Real talk

i hate my body.

there, I said it.

I went to the beach yesterday and kept my T-shirt on the whole time.

Not because of my stretch marks - I don’t mind those.

I did it because I cannot stand to feel my fat on my hips every time my hand touches it.

I did it because without a T-shirt, I cannot hide my pooch (aka food belly).

I did it because I lack confidence from my head to my toes. Always have.

I tell my daughter she is beautiful every single day multiple times a day and I mean it 100%. She doesn’t know what it feels like to be insecure and I hope she never does.

We get shamed when we’re too big and we get shamed when we’re too small. We can’t win. The worst part is, our worst critic is ourselves.

Camping without kids

A couple weekends ago, D and I packed up our tents and our two dogs and hit the road - without our children. Our goal was to start camping again and we thought it would be best to have a trial run without them just in case. I can count on one hand the number of times I have been camping as a child, so I was rusty...but I love being in nature, so I was up for the challenge. We also needed alone time. When you don’t have kids, you don’t realize how important it is to reconnect and get away from the crazy and just be a couple. For us, considering the recent changes in our lives, this was 100% necessary. We needed to not be Mom and Dad for a couple days (even though we still are, 24/7, 365, no matter what)...we HAD to make the time for us.

It’s hard leaving them. I have been working so much, I feel like I don’t see them enough as it is, so taking a few days away from them voluntarily seemed crazy. Once we got on the road, it was okay. I  finished a book I have been reading for months, I went for a few walks, I assembled and disassembled the tent, and I was able to relax.

It was great. Little rainy, but fun.

Next time, the kiddos are coming. It’s not the same without them.

What are your thoughts?

Until next time,
Xoxo

How deleting Facebook is like grieving in today’s society

Almost a month ago, my husband and I made the collective decision to delete our facebooks.


I was about ready to with or without him, but it’s always nice to have both of us do it, that way there’s less temptation.

I used Facebook for what it was meant to be used for at its inception - social media. I used it to keep in touch with friends and family from all over, to share photos of our children and see photos of theirs. I was in Mom groups and other groups as well. I did not use it as a political platform, and that is probably the number one reason why I finally decided to give it up for good.

I couldn’t get away from it. It got to the point where unfollowing the individuals wasn’t enough. People would take memes for fact and use Facebook as a “credible” news source instead of doing their own research. It was sad, more than frustrating. I had enough.
We decided to delete it, and at first it was horrible. The first week was probably the worst, and then it continued as I got closer to the point where it would be gone forever. I noticed that people stopped reaching out...somehow it’s harder without Facebook to say hello? Apparently?
I’m past that point, and I gotta say, my life is better without Facebook. I have Instagram which still allows me to share pictures of my life (aka kids) ;) and has better security, in my opinion. The internet is a scary place, and it is important to me who sees (and doesn’t see) their pictures.

Life is good. D and I just got home from a little camping trip, which leads me to introduce my next discussion post - camping without kids - would you, or wouldn’t you? Stay tuned - subscribe to my blog so you get the latest notifications.

Until next time,

Xoxo

The back and forth is so unnerving

I always wanted four. Right now, we have 2. I said I’d be done at or before I turned 30. I’ll be 30 in 4 months. Some would say I’m still in my prime for “baby making” and it’s okay, because I’m still young and I still have time.

Some days, I am done. Completely. Between the dirty diapers and tantrums and lack of personal space, I would be crazy to start over.

But then, just as soon as I think I’m done, I long for the newborn stage, where all they do is sleep and you are their favorite thing. Before they become two and are full of sass, becoming their own person, long before the struggle of potty training starts. Before all the leaps and teething and sleepless nights.

There is nothing in the world that compares to being a Mom. Despite the exhaustion and constant worry, there is nothing better.

I don’t know how people know for sure. I have one of each, I should be good, right? It doesn’t always work like that.

Please, tell me how you knew you were done. ❤️

Redirection

It's been almost a year to the day since I've blogged. It would take a while to update on every single change, so I won't do that. Instead, I'll highlight the most important things.

