Where did your blog go?

 

Hi There! Have you been wondering where I’ve been? I’m going to pretend the answer to that was “YAASSS WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN QUEEN?” ( I’m Beyoncé in my head, because duh).

Well, I’m self hosted at WordPress now, which means my URL is now simply thelifeofjessa.com! I’ve managed to transfer my posts from here to my new site, but this one is still hanging around, so I thought I should probably put an update over here. Click on over and check out my new home on the internet and let me know what you think!

Here are links to my posts for January:

The Savings Plan That Anyone Can Stick To!

Mom Life Hacks

Toy Storage Ideas

And coming up in February I’ve got lots for the pregnant and new mom crowd. I’ll be talking about my essentials for pregnancy, for your hospital bag, for newborns, and essentials for new moms as well (we always forget to take care of ourselves–let me fix that for you!).

I hope you come take a look at the new home for The Life of Jessa. Come leave me a comment and say hello!

Jessa Tries It: FitBit & FlipBelt

Let me begin by saying, this is no weight loss journey I’m on. True, I could stand to lose some weight, but this is not the goal for what I’m doing. I’m actually pretty happy and comfortable in my skin for the most part. I’m truly just trying to be healthier and more active. I sit at a desk most of my day at work, and my eating habits are akin to a college kid…except I’m 27 and have a family.

For the past few months, I’ve been struggling with managing my stress, generally just not feeling that great, and I’ve noticed symptoms that I typically get when my blood pressure is high. Tight chest, headaches, sleepiness, lethargy. I had a severe enough episode one day that It scared the crap out of me I finally did the grown-up thing and found a Primary Care Physician and scheduled a doctor’s appointment. Blood work and one precautionary EKG later, he confirmed what I already knew. My blood pressure was a little high, and I needed to eat better, lay off the caffeine, and get more active more often.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and I’m in Target buying a FitBit.

Okay, yeah, it was a little bit of an impulse purchase. I didn’t start the day intending to buy a FitBit, but I have been wanting to purchase an activity tracker for some time. Now felt like good a time as any–I needed to start some healthier habits, right?  I had been resarching the different activity trackers on the market. There are quite a few out there. But all the people I know that have activity trackers, have a FitBit. I figure there’s got to be a good reason for that. I asked the Target employee in electronics, “What do know about all these activity trackers?” He answered pretty honestly, “I don’t know much about them, but the FitBit is definitely the most popular. That’s the one people come in and buy the most.” Good enough for me. That’s the way I was leaning anyways.

It is a SUPER fun little gadget! There are a LOT of cool things this can do, but here are the highlights:

• Tracks your steps, heart rate, distance traveled, calories burned, & flights climbed. All of these stats can be viewed in real time as you go about your day by a tap on the device, or by pressing the single button on the side of the wristband. Also viewable on the wristband is the time/date, and any alarm you have set.
• Silent alarm feature. As mentioned above, you can set an alarm on your fitbit. I kind of love this, because I hate alarm clocks and ringtones. Since I wear it at night to track my sleep anyway, I set my alarm, and it vibrates in the morning to wake me up. I can tap the device to snooze, and it will vibrate again in a few minutes.
• Sleep tracking. The sleep tracking feature is also pretty awesome. I sync my FitBit to my app on my phone in the morning when I first wake up, and it logs my sleep–when I fell asleep, when I woke up, and every time I woke up or was restless in between. I’d imagine folks who suffer from sleep apnea would get a kick out of this feature.
• Log your workouts & see stats in real time. Press and hold the single button on the device to begin tracking a workout. Begin your workout, run, bike ride, whatever, and the fitbit will track and log your workout. When you’re done, just hold the button again to end the workout log.
• Track and log calories & water intake. I don’t take advantage of tracking my food, but I do usually track my water intake. According to the stats I gave the FitBit app, it reccomends 1,893 ml (around 60 ounces) of water per day for me! I typically don’t have a problem with meeting that goal as I ALWAYS have something to drink at my desk at all times.
• Plus, the FitBit app is fun and easy to use. You can add your friends who have a FitBit, see where you rank among your friends with your average steps for the week, and even challenge each other. The app is where you can see your all your stats for the day and over the long term. This is where you can customize pretty much everything.

