What I've Written

Here are a few posts I've written for Parent Society  if you like 'em, it's always nice to share with your friends!

10 Underrated Things About Being a Mom - The silver lining of motherhood.

The Bright Side of Weaning - Helping make the transition from breast feeding a bit easier.

25 Ways to Know You Are in Your 30's.

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My Kids Are Killing Me

Slowly, but surely my children are pushing me into my grave.  The little one is a keeper, not a sleeper.  So she runs me ragged all night long.  Sometimes once, usually twice, occasionally 5 times.  I wake up and my eyes burn and around 2 pm I smash head first into a wall and I'm propping up my eyelids with tooth picks by 9:30.  As a result, my skin is sallow and my under eye bags could take home the gold.  They should totally have mom olympics.  We could compete for under eye bags, who can make a meal out of snacks from the back seat, and multitasking.

Then there's the fact that now little miss Arya is very, very mobile.  So she's off exploring the house and their I am tailing behind her, having mini heart attacks every time she tries to reach/eat/climb for something.  She's my little explorer and surely the next thing I'll find is a head full of gray hairs.

Then there's Isabella who is full of piss and vinegar and is just about as sassy as they come.  The other day she was whining in the bath so I said to her, "You're not even having any fun because you're wasting all of bath time whining."  She stares me dead in my face and says, "I am having fun.  You don't know my feelings."  So there's that.

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Her Sparkling Life

I broke my own cardinal rule:

Don't compare your life to those you see on social media.  You're comparing your behind the scenes to their highlight reel.

I recently started following a girl on IG that I was fairly close with in high school.  Her photos were beautiful.  The highlight reel to what looked like a sparkling life.  She looks beautiful, all tanned and toned.  Her clothes fit her and her body is amazing.  Because, as her quotes suggest, she's disciplined.  She's a yogi.  Photo after photo of intricate, and awe inspiring yoga poses.  Trips to Puerto Rico.  Cocktails at sunset.  Pictures of her and her friends at fun locales.  A cool apartment in NYC. A wardrobe to die for.  A sparkling life.

Now she might look at my life and be envious.  Envious of my beautiful and happy kids.  My lovely home.  My happy marriage.  Sometimes life looks better from the outside in.

But I'll be honest, I became envious, a little downright jealous.  I know what you're going to say, "the grass is always greener" right?  And I know she might be fighting her own private battles, as we all do in our own way, but more or less it stirred something inside of me.

I've been in a bit of a rut lately.  A rut with my writing.  A rut with my life.  While I love and crave routine, my routine has become a little too predictable.  Go to work, come home, squeeze in a 20 minute workout dvd, make dinner, get the kids to bed, watch TV.

I want to take yoga classes and have cocktails with Andy at sunset.  I want to write a book.  I want to take a class.  I want to go shopping.  I want to look in the mirror and not hate the body that bore and nourished my two little girls.  I want to add some sparkle to an already happy life.

So what's holding me back?  That voice in my head, we'll call it fear, whispering:

You can't.  You're not good enough.  You have no time.  All you have is excuses.  You'll never do it.  You don't have the money.  You don't have the support.  

Like a loop in my head.  I really am my own worst enemy.  I'm just not sure how to let go of the fear, of the excuses and really push myself to live my fullest life.

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In the Fringe

I'm having a bit of a friends issue lately.  I know it's been a while since I've written about my friendships because actually all my ducks have been in a row lately in regards to that sector of my life.  I used to think that we needed to be in constant contact and hanging out all the time, but life and maturity redefined my roles of friendship.  Everyone is busy, everyone has jobs, family, worries, pressures, husbands, boyfriends, fiances, and other friendships that they need to balance.  So friendship became more about keeping our finger on the pulse of each other's life.  Staying in touch and making most of the time we have together.

But lately I've been feeling a little bit disconnected, like I can't quite fit into myself all the way and it's making it difficult for me to fit into my friendships.  I recently went on a girls overnight trip with some friends and I had a blast, but I always felt like I was on the peripherry, on the fringe of things.  Like everyone else got something that I didn't quite get.  Did you ever just get an "off" vibe when you're in a group?  That's how it was.

Then with my core group of friends there was a baby shower and they didn't ask me, my sister, or our other friend to chip in with them.  That kind of stung a bit since we're all friends.  It made me think that it's more like we're two groups of friends...the 5 of them and the 3 of us.  Maybe it's silly, even a bit immature, and I should just pull up my big girl panties, but it kind of bothered me.

I guess all aspects of life go through highs and lows, peaks and valleys.  

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9 Months

Weight: 20lbs 2 ounces

Height: 27 inches

Sleeping Habits: LOL

Eating Habits: We still EBF and she takes bottles of pumped milk when I'm at work.  She eats every 3-4 hours.  She'll take 4-5 ounces in a bottle. She gets breakfast, lunch, and dinner and some snacks.  She loves pancakes, blueberries, bananas, yogurt, chicken, and peas. 

Milestones: Crawling all over the place.  First an army crawl and now a full fledged crawl.  

Best Thing This Month: Valentines Day!  I made a nice candle lit dinner for my two littles.  

Challenges This Month: Loss of energy.  Man oh man this mobility thing is awesome, but exhausting.  She's into everything and needs to explore and investigate everything that crosses her eyesight.   

Looking Forward To: Saint Patrick's Day.  I love making memories of even the smallest holidays.
Here are some bonus pictures of my sweethearts on Valentines Day.

The favors for Isabella's class party.  I'm sure all the parents loved the gumballs

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