I am taking a month off of school. This isn't necessarily intentional, but it is needed. I am getting burnt out from the grind My past two classes have not gone the way I planned and my GPA has suffered for it. I'll bounce back, but this break is necessary; I need to refocus.

About a month ago, I returned to the work force. Don't get me wrong, being a stay at home mom was amazing and I loved (almost) every minute of it. I am so grateful that I got to be with my babes all the time for about 2 years. That said, I am meant to be in the workforce. I have an impeccable work ethic; I love being with other people. Also, my husband was getting burnt out from his job. Part of our marriage vows is "in sickness and health"...I take them pretty seriously. My husband needs to figure out what he wants to do, and for now, that's being there for our children. We have time for us, but our kids need us now...not someone else to raise them. So, we decided to "switch roles" for now. I feel okay about it since I make good money and I know my babies are being taken care of with their daddy and not a babysitter.

Less than 24 hours ago, I deleted facebook. It got too political and ridiculous. I'm still on instagram, so if you need my username, ask me!

I'm going to try to keep up with blogging, because I do miss it!

Scale of deception

"I just want to lose 11 pounds," I said to myself. That shouldn't be too hard, and it would still keep me at a healthy, realistic number.

I will never again be my pre-pregnancy weight, and I'm okay with that. I have a completely different body now & it wouldn't look the same if I were that size.

Why are we, as a culture and especially females, so fixated on the number on a scale? It's not acceptable to be a certain weight otherwise we're fat and unhealthy. Yet, if we lose weight, we must be too skinny & starving ourselves.

Body shaming needs to stop.

The truth is, it's about more than the numbers on a scale...we need to stop focusing on that and more on our health.

Those around us should do the same. 

Mom: I get it, and I'm sorry

Growing up, my mom worked 5 days a week, 8-10 hours a day. I may not have seen the sacrifice then, but I do now. I am lucky to stay at home with my kids, but I have also had my share of working the long hours that never seem to end.

On her days off, all she wanted to do was relax. This included wearing sweat pants instead of jeans and letting her "girls" roam free. She would pull her hair back into whatever style kept it out of her face - usually a pony tail because that was simplest. I would poke fun at her and sometimes think that I would be the opposite of that when I became a mom.

Queue the laughter.

I get it now, mom. Sure, I stay at home, but that doesn't mean I don't work. Putting sweats on in the morning and wearing them all day because it works is absolutely fine. I don't remember the last time I wore a bra - then again, I am breast feeding so it would just get in the way. Regardless, it's a hell of a lot more comfortable!

Rarely is my hair down. Between constantly picking up after everyone and playing with the kids, that would be too much. To add, my daughter would just pull it, so keeping it out of her reach is ideal.

I just want to apologize to my mom. If I knew then what I know now, I would never had poked fun. It's kind of like laughing when you got your sneeze fits - I don't find those so funny now, either! :P

I get it now. I love you. mom, and I'm sorry.

Round 2 has begun

Wow, so a lot has changed since my last post. Our daughter is here, finally, and there is so much about this experience that is different from the first time around that I wasn't expecting. I'll start with the light stuff and move to the heavy as we go along.

Number one, changing/cleaning her. You'd think, since we're both girls, that I'd know what to do. Turns out, it's a LOT harder than cleaning a boy.

Two. Breastfeeding. Many of you know that for whatever reason, R didn't latch and thus I wasn't able to breastfeed. I am able to this time around, and it is not without its challenges. I still have to watch what I eat and drink because whatever I eat, so does she. While it is cheaper than buying formula, it is not necessarily easier. I am not comfortable breastfeeding in public or around people. I pump milk for her if I have to take her anywhere (which for now is limited to appointments since she is not vaccinated yet). I constantly worry if she's getting enough milk & growing appropriately, since I can't measure out how many ounces she drinks in a feeding. Cluster feeding is painful and stressful because I feel like she's already drained me but somehow there's still milk in there!