I seriously love this gadget. It was most definitely money well spent. Seeing those stats from a day or a workout in real time…it keeps me motivated to stay active. If there’s one thing I could use more of, it’s definitely motivation!

My sweet hubby also scooped up a FlipBelt from Brookstone for me on the DL during a day date for the two of us to the mall sans munchkin. I freaked out a little when I saw them in the store. I had seen them on Pinterest forever ago, but had long forgotten what they were called or where I could find them. Then, boom, there they were! However, the store was packed with customers and, by the looks of it, only one employee…and I’m not a patient gal. So I walked out without my precious FlipBelt. Fast forward to when we flopped down in a restaurant booth shortly after and he asked “How much do you love me? A whole lot?” and slid the Brookstone bag across the table to me. He must have went back and bought it for me when I was wandering aimlessly around another store. Sneaky and sweet. I  suppose he’s a keeper.

But anyway, back to the FlipBelt itself. Imagine the waistband on your yoga pants were sewn flipped down, AND HAD POCKETS FOR YOUR CRAP. Well, that’s basically what a FlipBelt is. It allows me to go on my runs hands-free. I start up my music and Couch to 5K app on my phone, put it in my flip belt with my keys, and go. It is so awesome. Now more than ever since I’ve become a mom, being able to do something, anything truly hands free is a luxury I don’t get often. This alone makes my runs and workouts about 8,000,000,000 times more enjoyable.

Do you use a FitBit or similar activity tracker? What keeps you motivated to workout or be more active? Leave me some love in the comments!

P.S.–Have you followed me on any social media yet? Click here to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Jessa Tries It: DIY Moon Sand

Truth time: I have over three THOUSAND things pinned on Pinterest. Want to know how many I’ve actually tried? Maybe twenty. Maybe. Granted, of those three thousand pins, a good portion are snarky e-cards and clothes I wish were in my closet. But still.

So this past weekend, I was feeling particularly crafty and wanted something fun and simple to try with my munchkin. So I thought we’d give Moon Sand a try. The simplest recipes called for flour & baby oil (or any other oil you can scrounge up). I couldn’t find baby oil, so canola it was. I mixed 8 cups of flour with about a cup of canola oil while the rugrat was chowing down on her lunch in the high chair. I searched high and low for food coloring or something that I could use to tint the boring white flour, but to no success. Maybe next time around.

The finished mixture is similar to kinetic sand that is commonly sold in stores. Like forever damp sand. There were some globby chunks in there–I’m guessing I probably didn’t mix it all that well or long enough, but I didn’t really care on getting it perfect. Being made of flour & canola oil, it had a somewhat funky scent. No, that’s putting it politely. It stunk. But you had to really get in there and get a good sniff to realize it didn’t smell that great. I remembered reading on one pin or another about a dough recipe that used hair conditioner to make it softer and smell nicer, so I thought what the hell and dumped a little suave conditioner in there for good measure too. It didn’t really improve the scent all that much though. Bummer.

I transferred the mixture into the biggest tupperware container I have in my house and put it out on our back deck with some sand box toys, and let my munchkin have at it. She was pretty impressed. She loved that she could dig in in it and it flew and sprinkled in the air just like sand. I still didn’t have the mixture quite right, as it was difficult to mold and pack the sand. It needed more oil maybe? Something to give it a little more moisture.

She did try to eat the sand at least once, and tried (and succeeded) to feed it to our dog several times. Her fascination with the sand in total lasted about a whole fifteen minutes, before she had moved on to flinging the moon sand all over the back deck, shrieking with glee at her ability to make mess of nearly anything. This was fine by me, as a terrible headache decided to hit me about then. I simply swept the excess moon sand off the deck and the clean up was essentially done. I was thrilled that the clean up was super simple–no sticky mess!

