Ask any mom what life is like on any given day in her house and we're sure she'll let out an exhausted sigh. Aside from getting the kids ready for school, and getting herself put together enough to get to work, she's also getting breakfast ready while making a vet appointment for the dog. And this is all before 8 a.m. In other words: it's hectic, and full of chaotic, non-Instagrammable moments. This is what real motherhood is like, and it's not always pretty. And there's nothing like finding someone who understands. The drawings of Maria Gorbunova, a Russian artist who draws the most amazing pictures of her two children, Mira and Yura, perfectly capture that chaos.
Maria posts her incredible artwork on her Instagram account @Mary_chemi where she's amassed thousands of followers who love how honest her portrayals of life with kids can be. Speaking with CafeMom, Maria tells us the idea to start drawing her kids in her art came after a day where "my children behaved badly, as usual," she jokes. In an attempt to take her mind off the stress of care-taking Maria started the first drawing of her kids late one night. She says she needed to "raise my mood," and posted the drawing before she headed off to sleep. And the next morning? Boom! Instagram history was made. Thousands of people had seen Maria's drawing and liked what they saw.
"I was surprised to have so much attention," she admitted. But the uptick in followers only encouraged her to keep making more drawings that featured her kids and connect with her followers in a more intimate way.
Check out some of her adorable work here.
A Good Night's Sleep
Maria says she has a degree in interior design, but that wasn't where her passion was. "As a student, I worked part time, drawing funny cartoons at weddings and other festivals," she says.
Dinnertime Blues
But after becoming a mother, Maria's subject matter began to turn towards her children. "It's really what happens in my life every day," she explains.
Detective Mom
And her Instagram shows just how crazy parenting can be. "Every day, I take part in an investigation," she wrote in the caption to this picture. "A broken plate, a puddle, a torn packet is the crime," and the suspects are Maria's dog or her little one, considering that her older daughter can't take her eyes off the cartoons on the TV!
Tears, Pleas, and Loud Cries
But some days her kids aren't quite as cute. "Even if we just pass by the store, hysteria can begin. [Once] Mira flopped into a puddle in hysterics and did not want to get up until we went to the store," she wrote. We've all been there.
When Dad Is in Charge
The kids end up looking like misfit contestants on Project Runway.
Taking Flight
Even on a stressful day, like a family trip on a plane, Maria says that drawing allows her to "laugh along with everyone over these situations and then some difficult days become not so difficult in my life."
Diaper Duty
In this post, Maria says she had to learn the hard way that even though they're natural, cloth diapers are trendy, "I can say with certainty that the child absolutely does not care what he is wearing, the main thing is that it should be dry."
Cafe Mom
In this post Maria joked that she opened "a pub" in 2018. "Of course, I already know my visitors in person and I can definitely say what each of them will order," she wrote.
Life of an Artist
Maria tells us she loves it when people connect with her work. "I'm pleased that so many people write me nice things and see themselves in my pictures," Maria says.
Potty Mouth
"5 minutes of silence or when I forgot to close the bathroom door," Maria captioned this drawing.
The Great Heist
Maria joked that while there was "no fixed plan," she caught both of her kids and her dachshund in on a scheme to steal food from the fridge. "The gang was caught in hot (or, literally speaking, wet) pursuit."
The Chef's Special
Maria explains that she knows what her customers like best when they come to the Big Sister's Restaurant, "His usual choice is a bottle of baby formula and raspberry curd."
Characters
And Maria even used her sharp wit to dissect the kids who typically make up a kindergarten class: the hustler, the momma's boy, the sniveler, the chubby one, the live wire, the fog horn (aka, the loud one who cries a lot), and the shy one.
It's in the Genes
Maria confesses to us that while her kids "are still too young to be able to recognize their talent," her daughter Mira is "already good at drawing circles and straight lines."
An Ode to Yura
But the mom, who got her start drawing Disney princesses at the age of 5, hopes that some day "in a couple of years [Mira and Yura] will start drawing Disney princesses," too.
Bath Time Looks a Little Different
Any woman who's been pregnant knows that getting into the tub with the growing belly is a whole new adventure!
Swim Practice
Maria joked that she has time to check in with her 26.5K followers while she gives her kids a 40-minute "swim practice."
The 'Meditation' Room
"The lock on the door to the 'meditation room' doesn't always work well for us," Maria wrote on Instagram. "Sometimes it can be opened simply by a shove." Maria wrote that her daughter Mira can easily kick it open. "And Yura pokes his little hand under the door, probably trying to pull me out from there by any means," she joked.
Case Closed
Maria says she's taking a break from drawing while she learns to drive a car. "Soon I'll be back on Instagram with new pictures and we'll all laugh together again about these stories," she tells us.
Service With a Smile
In the future, Maria wants to be a fashion illustrator and work as an artist in Europe.
Her Favorite People
Despite the moments of insanity, Maria knows these drawings of her kids are deeply meaningful to her. "They come with the dawn, pull the blanket off of you, and leave wet marks on your pillow," she wrote in the caption to this drawing. "You will be angry, you'll get no sleep, and your hands might even bleed. But these will be your favorite drawings in your life." Which is a lesson that every stressed-out mom needs to remind herself of from time to time.
A Juggling Act
Any mom who has more than one kid in different stage of potty training an relate to this one. How often are we chasing around naked baby bums while trying to keep an eye on the other bum learning to use the toilet?
Referee
Sometimes kids are the sweetest siblings ever. And then there are other times it feels like your refereeing a UFC fight just because one look at the other "funny."
Bathtime Chaos
Two kids and a dog that needs cleaning? Expect the bathroom to look a little like this.
Fashion Show
And when you leave the husband in charge of getting the kids ready, you're bound to get something along these lines.
All in All
At the end of the day, no matter how crazy it is, mamas wouldn't trade either of their little monsters for anything.