Three. Mom guilt. It is real, and for me, it was intense. I did not expect the level of guilt I would feel, I only knew that it would come. R was my whole world for a whole year (we found out we were pregnant shortly after his first birthday). While we wanted our babies close in age and were going to try for #2 regardless, I didn't know it would be like this. It's gotten better, because I'm slowly learning how to balance my time between the two of them, but at first I felt so bad because I thought he wouldn't get enough one on one time. But it's already gotten better.

Four. Coming home from the hospital and getting settled in to everything made me realize how big R suddenly seemed to me. He's not even 2 yet but I remember watching him sleep and getting emotional because he was so...tall. It was one of those moments where you're so happy because they're getting bigger but sad because they're getting bigger.

Five. The bond with P didn't start right away. In fact, it took a couple weeks for me to feel a true connection with her, which is absolutely nuts to me. I wasn't expecting it... At first I thought it would be like, "cool, I'm breastfeeding so we have this amazing connection that only the two of us share and no one can take that from us!" which is true but I didn't really feel it. It saddens me to say that in order for me to really feel connected to her I had to let go of the guilt I had about R, which obviously didn't happen overnight. Today, though, I feel great. I have two amazing babies who are perfect and beautiful and I really feel complete. I feel guilty even admitting that I felt that way, but I figure if I felt it, maybe someone else did too, and they're wondering if they're alone in feeling it and I can say they aren't.

Anyway, I know this is only the beginning and there are plenty more sleepless nights to come. With those sleepless nights come countless memories and a friendship between the two of them that will make all the other stuff so worth it.

I'll try to blog more, but between them and school I don't have lots of time - but after March I'll FINALLY have my BA so that'll free up some time until I decide if I want to pursue my Masters.

Until next time,
xoxo

What if this is it?

As each day of this pregnancy passes, I wonder, what if this is my last? Every time I feel a hiccup, a roll, a kick, I smile a little, knowing it could be the last time I feel those things from the inside. My husband and I said no more than 4 kids. This is our second. We didn't necessarily plan for them to be so close in age, but at the same time I said I wanted to be done before I was 30 (this was, of course, way before kids were ever actually in the picture). I'm going to be 28 this month and if it does happen to be it, I would be happy. Don't get me wrong, I love being pregnant, for the most part. I also know that it's a lot different going from 0-1 to 2, and so on. Realistically, we don't have the space for more than 2 right now...the setup we have isn't ideal, but we can make it work. I can't say that's true if we were to stay here and add more to the mix.

I have 2 older siblings, my husband has one younger sibling. I'm not sure what it was like for him, but for me, it was cool to have 2 brothers who were my friends...at times it sucked when we would fight over TMNT vs Barney or they didn't want to play with my barbies, but as we've gotten older it's only gotten better. I gained a sister in law when I married my husband and the girlfriends I have are better than blood sisters could ever be. I did want a sister growing up, but don't we all? I kind of like it better this way because I didn't have to share my clothes or toys with anyone else. :P In all seriousness, despite having saying I wanted a sister, I'm glad I spared my parents many fights and added stress.

Honestly, I don't know if we are done or not. I do know that when this one comes out, we are planning on spacing them out if we do have more, but if this is it, I want to embrace every second of it...even the worst days.

Things I didn't expect about being a (boy) mom

I was telling my husband the other day how I didn't imagine having a boy could be so much fun. I've been a mom for over a year now, and I learn something new every single day. I got lucky with Raylan, he's truly perfect. I was scared at first about having a boy... I didn't know how I would relate to him, I didn't know if he'd be fun, but oh my was I wrong!

First things first, boy clothes are SO cute! I have the best time putting outfits together everyday. However, some days he doesn't wear clothes and that's fine, too! We'll just play while he crawls around in a diaper. I had no idea that there were so many options for boys and that I would have so much fun with it.

Just like there's a tupperware lid and sock bandit in the adult world, there's a binkie, bottle, and bib bandit in the baby world. I have seriously lost so many of those things, I literally have NO idea where they end up.