In summary, I think this was a fun and simple project for a lazy Sunday afternoon. I learned there is a reason there are so many different recipes out there for these different doughs–it really is a bit of a science to get the mixture just right. I plan on trying some of those recipes in the future. I am a little disappointed that I spent nearly the same amount of time (or more) tracking down my ingredients and concocting the sand as the time she spent playing with it. However, Muffin is only a year and a half. Anything keeping her attention for more than a few minutes is a miracle in itself. I mean, look at that geniuinely thrilled expression on her face. Even if it only entertained her for a short amount of time, that face is totally worth it. The way I see it, it’s fifteen minutes I didn’t have to spend pulling her out of cabinets…or off the stairs…or to tell her to quit climbing on our couch. So, that’s a win in my book.

What’s something crafty you’ve done lately? Was it a win or a fail? Is there a craft or project you’d like to challenge me to? Oh! And follow me on Pinterest! Leave me some love in the comments!

I’m Back – With Some Mom Wisdom

So, you may or may not have noticed I didn’t have any new posts last week. I granted myself a little break. It was a busy and stressful week at work, and I also had some family stresses weighing pretty heavily on my mind as well. By the time I got to thinking about what I wanted to go up on the blog…it just felt like another chore I had to get out of my hair.

And this is supposed to be fun, so it was time to take a short breather.

I think it did me quite a bit of good. I put a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself about the success of this blog, but first and foremost, it’s supposed to be fun. So I’m trying to keep that goal in mind while writing going forward–just have a little fun!

I’ve also been doing a little thinking about the direction I want this blog to go. I’ve written about a little bit of everything these past couple of months, trying to figure out where my strengths and interests lie. And I think they’re in complaining.

I’m kidding. Mostly.

What I mean is, the words flow most freely and easily when I’m either A) on a rant or B) doling out a little Mom Wisdom/ Snark.

Today I want to hit you with a little Mom Wisdom on Birth Plans. When I was pregnant, I devoured everything I could online about pregnancy. Blogs, message boards, Facebook pages, and one thing that frequently came up was The Birth Plan.

Here’s my thoughts about that. Birth Plans are…okay. By all means, write one out. Put down the things you want to happen, and list the things you don’t want to happen.

Now take that paper. Crumple it up.

Set it on fire.

Then stomp (or cry) on the ashes.

Because here’s the thing, sweet cheeks. You’re (basically) a parent now, and life is pretty much NEVER going to go according to plan ever again.

Forgive me for being a little over dramatic. Things not going to plan…it’s not necessarily a bad thing. The past 18 months or so of parenting my daughter has taught me VOLUMES on letting go and accepting that not everything is within my control.

I had a birth plan. I wrote it out. I put a moderate amount of effort into it.

Literally nothing went according to plan. Except for getting an epidural (hallelujah!) and getting a pretty awesome baby at the end of it all. By all means, still make a birth plan, but be prepared for that plan to change. Actually, think of it more as a wish list than a plan, because it is very likely that things will change. Whether it’s a small detail, like keeping lights low and the atmosphere quiet, or a big deal, like an unplanned c-section. It’s all within the realm of possibilities.

The birth of my daughter was my first and maybe most important lesson in motherhood. That lesson is: things rarely go as planned, and that’s okay. Sometimes, you’ve just got to do whatever gets you through those tough moments.

For me, that was electing for a c-section after being induced and not progressing after over twenty hours in the hospital. It was giving my daughter a bottle because breastfeeding was sheer agony and further wrecked my fragile psyche that was already being ravaged by those post-pregnancy hormones. It was letting her sleep in my arms when some said I’d spoil her. It was also letting her cry in her bed for a few minutes because I just needed a break and she desperately needed to sleep.

You can have the best intentions when entering parenthood, but those intentions are quickly thrown aside once you’re really in it. Once the reality hits you that you are responsible for the care and well-being of this precious little person, you’ll literally do anything if you think it will make them happy or take away their pain. And that’s what you do.

You just do.

