There are two kinds of moms in this world...

from my experience (or at least in my head), i've always considered two kinds of mothers because, as we all know, there can only be two kinds of people out there and they are always pitted against each other. there's your classic over-achiever with her perfectly clean apron that she dons while making the perfect cupcakes with the perfect amount of icing, all perfectly prepared the day before the class party. she has a purse with a remedy for all childhood ailments, including boredom, her house and car are usually spotless, all her children are smudge-free and every hair on their head is in place for fear of being removed upon disturbance. this is a picture of what the classic over-achiever is capable of on any hoe hum, any day of the week occasion:



then, there is the mom that flies by the seed of her pants. she only brings items to school if she is asked, and usually they come out of, and arrive in, a box or bag. she only carries her keys, cell phone, and debit card without the aid of a purse because all three of these things fit in her pockets. her remedy for ailments is to walk it off, including boredom. her car is full of fly away papers marked with crayons and covered with stickers, and her house has trails of clothes, shoes, sporting equipment, cheerios, costumes, etc. no child leaves her house unsmudged, and their hair is in desperate need of a cut and style as she has not made it to the salon with them, or by herself, in quite some time. this is what the mother of chance presents when forced to participate:



both of these came home in meredith's valentine box from preschool. and we aren't even talking legally obligated school yet, this is PRE-go-to-school-every-day-so-as-not-to-end-up-in-jail school. i have come to accept that i will never be an over-achieving mother, and in my heart, i can live with that. frankly, i don't want to be; i'm too lazy. however, after seeing the lowest possible standard for a valentine's day card, i can say that i honestly feel better about myself as a mother. so thank you, mother of chance, for showing me that my store-bought hello kitty valentines, with temporary tattoos included and secured to each car, and the giver and recipient's names BOTH written in, were in fact sufficient for the occasion. you have redeemed me by proving that i haven't fallen out the bottom quite yet.