So many things didn't go as I expected. First was breastfeeding...I thought I'd be able to, but it didn't work out. There is NOTHING WRONG with formula feeding!!! A FED BABY IS A HAPPY BABY. FED IS BEST.

On that note, I find it SO hard to not compare him to babies his age. Yes, he's on the smaller side. No, he's not walking on his own yet. He is growing and learning every single day though, and THAT is what matters. People say that babies do things on their own time, and that is so true. He will walk when he's ready, thanks. I hate feeling discouraged when I see babies younger than him walking but I have to remember that each baby is different.

Being a stay at home mom is harder than I thought, but I mean it in the best way and I am so grateful. I wouldn't give it up for anything! I left the hotel in June, and since then it's been non stop. The difference between this "job" and a "regular" job is that this one truly is 24/7. It's not just about taking care of the baby...it's about taking care of the house, the husband, and of course myself. My brain never shuts off. I am constantly thinking about things I need to get at the store, fun things to do with Raylan, how I'm ever going to get into a routine of keeping up the house, doing adult things with my husband (because that's sooo important, too...we cannot neglect our marriage...that's what got us to be parents, after all!) It's seriously the best job I've ever had though. Luckily, I get paid for being a reservist and going to school, but even without that, it's the most rewarding experience.

I know there are more things that belong on this list. Please feel free to comment below with things I have probably thought of but are escaping me now! Stay tuned for next time! :) 

2 under 2

Now that my husband and I have officially (and by that I mean posted on social media) announced that we are expecting baby number 2, I feel like I can let out all my emotions about it. What better place to do that than right here?

Before I begin, I want to say 2 things: 1, I have always wanted my children close in age, but that doesn't mean I am not scared shitless; 2: Before anyone says "you should have thought about that before you got careless" (or anything to that effect) I was on the pill when this baby was conceived...not that it's any of anyone's business, but I'm throwing it out there anyway.

SO. Two under two. What a shit show. I thought I was nervous when I was pregnant the first time...I was so clueless...had no idea what to expect, didn't know if my "motherly instinct" would ever kick in, and oh my god what if I was terrible at being a mom?

Well, I'll admit that Raylan and I are still learning together, but I do pretty good, for the most part. He is happy, healthy, and I'm pretty damn lucky to be his mommy.

I am scared, though. I'm not worried that I won't love these babies enough, because I know that I was born to be a mom. I am scared for their futures in this world. I am terrified.

You know what scares me the most? To the point of tears? I am scared that someday, Raylan will think that I didn't give him enough love...that this little one came too soon...that it wasn't just him for a while. I am convinced that kids don't have any idea how much their parents love them until they hold their own child. I am so in love with Raylan, my heart could explode. I can't kiss him enough, I can't hold him for long enough, and when he cries it tears me apart. There is nothing I wouldn't do for him. It sounds so cliche, but I don't care. It's so true.

I hope that he and this baby grow up being best friends. Sure they'll have their fights and whatever, but I hope they have eachother's backs. For those who don't know, I'm the youngest and only girl. My oldest (biological) brother is 5 years older than me, but he's always protected me and looked out for me and all that; even when he wasn't physically there. My "middle" brother is 3 years older and we grew up together...we were so close it was almost scary. We'd be so mad at each other for something stupid and then five minutes later I'd be in his room with him watching Dumb and Dumber.

As scared as I am, I am also excited. I get to give double the love, double the hugs and kisses, and I get to watch another one of my babies grow up. Even on the days when I have laundry up to my eyeballs, my kitchen is a mess, and the dogs are following me around and making me almost trip, this is the best life.

My husband followed me as I got to live my dream; he moved with me to a town where we didn't know anybody so I could finish school. He moved down to California while I was active duty...and now, we are home, and its his turn. I get to follow him and support him while he achieves his dreams. At the same time, though, it's allowed me to do what I have always wanted, and that's be a stay at home mom. I'm still getting the hang of it, I have a long way to go, but what's important to me is that my baby(ies) know their worth and they know they're loved.

SO. Two under two....bring it on!
I don't know the gender of the one I'm carrying yet....so stay tuned!

xoxo