What’s the best advice you’d give to a  parent-to-be, or the best advice you received? What’s one thing you want to do as a parent? Did your birth go as planned…or not at all? Share your stories in the comments!

Fandom Fun

Today I wanted to share one of the “fandoms” I consider myself a part of, and one I honestly don’t think gets the attention it deserves.

I’m talking about Orphan Black.

found via http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/orphan-black/images/36113106/title/orphan-black-fab-art-fanart

I am so into this show it’s ridiculous. It’s everything I love: sci-fi, mystery, suspense, totally awesome female characters (mainly all played by the talented Tatiana Maslany). I watched the first season on Amazon Prime when I was on maternity leave with my daughter and I was hooked before the first episode had ended.

In case you’re lost, the series follows Sarah Manning, a street wise con artist and orphan. In the first episode she witnesses a woman commit suicide. A woman that happens to look identical to her. So, Sarah assumes this woman’s identity, planning to clear out her bank accounts and run. But then she discovers she is one of many clones, and things get…complicated. That’s the most brief synopsis I can give without spoiling too much.

One of the things I love most are the diverse and genuinely awesome female characters. Sarah is tough and street smart. Allison is a born leader, fiercely confident and independent. Cosima is massively intelligent yet sweet and funny. And they’re all played by the same people, and you don’t even realize it! If you like sci-fi and you haven’t checked out Orphan Black yet, you’re seriously missing out. The first two seasons are available on Amazon Prime, so give it a try! There’s also a comic series that I haven’t read yet, but I likely will because it is THAT GOOD.

Below is from BBC’s YouTube channel to give a summary prior to season 3. Beware–Spoilers ahead!

What fandoms are you a part of? Are you an Orphan Black fan already? What fandoms should I check out next?

Weekend Round-Up

Hi guys. It’s been another busy weekend around here, and I still haven’t quite found my rhythm for finding the time to write.

I’m beat.

We usually use weekends to catch up on chores around the house, but it was such a nice, cool, fall-like weekend, I couldn’t help but drag my husband and kiddo out for some adventures. So rather than drive myself crazy trying to put together my Ipsy or Birchbox review together, I thought I’d share some pictures from my weekend.

The City Museum

We went to the City Museum because we heard they had an aquarium, and I don’t know of any others in our area, and Muffin LOVES fishies! Although it didn’t exactly live up to my expectations, we still managed to have an okay time. The City Museum, is awesome, don’t get me wrong. There’s just a lot that Muffin is still too small to do.

The third floor of the building is dubbed “Toddler Town” and that was pretty neat. There were tons of toddler friendly activities, as well as a few things throughout for all ages. We saw a toddler-sized train, several slides, a ball pit…our kiddo especially loved this pit full of GIANT legos! She would have spent all day in there if we would have let her. I can’t wait to bring her back next year when she’s a little older.

Also part of the third floor is this cool stuff! I guess part of the building the museum occupies once used to be a bank. And I work in banking, so I got unreasonably excited by the old bank vault. And look at all those safe deposit boxes. Like I said, unreasonably excited. I love old things, especially old architecture and design. I could have sat and imagined all day what it was like back when this place was a busy and bustling bank.

  

So naturally, we had to grab a few selfies.

Kylie Jenner lip challenge has got nothing on me. [sarcasm font]

Oh, also, Kiddo busted my lip. She thinks it’s funny to get on the couch and throw herself backwards, but she doesn’t always have the best aim. She has very narrowly avoided throwing herself directly onto the hardwood floor head first several times. So, while trying to remove her from the couch, she decided to throw a tantrum, and throw herself backwards, headfirst…into my face. I won’t lie, that hurt so much worse than it looks. Instant tears running down my face while I suppressed the stream of bad words trying to come out of my mouth. Good lord that hurt. It still hurts today. I can’t imagine her little coconut of a head is probably pretty sore too.

Then, Sunday morning, I woke up with a wild hair and decided to drag my kid and husband to a local petting zoo. Kiddo was out of control, so this is literally the only photo I managed to take.

