These days of endless mothering I know I’ll eventually miss.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tom’s of Maine. All opinions are 100% mine.
It never fails, does it?
Get the kids going on some activity, maybe even plugged into a screen just for the sake of needing a few minutes to unwind and relax. Alone. In the shower. With my favorite new scent of Lavender Tea Tree body wash to daydream like I’m at a spa in the woods removed from the toy-filed chaos just beyond the door, even just for a moment. 
If you’re a mom, you know that routine. And you know that dream of just getting out into the fresh air alone but trying to find some of that peace on long days at home.
It all starts by turning on the shower, grabbing a towel to set out, and taking a second peek at the kids to make sure they’re ok, all the while tip-toeing through the house as to not be seen or heard. But somehow, the moment I step foot into the shower and get completely, drenched… someone needs me.
Because even if the baby is happily snoozing, something will happen. 
The toddler will spill a huge glass of freshly-made smoothie causing the 4-year-old to have a screaming meltdown because she doesn’t understand the big emotions she feels or why she despises messes (even though she seems to make a lot of them).
And that’s when I come trudging out, dripping from head to toe, to solve the problem and continue back to the bathroom, praying all the way that there’s still some hot water.
And in the distance, there’s a faint cry, but maybe I’m just dreaming.
Nope. That’s definitely “the baby needs you” cry.
He smells milk and he smells bars of creamy coconut and lavender soap being unwrapped that he’s so used to detecting during his warm snuggles at my bossom. He smells me. So I hurry and rinse off because I know it’s always the routine…
If I shower, they will cry. But so do I.
I will cry because I know it will all be gone in a flash.
Through the years I have worked so hard to be the mom I think my children need. I have worked to live more sustainably, more naturally, and give them the best start at life. I fight for them to have the best opportunities, to make them meals, to save money for our family, and to provide them a happy place to call home.
It’s all a rush.
It’s all work.
And it’s all worth it.
Soon enough, I won’t have to rush to try to take a shower, but instead, those tiny babies won’t need me like they do now.
They won’t snuggle quite as close or smell quite as sweet. I’ll replace that freshly washed smell of creamy coconut on their gentle skin with sweaty little kids covered in bumps and bruises from adventures on their own.
No longer will I get to sit in the bathroom watching them splash in the water making the tallest bubble crown, but will soon enough be on the outside of that door listening to my growing children turn into adults.
I’ll shift from talking about why we buy certain products like Tom’s of Maine at Target because they give back and value sustainability to watching them make their own decisions and work to take their own small steps to improve the world around them.
Those spills will get cleaned up without ever knowing about them. He won’t be breastfeeding and those little girls will replace playing with toys with talking on the phone and fighting over who stole what piece of clothing. 
I will miss the late night shopping trips to grab our favorite paraben-free body wash from the personal care aisle because the scent I chose was not your 4-year-old’s favorite anymore because they have a new one with coconuts on it she wants to try.
These are the days of motherhood that are hard. That seem to creep by in the moment, but fly past me when I’m not looking. I catch glimpses into memories from when the girls were little and I wonder what thought or smell sparked it.
So today my shower may have only been in two-minute segments, but the sweet sounds of giggling kids and the warmth of a snuggling newborn will stay with me for a lifetime. I know that in the years to come I’ll smell a faint scent of lavender and tea tree in the air and miss these small moments while my kids are so little and still need me.
Make memories & get your own “mom spa” supplies!
Find the Tom’s of Maine fragrance-free aloe vera soap exclusively at Target as well as their other new scents to enjoy your own 2-minute spa or to wash your kids at bathtime. With no parabens, artificial fragrances, or preservatives, it’s a great choice for the entire family and have a Cartwheel Offer for 20% off.
Visit the Tom’s of Maine Website and even tag @tomsofmaine on social media with how nature and natural motherhood inspires you with #NaturallyInspired for a chance to win Tom’s cleansing line.
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Kara is an author and advocate for positive, grace-filled parenting. She is homeschooler to her 6 children living on a farm in New England. She believes in creative educational approaches to help kids dive deeper into a rich learning experience and has her degree in Secondary Education & Adolescent Childhood Development. She is passionate about connecting with and helping other parents on their journey to raise awesome kids!
Kara, This is such a great story it reminds me of those days. I will need to try Tom’s it sounds wonderful.