Sharing with you once again my artwork inspired by my “Mother and Child “series. This one is done in 36 x 48 cm, watercolor paper, in artist grade inks and paints. If you’re interested for purchase, just drop me an email at justbluedutch@gmail.com.

The Irony of Motherhood

To be honest, I’m just winging it. Life, motherhood, and my paints. Everything.

Here in Germany along with many parts of the world, this coming Sunday ( May 14) is  Mother’s Day (or Muttertag) is being celebrated. This would be my 2nd time to celebrate this day as a mother and I feel honored to experience this. While motherhood is a 24/7 lifestyle, I just thought that maybe I reflect on some of the Irony of my own life.Have a read if you have time, and if you agree, you can leave some comments !

Ok, so why am I always cleaning? I need to finish this post within half an hour  or else it will be stuck in my 100+ drafts…maybe forgotten soon, because I still  need to clean up the mess, pick up toys,etc., seems like nothing stays clean as usual.

Did I mention before that when I say No, NO! Nein! It’s sure she understands YES, Oh yes Mama! And there she goes…

Before, staying up until 2AM is peanuts.I can still go to work at 7 am and still  feeling good. Now, I am utterly exhausted every time. All the time. Hitting the bed at 9PM is a luxury. Sometimes I think I should consult a doctor why this back pain never goes away! Now I understand what ‘different kind of tiredness” mothers have…can you relate?

I spent countless times searching  and creating  healthy toddler dishes. I go crazy looking for Chia seeds and that elusive Kale in the fresh markets, but my child only knows, Hagelslag, Spring rolls, blueberries, and bread.  Anything foreign looking food especially ‘green ones ‘ will be seen on the floor .

Sleep? What is it? how does it feel to sleep for a straight  8- hours? I totally forgot. Maybe because I am too sleepy… yes even now, yawns *

I don’t know about you but half an hour spent in a grocery shop seems like a lifetime. I can’t wait to be in the check-out counter especially when there is a raging storm of a whining, screaming kid trying to create a havoc in the line to the cashier.Thank God there’s gummy bears!

My two-year old still lives in diaper and onesies, but why is it that I have tons of laundry to do everyday? Laundry seems like an endless chore!

Pre-baby, I only know Mickey mouse . Now, I have never known so much nursery rhymes, cartoon characters and lullabies, after I had a child where I need to sing the whole playlist before bedtime.Everyday.On demand.

Can somebody please give me the formula of how to put your child to bed in 5 minutes?Do you think 2 hours is normal?

My favorite cardio-exercise : Running after my child in the playground and push the stroller.

I spent hours to choose cute outfits for my daughter but the moment she runs into the park, she rolls over in the sand, gravel and grass as if she is adoring mother earth!

Babies are often called bundles of joy. They are, in fact, bundles of screaming diarrhea, or a gooey  goo, a puke, or  pee. I can even smell it from a distance!

Motherhood is a whole lot of ‘fun’ than you think. It is more than cuddles and cuteness overload. It’s a whole Lotta ‘Hardwork’as well!

Why is it that she keeps on uttering “Oh no… Oh no…” she has her own way of getting what she wants.Terrible two’s…

Anyways, what is the common thing that painting and babies have in common?

They are both messy.

They are both hard to handle.

They are both time-consuming and energy-zapping.

But then, just like any masterpiece, being a mother involves  real, hard , long hours of labor.There is no such thing as instant work -of-art. Motherhood is like a vicious artwork. Creativity comes with pain, ironic and delusional ideas.

But the moment your kid comes to you and in a tiny, squeaking voice says “Mama, hug you… ( she means she wants to hug me ) and tries to squeeze herself into my arms…I just wanna freeze the time.

She have this look on her face that I can’t handle. She can be so sweet, yet so annoying.

What else can you say?  or do?

I can’t explain what I am feeling when I am hearing her voice. It is just pure bliss. This time, no kidding, but these ironic blues turns into an artful moments.Sort of.

 Disclaimer : If you don’t have kids, single and have never had a child in your whole life, let alone never stayed up all night when your child is sick then you might find this post  totally unrelatable…I was once this type of person. I look in dismay once I see a mother with crying and screaming kids,  thinking “how can she not control her kid?” How could she?

Now I know how must she have felt. Now I know and just smiled…I wanted to give her a hug and say “I feel you”…

I guess, you can never know the feeling of a mother, either being a stay-at-home parent or a full-time working Mom, not unless you become one. That’s the irony.

To all the sweet Mamas out there, here’s a cheer for you: You are remarkable!