This is actually a pretty accurate summary of 90% of our days. Parenting, ladies and gentlemen.

She wasn’t a total nightmare, and it wasn’t totally her fault. It was muddy, some of the animals were a little too eager for my liking, and it was close to her nap time. So, another okay, slightly stressful time. But a good time.  I think here favorites were the goats because we could walk into the enclosure. But then she tried to pick up goat poop off the ground and that was over. Yuck. There was also the sweetest little cow. Looked just like the Borden Dairy Cow, I think? And was just so darn lovable. She was so mellow and let me scratch behind her ears, and was just SO SWEET. I wanted to take her home. I wish I would have snapped a picture of her!

Then, the rest of our Sunday was catching up on chores around the house. Laundry, grocery shopping, and my sister stopped by to visit for a while. And before I knew it, it was 9:00 and time to put the kiddo to bed!

Like I said, this momma’s BEAT! What adventures did you go on this weekend? What was your favorite thing to take your kids to do when they were toddlers? Seriously I need pointers. Kiddo is about 17 months old, and loves going on these adventures, but gets so frustrated when she can’t do it all! Leave me some love in the comments!

Mom vs. Swimsuit — Pregnant Chicken

This post originally appeared on Mom vs. Swimsuit — Pregnant Chicken.

Check it out! I was featured on Pregnant Chicken! If you haven’t heard of her (Amy over at Pregnant Chicken) yet, I suggest you check it out! I discovered her when I was pregnant and subscribed to her weekly pregnancy updates, which are so funny they make me snort! If you are pregnant, new mom, veteran mom, or even trying to conceive…no matter what stage of life you are in, I bet that Pregnant Chicken has something awesome for you! Below is my post that was featured there earlier this week.

Swimsuit season. Two words that definitely make me cringe when paired together. I remember as a kid and even a teenager, just throwing on a bikini and peeling tracks to the nearest pool or lake every day that I could every summer. Then, once I got a little older, something changed.

Other than my metabolism.

I didn’t want to get into a bikini one summer. I tried on my suit and my heart sank as I realized it felt a bit more snug than it did the year before. Then I noticed every lump and bump and imperfection glaring at me in the mirror. And that was the year that summer stopped being fun for me. I stopped wearing bikinis. Then I stopped wearing shorts.

For the past few years, I’ve gotten away with avoiding hitting the pool in the summer time, with a few exceptions. When I did swallow my embarrassment and go, I couldn’t get my mind off the thought that everyone was judging the way I looked. I continued to avoid bikinis and swimming and shorts and summer (so, you know, basically all things fun) for a couple of years.

Then, I got pregnant. And my body changed — rapidly. I did my best to not get out of control, but I gained a lot of weight. At least, more than I had anticipated. And after I had her, I knew it was going to take my body some time to go back to some version of the “normal” I knew before. I am similar to what I was before, but not the same. The weight is in all different places. Everything fits so differently. Most of the time, this doesn’tbother me so much. Your body forever changing is kind of part of the package when you have the privilege of growing a life and bringing it into this world.

I think a big part of what helped me to accept that was the fact that my husband accepted, loved, and wanted me and my body in all its many forms it has taken throughout the years. I may get the motivation one day to lose this weight, I may not. At the moment, I have enough stress and anxiety to go around, and thinking about weight loss only adds to that for me. So, no weight loss is not exactly a priority for me. I am not thin, but otherwise I am healthy. That is all that matters to me.

But this summer, the swim suit and I met again. My daughter, who was too tiny and I was too terrified to take her swimming but maybe once last year, is now blossoming into toddlerhood, and I am eager to show her the world. One thing I knew she would love this summer would be swimming. She is a water baby through and through. So a girlfriend and I planned to take her kids and mine to the pool one afternoon. My daughter’s first time at a big pool, and I was beyond excited to take her. To experience this again for the first time through my child’s eyes.

