The Ups, The Downs, and Everything in Between
This is likely the first of many parts. It’s not easy, but I will confess – I didn’t used to wash my fruits and vegetables before eating them. Saying it sounds dirty. Because it was. We’re beyond it now, but with that comes lessons learned. Before J was born our idea of a nice Saturday morning was waking up, whenever the mood struck us (can anyone remember how glorious that was?!) making coffee and breakfast together and then shuffling to our family room to watch …
It’s fun to joke that with time we all become our mothers, but as time passes for me I am looking forward to the transition. I have a little over a year’s worth of my own momming under my belt and in that time my admiration for everything my mother has done has swelled to new heights. Sure there are the obvious ways I’m already her – trying to overfeed everyone at parties and in general, panicking last minute and adding another side to the …
When C and I bought our first house five years ago one of the things we were most looking forward to was hosting holidays. We love to entertain and the idea of filling our home with delicious food and the people we loved seemed exactly what home ownership should be. Over the years we’ve added a few holidays, but the first big event we’d hosted in our new home was Mother’s Day Brunch. I am a sucker for brunch. Sweet, savory, gooey, crunchy, fruit, …
As a hustling mom, I’m constantly trying to be at least three things at once. J’s mama, C’s wife and what you might consider a mama bear to over 400 employees at the office. All said, maybe it’s more like 460 things? Some weeks it feels like a million. This was one of those weeks. For those that hustle and work hard, you know what I mean. Things crashing in on all sides, treading fast and furious to keep your head above water and all …
Today is the day, family picture day! It’s funny how big a deal it was for me to get professional pictures when J was first born. My amazing co-workers got me a gift certificate for Three Loves Photography and I couldn’t wait to get pictures of my precious little boo. Fast forward 18-months later and I’m like…o.m.g. Why are the only nice pictures we have hanging of J the ones from his newborn shoot? Life happens. I have plenty of baby selfies and blurry pics …
What got me through J’s first year was remembering that no one actually knows what we’re doing. We’re all just making it work. Sometimes you’re feeling like Martha Stewart with crisp corners and other days you’re rolling it in a ball. Either way, its motherhood. Messy. Crazy. Amazing. Motherhood. Remind a new mom when you see her, no judgement, we’re all just doing the best we can.
Pee? What the heck!?! Welcome to a whole new layer of motherhood. I’d seen the commercials for Poise (did anyone see the Whoopi Goldberg campaign? Amazing) and thought wow, that must be a bummer. I’d heard stories from my other mom friends about the whole change in your body after a baby, but I have felt pretty darn good post baby J. Eighteen months later, I definitely don’t have my ‘body’ back, and if we’re being real it wasn’t where it should have been for …
If we want change we must often be the catalyst. A revelation that was not unknown to me in other facets of my life, but for some reason when it came to political change it never struck a chord, until now. I can no longer say, “why doesn’t someone do something about this?” Knowing what needs to be done I took the first step last weekend and participated in the NW Suburbs March for Our Lives event Saturday. My two college roommates and I …
After a recent comment from a friend something became clear, so much so that it was almost a little embarrassing that it hadn’t completely sunken in before. When it comes to the future, we are now responsible for the change we want. My husband is an educator. Every day he goes to work and shapes minds; he teaches his students how to think differently, understand the world around them and to get to know our country’s past so they can contribute to a better future. …
I make dinner every night! Said no working mom ever. At least none of the ones I know. I will say, cooking is how I unwind after work and one of my passions so I try to cook as much as I can. Creating something while dancing around in the kitchen listening to music just seems right. I often tell my parents that they were Jedis in raising us (or at least me). I can’t remember my mom asking me to help in the kitchen, …