I am the proud mommy of two tiny troublemakers, Charlie (3 1/2) and Tilly (2), and like all mommies out there I try to do the very best I can for them.

In my short time as a mommy, I have discovered a few things about parenthood. First and foremost, I learned that nothing can ever fully prepare you for raising kids. You can take a million classes and read a million books, but no one can teach you everything it takes to be a great mommy.  Some things can only be learned on the job.

Being a true "mommy" does not include the standard duties of being a mother, e.g., changing diapers, warming bottles, and bathing the child. Anyone can do that. You become a mommy when you cry at the beauty that lies in your child's face, when you tickle their chubby baby feet and raspberry their little belly buttons. Kissing a boo-boo and making the pain go away is a power only a mommy can possess, and it's one we should cherish because we only get to keep it for a short time. All too soon, our babies grow and have boo-boos that even a mommy's love can't kiss away.

Being a mommy is about crying with your loves during their heartbreaks and celebrating their triumphs. Scaring away the monsters under the bed, teaching them to ride a bike and eventually drive a car. Giving them the confidence to fly away, but hoping they will occasionally come back home. Giving them your entire heart, watching them grow up and, ultimately, seeing them give their heart away to someone else (and praying that that someone will do the same).

Any woman can be a mother. It takes everything to be a mommy.

Here's to all the mommies out there! Happy Mother's Day to you all!

You can find more from me at Motherhood is Beautiful...and Other Lies: www.motherhoodisbeautiful.com or "Like" me on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/motherhoodisbeautifulandotherlies