Mom of the Week goes to my new Instagram mommy friend, Suzanne!! She is such an inspiring and amazing mom. I loved reading all of her answers and I hope you do too! Excuse me while I go catch up on her blog ;) 

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family : 

Hi! I'm Suzanne! I'm a follower of Christ first and foremost. I've been married to my husband, Theo, for 3.5 years now. He works in the EMS field at our local fire station, and I'm a teacher turned stay at home Mom. We have one biological daughter, Tera, who is 16 months old. In September of this past year, we became licensed foster parents and we welcomed a 3 week old baby into our home. Since we are not allowed to share her name or photos online, we simply refer to her as "Little Miss" online. In one day, I went from a mom of a toddler to a Mom of a toddler and an infant! Crazytown! 

As you can imagine, I'm fairly busy just keeping up with my two girls, but in my spare time I like to run, cook and blog. You can find my blog at www.suzannehines.org. 

When did you know you wanted to become a mom? 

I've always wanted to become a Mom. My Mom was a wonderful example of a Mom, and I can't remember a time in my life that I didn't want to be a Mom! After Theo and I were married for a while, we started wanting to have kids. Along came Tera! Imagine my surprise when motherhood was MUCH harder than everyone around me made it look! 

What has been your favorite part about being a mom? Least favorite? : 

My favorite part of motherhood is watching these children grow and develop into a little people. It just blows my mind that someone who started as two cells grows and develops a personality, likes, dislikes, language and expressions. It is SO fun to watch. 

My least favorite part of being a Mom is those moments when I feel like I haven't had a drink of water or a pee in silence in YEARS. It's not true, and it's ALL worth it, don't get me wrong...but sometimes when both girls are crying and clinging and demanding every ounce of my being, I sometimes just want to pull my hair out!!! It's not always easy! 

How has motherhood changed you? : 

I have a better question: How HASN'T motherhood changed me? Ha! As I mentioned above, I was shocked that motherhood wasn't a total breeze for me! Through the last 16 months I've learned that I am not a different person. I've learned that I will probably never "get myself back". And I've learned that this is ok. I went into motherhood expecting to have my baby, and then return to "normal" - my normal body, my normal schedule, my normal hobbies. I thought I would be supermom and adjust like I've done with everything else- overachiever. Oh man, oh man, was I wrong! It took me about a year to adjust to my new life- and then we got a second baby ;)  

What is your biggest fear as a mom? : 

My biggest fear as a Mom is that my children will grow up and not follow Christ. Of course, I am also terrified of my children being taken from me. Foster care has taught me a lot about dealing with this fear, though. With foster care, the goal is to get that child back with their family. It's hard to let go of them, but knowing that I did the best I could when they were with me is all I need. I've learned that this also applies to biological children. I will do the best I can while God grants them days with me. I hope that he chooses to prolong those days, and I cannot imagine how hard it would be to lose a child. I don't even want to think about it. But losing a child for eternity would be more difficult than anything else. 

What advice do you wish you could give your pre-mommy self? : 

Kick back! Relax. Read alllllll the books and take all the naps. Help out a Mommy friend, babysit for her at no extra charge. 

What advice has been given to you that has helped you? :

"Do what works for YOU". I spent all those first months following all the books and all the rules. I would cry when what the book said didn't work. I was so worried that Tera wasn't reaching the developmental milestones as fast as other babies her age. I would worry that I was doing it all wrong and that Tera would forever be ruined. 

I loved hearing this advice, that I just have to do what works for us. I started following it, starting by throwing babywise out the window, co-sleeping and starting formula at 8 months. Things starting turning out MUCH better for me and I'm much better at dealing with baby #2 now that I have that advice (although I do still struggle with doing it the "right" way).

What do you think makes you a great mom? : 

I love to play with and interact with my children. It's such a privilege that I get to stay home with the girls and train them in every matter- both big and small. I hope that I continue to be a fun Mom! 

What's one wish your have for your children?:

Beyond my wish for them to follow Christ first and foremost, I truly hope that they are able to build wonderful friendships. I cannot imagine my life without friends, and I can think on some of the darkest times in my life as times that I felt like I didn't have any friends nearby to help me. 

Do you ever feel like you have no clue what you are doing? :

HA! All.the.time. There is rarely a time when I really, truly feel like I've got it all together. One of the messages that I work hard to spread on my blog is that motherhood is hard and motherhood is real. There are things that I may be good at, but there are also things that I'm not so great at. I always encourage Mom's to talk about things! Be real! Be honest, help each other out! Don't be afraid to admit that you have no clue what you are doing and that you need help. And don't be afraid to lift up those other Mom's who admit that they have no clue what they are doing and need a helping hand! 

What is one thing you said you would NEVER do, but you totally do it? :

I said I would be a stylish Mom. HAHAHAHAHAAHAHA jokes on me. I wasn't even a stylish person before I became a Mom, so I have NO clue what I was thinking when I thought that one out! I think I swore to myself I would never look like an exhausted, frumpy Mom. News flash: I totally do. All the time. 

As moms we can get judged a lot with the things that we do. Have you ever been judged? How did you handle it?: 

I do feel like I get judged all the time. I'm always late, and hauling two children around is NEVER easy. I also feel like people often assume I'm "white trash". I have a blonde baby and a biracial baby that clearly don't have the same parents. They are 13 months apart and both on WIC. I always feel like a hot mess at the grocery store! 

What is something you miss about your life before you had children? :

I miss having time with my husband without interruption. I know marriage is about raising children together, and being together in the mundane, but nowadays I just miss being able to watch a show or have a conversation with my husband without those interruptions. 

What is your favorite me time thing to do?

I love to read a book. Just sit down and read a few chapters. 

What is your biggest pet peeve as a mom? :

My biggest pet peeve is WITHOUT A DOUBT when people say, "Enjoy it now.... it only gets worse," in response to me having a hard time with something. For example, when I say, "I wish Tera would just sleep through the night", and the response is "Enjoy it now! At least she's not a teenager!" While true, it is not at all helpful and I HATE, HATE, HATE this. 

How do you want your children to remember you? : 

I hope they remember me doing my absolute best to raise them. I hope they remember me loving them and that even though I'm not perfect, I tried my best. I hope that they remember me laughing and having fun with them. 

What other moms inspire you? :