This mom’s drawings show a real glimpse into the life of a SAHM

Becoming a mother has been life-changing. It’s been hard, tiring, gratifying, beautiful, challenging, scary and a thousand other things that only a parent would ever understand.

It is these life-changing experiences that have inspired me to draw my everyday life as a stay-at-home mom. Whether it’s the mundane tasks like doing laundry or the exciting moments of James’, my baby boy’s, first steps, I want to put it down on paper so that I can better cherish these fleeting moments that are often overlooked.

Being a stay-at-home mom can be incredibly lonely. I like to think that by drawing life’s simple moments, I can connect with other mothers and help them feel less alone. By doing this, I feel less alone, too. It’s a win-win situation and I have been able to connect with many lovely parents and fellow parent-illustrators through my Instagram account.

Newborns are so tiny snuggled up in your arms, then one year later they get so long and big. And yet, they still manage to fit perfectly in your arms.

James is my constant reminder to stay present. I have a bad habit of getting caught up on my phone, wasting my time instead of doing something fulfilling. When I’m in my haze, he comes up to me with a toy, eagerly calling me to play with him.

What our weekend normally looks like (just kidding, James can’t settle for longer than five seconds when we’re all together in the bed).

I can’t be the only ‘bad’ parent that doesn’t watch age-appropriate things with their kid. I mean he’s only 18 months, he can’t possibly understand what that dragon’s doing, right?!

Our last visit to the pediatrician looked something like this. Actually, all of our visits to the pediatrician looks like this.

Coloring with a 2-year-old like, “Please don’t touch me with that marker.”

Always “helping.”

James and I are learning Italian, and normally we do it during breakfast.

Peacefully sleeping with baby when suddenly… bam, rudely awakened.

When your toddler is having a really hard time sleeping due to teething, but you don’t want to undo months of sleep training.

Originally posted on Kara’s Instagram.