To all the mothers, sisters, wives, single ladies, step-sisters, sister-in-laws, and female identifying beings. You are exactly who make the world go round. You are brave. You are fierce. Your intelligence knows no bounds. You are the silent leaders of this world and you deserve so much more. Know your worth and realize that you make an impact whether it’s recognized or not. Continue reading “An Open Letter To Women”
When I learned I was becoming a mom for the first time, I was fully prepared to lose myself to motherhood. Motherhood was something I always aspired to. That was a major life goal of mine. I was under the assumption that my full identity would be wrapped up in who I was as a parent. I would put all my dreams and goals on hold until my children were old enough to start being self-sufficient and then I’d figure out who I was as a person. As time went on, I was feeling stuck. I loved being a mother and wouldn’t trade it for anything. However, I wasn’t as fulfilled as I thought I would be. I went complete 50’s housewife there for a moment and boy am I glad we live in a day and age where that’s optional and not necessarily expected. I was still working part-time from home but felt I needed to handle all of the things because my husband obviously wasn’t capable. [Insert facepalm] It’s crazy what kinds of stories we make up about our situation, isn’t it? Continue reading “The Power of Personal Development”
I’ve taken a little hiatus over the past 4 months. I’m back now and hitting you hard with the heavy stuff. Thank you all for your patience and the space and grace to allow me to focus on other things for a while.
As many of you know, I had a miscarriage at the end of 2018. It was very difficult for me, as it is for any woman. I had never known how isolating it could be until I experienced it myself. Even with knowing so many others who went through it and having a caring husband who also felt pain around it, it is still a very lonely experience. However, I shared my story and hopefully helped ease some of the heartache that another woman has had involving a miscarriage. I was able to work through it and not let it stop me from trying again. Continue reading “Pregnancy After Miscarriage: All The Feels”
It can be easy to get stuck in a rut as a parent. Especially in early parenting when you feel like you’re drowning in toddler tantrums and stickiness EVERYWHERE. Seriously, why are they always so sticky? Anyways, I’ve found myself in a rut recently. I’m not inspired in my job. I have no motivation to pursue my goals and I feel like I’m just treading water. My child is so wonderful and I love him to pieces, but he’s also in a very needy stage and testing boundaries. The constant correcting and boundary establishment feels entirely draining. It’s all normal and appropriate to his development, but damn it’s exhausting! Continue reading “5 Tips To Get Out Of A Rut”
Mom guilt is a b*tch. There, I said it. I don’t know of a single mother that has not experienced mom guilt at some point or another. It can be consuming and overwhelming. I can’t even tell you how guilty I felt that I couldn’t breast feed my son past 4 months. I just couldn’t produce enough milk for him no matter what I did to try to improve that. I had to supplement with formula since he was a newborn because otherwise he would be underfed. I can recall more than one instance when I revealed that I supplemented with formula or had gone to formula-only feeding and got the side-eye from someone nearby. Some people would even start to list the reasons I should’ve kept with it and tried that 6th lactation consultant or that miracle supplement that would produce milk but compromise my health. On top of that, I was feeling like a failure because I couldn’t sustain my child naturally. Everything around me seemed to constantly remind me that “breast is best” and it was a very difficult time, to say the least. Like I said, mom guilt is a b*tch. Continue reading “How To Deal With Mom Guilt”
In an age of information, personal growth, and an overwhelming amount of people telling you what you should and shouldn’t be doing, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Everyone has their opinions and most people are not afraid to voice them to you or anyone else. Generally, they are unconcerned or just careless about who their opinions affect. They don’t take into consideration the situations of others when making blanket statements such as “I think everyone should use organic, eco-friendly diapers. It’s just irresponsible to use anything else.” Meanwhile, the widowed mother of two who has to lean on state assistance to get by, starts to feel like crap because though she would love to save the environment, she simply can’t afford those diapers that are twice the cost of regular ones. Continue reading “5 Things To Do When Life Is Overwhelming”
Every single one of us have things that we have a hard time letting go. We have heartbreaks, betrayal, insecurities, and fears. Sometimes we can let things roll off our back. Other times, we have a harder time letting things go, especially when you had it planned all out in your head and it didn’t go that way at all. We get resentful when our spouse isn’t helping around the house or seems blind to the clutter in the living room. We feel hurt when our friends go out and forget to invite us. We have guilt when we are asked to do something and have to refuse because we are too tired, double-booked ourselves, or we feel we’ve disappointed someone. Continue reading “5 Tips To Help You Let Things Go”
When your couple becomes a trio for the first time, things change quickly. Routines change. Your surroundings change. Your schedules change. Suddenly, one parent is thrust into a role that they didn’t realize came with that tiny, adorable human being. This role is deemed “family manager”. Somebody has to keep all your ducklings in a row. Someone needs to make sure each family member’s needs are met, appointments get scheduled, the household continues to run, and the baby stays alive. In my home, I’ve assumed this role. I think this role is often taken on by whomever is more instinctively inclined to take it on. Our brains are just better wired to worry about all of these things and see the bigger picture, while our partners are more inclined to focus on one thing at a time. Even if your partner is incredibly helpful, there’s still one of you that generally keeps the train moving. Continue reading “How To Be A Leader In Your Family”
Many of you may not know this about me, but I deal with anxiety on a regular basis. I have been able to control my anxiety at a good level for the most part with healthy habits and so far have not had a need to medicate for it. In the grand scheme of anxiety sufferers, I would say that I’m a mid to low-level anxiety sufferer. Recently, I had a terrible anxiety attack over something totally made up in my head. It’s a little embarrassing to share here, as I feel quite silly after the fact. However, I feel I should so anyone who deals with something similar can feel less alone. Continue reading “Anxiety is a B*tch”
I’m going to be real with you right now, it’s been a long week. I had to survive on 4 hours of sleep two nights in a row and boy did that just mess with me. I had to work late one night to train a new employee. Then, I was up late the next night doing preparations for Thanksgiving. Additionally, our washer suddenly became non-responsive and needs a new switchboard or control panel or something like that. But, it isn’t a part that you can just replace. Oh no. They don’t make them anymore. So you have to send it in and wait 8-10 days for them to fix it. To top it all off, my check engine light has been on in my car and despite two trips to the mechanic, it’s still on. Uff-dah! Continue reading “How to Maintain a Positive Outlook”
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