But in order to do that, I had to confront that swimsuit shoved in the back of my closet. I squeezed myself into my least despised tankini. I didn’t peek in the mirror right away. I didn’t want to look. I could already tell by the amount of trouble I had in putting on my suit that I was going to look like a busted can of biscuits. Finally though, I worked up the courage and caught a glimpse.

Oof.

Busted can of biscuits was a pretty accurate description. The lumps and bumps were on full display. Oh well, I thought to myself. I don’t have time to find a new suit. It’s time to get out the door. And off we went.

We got to the pool, and my daughter was a level of excited I had not yet seen from her. She tore across the concrete, eager to get in the pool. I chased after her quickly, just a few steps behind. My fearless little muffin charged into the shallow end of the pool, and I had no choice but to go with her as I struggled to at least keep hold of a few fingers on one hand.

She splashed into the pool, grinning from ear to ear, arms tense with excitement. She let out a squeal of delight at the sprinklers and sprayers surrounding her, and charged forward to deeper water. I quickly tightened my grip on her as she almost went face first into the water. In what I am sure was one of the least graceful movements of my life, I scooped her up from the water, pivoted and then landed butt first in the pool, holding my daughter high enough that her head stayed above water.

It was then I realized I still had my shorts and tank top on that I had worn over my suit.

It was also then that I realized I had not looked up at a single person at that pool since I walked through the entrance gate. My focus had solely been on my daughter. Focused on her safety. Focused on her excitement. Her joy. Her complete lack of fear.

I hadn’t looked up at anyone, and I was guessing none of them were too worried about me in my busted-can-of-biscuits-suit either. And just like that, my worries about being out in public in a swim suit vanished. Or maybe it was more like I was now able to realize how little I cared in comparison to how much I cared about sharing this experience with my daughter.

I remembered back to when I was a kid, and my mom would take us swimming, but would rarely, if ever, join us. I remember being as young as 6 or 7 and realizing that my mom didn’t feel good about herself in a swimsuit and that’s why she didn’t swim with us. I thought about how I didn’t want to pass on that memory to my daughter. I want to spare her from as much body negativity and insecurity as I possibly can. To do that, the example starts with me. I don’t want to be the mom who is so ashamed about her appearance that it got in the way of having fun and making memories. The hell with that! I thought to myself. I’m going to go have fun with my daughter.

And we had the best time. I can’t wait to take her again.

Bonus Post: Advice Wipes!

Hi there night owls! I just got finished with my post that’s scheduled to go up early tomorrow morning, but I also wanted to post this just because I found it so freakin’ hilarious! May I present to you…Advice Wipes.

How awesome is that?! Way to go Tomee Tipee, you nailed it! What did you think of the video? Do you know of any other great/funny/smart/snarky ads you’d like to share? Leave me a little something in the comments! Until then, see you tomorrow!

The Happy Mama Tribe

Full disclosure: I’m about to go on a little bit of a rant here today. One of my favorite bloggers I follow shared some photos for her son’s first birthday. They were photos from the hospital from the day he was born. In her caption, she also mentioned the lingering feelings she has about having a c-section and mourning the birth experience she didn’t get.

That hit pretty close to home for me. She and I seemed to have had a similar birth experience. I was induced, my labor refused to progress. Around twenty hours after being induced, at 3 centimeters and holding, my doctor was ready to leave for the night, I broke down. I burst into tears and made the decision for myself and for my daughter to opt for a c-section. A year and a half later, and I still think about the decision I made. By no means do I regret it, but every time I think about the experience I had expected and what I got, my heart breaks a little.

But back to the Facebook post. Most comments were positive, sharing similar experiences and feelings. There were a few others, well meaning I’m sure, but would comment something to the effect of “Be grateful you’re even able to have babies!”

That…rubs me the wrong way just a little bit. She is allowed to have whatever feelings she would like about her birth experience. And so am I. Are we grateful that we can have children? Of course! Does that mean we can’t have feelings and opinions about our individual experiences? Absolutely not. By reminding me “Hey, it could be worse!” what I actually hear is “Hey, your feelings don’t matter!” I do my best to not be the type to be offended by everything, but sometimes I want to tell people to not bother talking if that is all they have to contribute to the conversation. When you are the person who is struggling and having a bad day, that does absolutely nothing in making you feel better or solving the problem.

