Motherhood is an experience that’s often glamorized and sanitized. You don’t have to look hard to find magazine spreads of mamas with the perfect blowout and a caravan of happy kids in the background. And you don’t have to watch T.V. for long before being subjected to commercials of jolly babies in crisp white clothing free of spills or drool.
Talk to any mother, though, and she’ll tell you about the less-than-glamorous aspects of raising a child. (Rule #102: Nothing white stays white.)
In honor of Mother’s Day this weekend, we’ve rounded up some mothers who don’t shy away from sharing the beautiful, the difficult, and the often-hilarious aspects of motherhood. Follow them for laughs and reminders that being a mom is full of surprises.
Amber Dusick
Maybe you’ve already read the 2013 book Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures, but if you haven’t, the Instagram account is a good place to start.Amber Dusick, the woman behind the book and IG account, regularly shares simple (and crappy pictures) that capture the absurd and hilarious moments children create.
Amanda Tyler
Amanda Tyler is a breastfeeding advocate who regularly shares photos of herself nursing. Her images have sparked some outcry for casually showcasing the (gasp!) female breast, but she’s also won the support of other moms. Follow her for a peek into a minimalist mommy lifestyle with an IDGAF what you think attitude.
Zoë Foster Blake
Zoë Foster Blake is an Australian writer who spent several years writing a relationship column for Cosmopolitan. Her personal Instagram account is a mix of posts spotlighting her writing as well as her family’s occasional, outrageous outfits and their familial sense of irony.
LaTonya Yvette
LaTonya is a stylist and writer with a lifestyle blog focused on all things beauty, design, family, and “feelings.” While her feed is mostly dedicated to her work as a stylist, her occasional peeks into family life in Brooklyn give a peek into life as a working mom and a creative living in the Big Apple.
Djuna Bel-Rowe
Djuna Bel-Rowe is a bicoastal wardrobe stylist. (Her clients include Millie Bobby Brown and Cardi B!) While pregnant, she showcased her baby bump in unexpected ways. Today, she doesn’t hold back from talking about things like midnight cravings and what it’s like to travel with a baby.
Leandra Medine Cohen
Fans of the fashion blog Man Repeller are already familiar with Leandra Medine Cohen, who founded the blog in 2010. Her personal IG is a mix of her colorful outfit choices and hilariously-captioned baby photos. Our favs are the great inner monologues she imagines her newborn twins are having.
Kelly Oxford
Kelly Oxford is a New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter who first rose to prominence for her funny and always-real tweets about motherhood. Expect the same humor from her Instagram.
Glennon Doyle
Glennon Doyle is the author of two best-selling memoirs, Carry On, Warrior and Love Warrior. Check her IG for dispatches about her activism work and how she incorporates family life into everything she does.
Jenny Mollen
Jenny Mollen is an actress best known for her role in Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave. Mollen’s IG account documents her family life and marriage to Jason Biggs of American Pie fame.
Busy Phillips
You might already know Busy Philipps from Dawson’s Creek, but these days the actress and mom routinely shares peeks behind the glamour and moments we see on the red carpet. Expect her to let you know when one of her kids gets slime stuck in their hair.
Napkin Apocalypse
If you’ve ever been curious about what life is like with “6 chickens, 34 pigeons, 1 dog, 2 babies, and 1 toddler + plus [a] best friend,” then this is the Insta account for you. Expect a photos of the whole family (including animals and babies) in outrageous setups that are sure to make you laugh.
Oh My Maya
The mom behind the account featuring two-year-old Maya regularly shares beautiful photos of the “curly princess.” While their YouTube channel features plenty of hair tutorials, Maya’s IG feed offers a dose of cuteness on the regular.
Laura Miller
Laura Miller is the author of Raw,Vegan, Not Gross: All Vegan and Mostly Raw Recipes for People Who Love to Eat and the host of the Talking in Circles podcast. While she hasn’t been active on social media lately, it’s worth taking a peek through her old posts for a mix of funny getups made out of fruit and some outrageous baby headwear.
