I'm done feeling guilty for being happy!

If you're a mom like me, the list of things that make you happy could go on for days. I don't know if it's the newfound joy of motherhood, or just the fact that we never get a moment alone, but the bar is suddenly set very low.

And yet, we still feel so guilty about doing anything that makes us happy, regardless of how simple and insignificant it may seem. I catch myself tearing myself down for sleeping in until my daughter wakes up. I feel anxious when I spend $3 on a top for myself from Goodwill. I don't even want to tell my husband what I've done during the day, because while he was at work, I might have opted to watch a chick flick instead of doing the dishes.

When I got pregnant, I stopped getting my nails done. As a new future mother, I was bombarded by "dos" and "don'ts" from all of the books, articles, "support" groups, Facebook posts, family, and even strangers.

"The chemicals will harm the baby!"
"You can't wear any nail polish, makeup, or perfume!"
"How can you spend money on yourself when you have a baby to think about?"
"You can't afford a baby on a single income!"

Now, I won't say that those people meant to be offensive, and it's important to think about the health and financial future of your baby.

But I let the opinions of others effect my happiness. I let their questions guilt me. Even if they didn't say anything, I let the potential for judgement give me anxiety.

I'm done. I'm done tearing myself down. I'm done letting other people make my decisions. And I'm done feeling guilty about being happy.

I'm a good mom, and so are you! We may raise our kids differently, but we know our kids better than anyone else. We will never be perfect, but if we strive for greatness with love in our hearts, we'll be pretty dang close!

So I'm going to get my nails done. What are you going to do for yourself?