Mothers are such a strange mixture of infinite strength and boundless vulnerability.  We grow and carry and nurture a life within our own body for 40 long weeks, suffering through aches and pains and complications. We give birth, a miracle in itself. We can function on no sleep, breastfeed even when it’s agony. We feed them a bottle and bear the weight of mountainous guilt for things not going according to plan. We soldier on through the “baby blues” and postpartum depression and every shade of emotional turmoil in between, caring for our babies, our families, and ourselves as best we can. We cry our eyes out the first day back to work, and all over again when we see them that first evening, noticing changes we were sure weren’t there that morning. We put them to bed every night, hoping and praying we’re not completely screwing it all up.

Then we go online or into the world to share our experiences, desperate to find that we are normal and not alone in this role of Motherhood. And then someone tries to nullify our feelings, pointing out how it could always be worse. I personally experienced this on a parenting message board while sharing my feelings and struggles with breastfeeding and my decision to stop. I was met with swift and harsh judgement. So much so that I never logged onto that site ever again. I already felt so frail and so lost and so inept as a mother in those early weeks, and people I didn’t even know judged me mercilessly and shattered me into pieces. Where was the understanding? The shared experiences? No wonder people call it the “Mommy Wars.”

We are all moms. We should be a tribe. We all know we are our own harshest critics. Why are so many of us so quick to bring down judgement on another mama that makes a decision differently than we made our own? Some might say “Well, I don’t sugar coat things—that’s just the way I am.” That’s fine. To each their own I suppose.

But as for me, I will do my best to show kindness to my fellow mama. To remind her that we’re all kind of winging it and we’re all just doing the best we can. There are no one-size-fits-all rules for parenting; we’re just making the decisions that make the most sense for our kids and our families. I will be a shout of positivity to drown out the mutterings of judgement. I will be there to remind you—we’ve all been there. It’s not the end of the world, and it’s all going to turn out okay. Parenting is rough. It’s messy. It gets a little crazy. I do my best to embrace it with positivity when I can, and I hope there are other moms who will do the same. Let’s be a tribe of positive, happy mamas, instead of harsh and judgmental, desperate to convince everyone else that they have it so easy.

The Happy Mama Tribe…I kinda like the sound of it. Have you ever felt judged in your parenting choices (or life choices in general) either online or in the real world? How do you deal with it? Leave me a little something in the comments, even if it’s just to say hi! Thanks for reading my little rant!

It’s Gonna Be A Short One Today Guys…

Let me start by scolding myself. I have GOT to get myself a better schedule to sit down and get my blogs written during the week. This night before business is so not working. I have tons of ideas, but I never sit down and hammer out a draft of any of those ideas. Shame on me. I can’t expect this blog to be successful if I don’t invest a little time in it! Argh! To the few who do read my blog: thank you so much and please keep reading! I promise I am trying my best to post great content regularly! Stick around, okay? It’s gonna be awesome!

Today, I don’t have a whole lot for you to read, so I thought I’d share some pictures. First thing–I was super pumped to check my mail today. Ipsy AND Birchbox came Wednesday! WooHoo! Expect a review of both soon!

In other news, I’ve been on Pinterest adding pins to my Blogging board like mad. I truly do want to grow this blog and contribute to the awesome community that is blogging. I want to see it succeed, and more than that, thrive. I want to meet more weirdos like me who love EVERYTHING! This blog is my newest adventure and I want to make it a good one. So I doodled a little bit and worked on what goals I have for this blog.

And then I just also feel like sharing some cute photos from my week so far.

So, that’s all I’ve got this time around. As usual, leave me a little something in the comments! What adventures are you working on right now? How do you get inspired? If you’re a blogger, when do you find time to work on your content (like really, how do you do it?) Are you a Pinterest addict like me? Follow me HERE!