The life of a mom begins early in the morning and ends late at night. Sometimes, moms are even called to duty in the wee hours of the morning. Other times, they get very little sleep at all. Being a mom involves a lot of food preparation, cleaning, investigating, medicine-giving and refereeing. It is often a thankless job. There is very little recognition, instead, it often comes with plenty of critique and advice from strangers on how to do it better.

There are times we may wonder if our children ever appreciate all we do for them. Do they understand the sacrifices we make so they are taken care of, healthy and protected? As a mom, you may hear that you need to be the best. You need your kids to do this activity, wear these clothes and they absolutely must eat all of their veggies each and every day. However, it isn't true. Don't beat yourself up as you try to do it all. Don't worry when things don't go exactly as planned or you didn't get everything done on your to-do list. It is even OK that you fell asleep with your child, and took a nap instead of folding that heaping pile of laundry.

Being a mom is a wonderful thing, but don't forget about yourself. When you feel like a failure, think about the things you were able to accomplish instead of everything you did not. It is OK to be tired. After all, you are a mom.

Here are five more reasons why you really are "Mother-of-the-Year."