Who makes the rules? 

Who makes the rules?  I mean who really makes the rules for me or for you? Why do we feel like there is some mighty person out there telling us what we should be doing, where we should be in our lives. 

I will only speak for myself in this, yet I know many of you can relate. Who am I supposed be showing up for? Who am I proving myself to? My friends? My co-workers? My social media “friends?” My family? My neighbor? The barista who sees me on the daily? My significant other? Sure, we show up for these people in many ways, as that is how relationships work. But personally, who gets to decide what you get to do? What you want to do? What you aspire to do? Who tells you when good enough, is enough? {clue: you do}

I often spend my time and my days in comparison to perfect insta profiles, cute photos of families and houses that look as though they were right off the pages on Pinterest. Now, let me tell you, I know that we only see what “the people” want us to see, they are not showing the chaos, imperfect messy houses, the fights they had with their spouse, their struggles with finances, the stress from their jobs, the giant meltdown they had after the kids ruined the carpet, or perhaps a health scare. But, for the ones that do share those…I love you. I truly do. Not because I am nosy, but instead because it’s relatable and raw and honest.

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You are showing up for you. You are real, you are true, you are being who you are, for YOU. You make the rules for you. You are not out to impress anyone, you are not out to make another woman envious or anxious.

I do want to say though, share when you deserve a “well done, mama.” {even if you think you don’y} Share your aspirations, your triumphs, share your “I showered today” victories, show us how you completed that course, show us that you and love took that date night, show us how proud you are to be a mom, show us that you took care of your body at the gym today, show us what makes you sincerely happy, or heck, show us whatever you want.

Do it because you are showing up for yourself. Do it because you make the rules of your own life. Do because you can, and do it hard with love + determination. If I know one thing for damn sure, no one can do it like you.

This year let’s not be afraid of what our lives really look like, encourage those who need it, compliment one another, reach out to a stranger, befriend a struggling mom who needs to come up for air, reach out and tell her, she’s not alone. You have no idea what really lies behind that latest ‘gram. You can still help others while showing up for yourself, still take care of yourself, stay healthy, do things that make you happy.

Ladies, we have this one life. Let’s live it with pure intention and the way we want to live it. It’s a divine responsibility.

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Rachel Reed, founder of The Lake Country Mom

I am a 30-something mama to my beautiful daughter, Cam who inspires me to be the best version of me. She sparks the creativity in me in every way. My choices in life are driven by her, what is best for her, what is fun for her, and what makes our life happy. We live in the heart of the lake country area in Wisconsin. It is such an amazing place to live and raise your children. The beauty of the lakes, trails, rivers, parks astonish me daily. The community is full of hometown pride. Each little town and city that make up all of lake country is proud to be a part of it.  In the past few years, I have been on the constant hunt for fun things to do, places to go, crafts to make, recipes to try, pictures to take. Doing all those things and then sharing who, what, where, when and why with friends and family. So I thought why not take my love for the lake country area, for families, for the community, for crafting, for trying new recipes, for writing reviews, for sharing my stories, and put it all in one place. Welcome to The Lake Country Mom. I am excited to show you how to live life creatively in every aspect in your daily life.