Striving for Quality Instead of Perfection

This post has been sponsored by Ivory, the opinions shared are my own.

Quality has been my focus for the year. I have been applying this focus to every aspect of my life. Whether it is products I am purchasing, time I am spending or projects I am working on; quality is my focus. This means no more multi-tasking. No more over-committing and definitely no more pressure to be perfect.

Pressure to be perfect is self-inflicted. However, I know I am not alone in feeling the need to strive for perfection. The negative effects of that desire to be the “perfect” mom hit me hard last week. I was in my kitchen trying to perfect a recipe for dough soap to be used in the bathtub. I wanted to make bath time even more fun, but couldn’t get the recipe right. I spent so much time and could not get it to take on a dough-like consistency. I was frustrated; I wasted time, energy, and ingredients and made a huge mess.

In my frustration, I snapped at my daughter when she dropped a glass of water. In that moment I realized how much harder I was making things on myself and on them. They didn’t need soap dough to make bath time fun. Actually, both kids love bath time and like to stay in until they are wrinkly little raisins without soap dough. That time that I spent trying to be the “perfect” Pinterest mom would have been better spent playing with my children. They appreciate that more than any kind of tangible item.

I apologized to my daughter for snapping at her and we sat down and played pizza parlor with her brother. That quality time together meant more to them than any soap dough.

Then when it was time for their baths, we did what we always do: throw in their toy sea creatures, lots of Ivory Free & Gentle Body Wash with Pear & Sandalwood (which contains the #1 Dermatologist-Recommended moisturizing ingredient) and turn on the music.

They love scrubbing their sea creatures clean and I love that Ivory products are pure and gentle enough for the whole family. I use the Ivory Original Body Wash in the tub and use the Ivory Original 3-bar on a washcloth. The kids love the Ivory bar because it floats and makes for a great ride for their toys! The reason I use the bar is because Ivory is 99.44 percent pure – created 138 years ago. Their soaps and body washes clean up even on the kids’ messiest days while still being gentle and nourishing to the skin.

That night, I listened to their laughter and their adorable voices singing along to the music and soaked in the moment. I reminded myself that my failure in creating a silly bath toy did not define me. And in fact, the ridiculous standards I was holding myself to were only hurting the quality time I could have had with my children. So in the moment, I didn’t cringe when water splashed on the ground. Instead, I sang at the top of my lungs with them and created memories we would all cherish.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ivory. The opinions and text are all mine.