I like simple. I like quiet. I like still.

I have three kids.

So life is rarely simple or quiet or still. But I love my life.

Add into this the fact that we home-school our oldest daughter, run this blog, write, photograph, are committed to a local church and cannot sit still when there is an outdoor adventure to be had and…our life is very often not simple-quiet-still.

This post is not meant to be a humble brag…but glancing back at it, it sort of seems like one. Stick with me. I promise I am going somewhere with this. But first I must attend to the 2-yr-old on my lap. Apparently a “bad guy is chasing her.”

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What is a “super-mom” anyway? Does that imply that everyone else is a “not-so-super-mom”?

Well, last week I’ve never multi-tasked so much in my life. If you’ve kept up with us, we went to the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market to scout out all the cool gear for you guys and work on partnering with some awesome brands. Meaning more info and giveaways coming for you in 2013! But in the back of my mind was a doubt rattling around…”Am I neglecting my kids? my husband? What is really important? What is my life really given to?”

What I learned from my day as “super-mom”:

While simultaneously showering and getting ready for the OR show, I was walking my daughter through a math lesson, finding a lost Captain America, packing up my portfolio and running a left-over load of laundry from the previous week’s flu epidemic. But I learned a few things and am grasping to them like a selfish toddler in the candy isle:

1. Being a mom is enough. Writing is theraputic. Photography is inspiring. Meeting with other like-minded adventureres from Patagonia, Hi Tec, Kelty, Mad Rock, etc is amazingly fun and insightful. But at the end of the day I could “take-it-or-leave-it” at any time. Because being a mom is a worthy adventure in itself.

It is easy in the midst of endless laundry, meal making, rule setting, and bathroom cleaning to think, “Is this really all there is?” I’ve asked this question a lot. But wrapped up in all that silliness (and sometimes defiance) is an eternal soul, a unique personality, a creative individual that is of infinite value. And taking care of all the mundane tasks of their childhood may not seem like it is going to change the world. But it WILL change their world.

2. MY faces make me smile the most. Seeing our toddler sporting the latest sunglasses or my boy covered in marketing stickers made my day. Seeing their faces coming around the corner reminded me what I value MOST of all. Maybe we were a three-ringed circus walking through crowds of people…but they were MY three-ringed circus. A great blessing indeed!

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3. I can bring my kids along, even into “adult business.” Screw coming across professionally. I am sure it was a bit unusual for some of the people meeting with me to be interrupted five times by my overly verbal daughter. (We are working on that :)) But to hear my daughter say, “Mom, I just really liked being with you,” at the end of the day…well. It is worth it. And here is what she did most of the time…take silly photos with my phone.

4. Walk in with your eyes wide open. I knew what I was getting into and why. I didn’t just end up there. Business and life outside your family isn’t wrong. But all the costs and benefits should be weighed against your personal and familial goals.

5. Every mom needs a plan. Luckily, I knew life was about to get crazy. And so did my husband. When I got caught up in portfolios, business cards and coming across professional, he reminded me of our goal: To live out Jesus to the best of our ability together as a family. So while I had lots of goals for my time as writer/photographer, my first goal was to enjoy my kids, go the show with them, parent, engage and train them.

For all of you who are just now thinking, “How does she do it all?” Or “she has it all pulled together!” Well this post is for you: A small pet peeve…