shower?" 

9. Your husband never knows which wife he'll come home to. One day you're Martha Stewart, with the house cleaned and dinner on the table. And the next day (and most days, if you're like me) you are still in your pajamas and definitely ordering pizza. 

10. Ultimately, you realize you'll never create anything as beautiful, unique and special as your children. 

"Those were the best days." She said with a smile, as she watched me push my 15 month old daughter around in a shopping cart at Old Navy. She was a beautiful elderly lady, that couldn't have been much younger than 80. Hannah kindly responded to her sweet voice and smile by reaching up to her with open arms and a toothy grin (I promise that girl has a sense for people - she knows the kind hearts).

I wanted to stay and talk. Find out how many children, grandchildren and maybe even great-grandchildren that she had. But I was too busy frantically searching for my 2 year old who was running around the store. So I told her in my most polite, don't-want-to-be-rude-but-really-gotta-run voice, "to have fun shopping!" She gave me a knowing smile as I pushed my cart away. And as I thought about it, what I really wanted to ask that sweet lady - was what made her believe these days, these long, busy, dirty toddler days, "were the best?" 

Because, let's be honest, these days I get tired. I get cranky. I look in the mirror and feel like I've aged five years in just the last two. If we're judging things on how often I shower and actually get dressed, mop my floors and leave dishes in the sink - these are definitely not my best days. 

But I have a feeling that's not what the sweet old (navy) lady was remembering when she looked down at my precious daughter.  

I have a feeling she was remembering her own daughter's first words. Seeing her walk for the first time. Or reach up and say, "mama." She was remembering those moments when her baby cried and only needed her. Only wanted her. 

There will be days, pretty soon actually, when I won't be changing diapers anymore. But that doesn't mean there won't be other dirty things I'll have to deal with. Like insecurities and self-esteem and teaching my children to have a Christian-worldview in a world that needs Christ so desperately.

Yes, there are challenging days ahead. 

God knew I needed a simple reminder to enjoy these moments while they are still young. While they still, not only need me but, want me. 

I believe this was also a reminder that I need those relationships with wiser, older woman who have been in my shoes and have walked where I've walked. While the worlds we live in may look differently, every baby is born the same - naked and needy. And there is wisdom in looking back that I may not see right now. 

So while the days may seem longer and I may in fact appear more tired than usual - it's because they are and I am. But I have a strong feeling that when I look back on the days I had a one and two year old running around the house, beating on toy drums and crunching Cheerios between their tiny toes, I'll remember those wise words and agree, "Those were the best days."