The Mom Tag

I saw this on Owls & Monsters and thought I'd take some time to fill it out and share with you. It's actually part of a "mom tag" thing, where you're supposed to tag other mommy bloggers, but being that I'm new to the mommy blogger realm, I don't really have anyone to tag.

That being said, I'm simply going to answer the questions without tagging anyone.

Enjoy!

1. Are you a Stay at Home Mom, or a Working Mom?

I'm a full-time stay at home mom and housewife. 

2. Would you have it any other way?

I enjoy being a full-time mom, but there are days that I feel like working outside of the home would be a "break." All of you other stay-at-home moms know what I mean! Also, my husband works 14 hours a day, so if I could make enough money, I'd love to give him time to spend at home with the kids while I work.

3. Do you co-sleep?

Not currently, although I have before. My son slept with us for awhile when he was a baby--it took a long time to get him back into his own room. He is now 6-years-old and sleeps like a rock in his own bed. He has an awesome sleep schedule. Our daughter slept next to me in her bassinet and pack-and-play until she was 8 months old. She is now one, and sleeps in her own crib. Her sleep schedule is all over the place. She still wakes up twice a night.

4. What is your one must-have item for your baby?

Dr. Brown's bottles! Both of my children had feeding issues--gas, stomach upset, etc.--but when we switched to Dr. Brown's bottles, the problems seemed to disappear. I totally recommend them! We'll never use another brand of bottle.

 

5. How many kids do you plan on having?

I have two, and to be honest, that's all I plan on having. One boy. One girl. The end.

6. Date night? How many nights per month?

What's that? Ha! Seriously. My husband works way too much and at the moment, we don't have a babysitter, so we don't do date night. And if we do go on a date, it's a family date. ;)

7. Your childs favorite show?

My son's favorite show changes a lot, but right now, it's Animal Mechanicals. He also likes Power Rangers, Monster Math Squad, Scooby-Doo, and The Magic School Bus. Ireland watches a few things on Netflix, but she mainly likes the intros. She likes Ruby Gloom, Monster Math Squad, Pingu, and Bonnie-Bear.

8. Name one thing you bought before you had your baby and never ended up using?

With Carter, we used almost everything. With Ireland, however, we used the Bumbo Seat maybe twice. She sat up well on her own pretty early, so I never really saw a use for it. Oh, there were also about 5 pairs of shoes that were given to us that we never used. She wasn't walking at the time, so I never saw a use for them. I'm practical.

9. Your child’s favorite food?

Carter likes noodles and popcorn shrimp. And anything sweet, of course! Ireland likes everything, but one of her favorite foods is yogurt.

10. How many cars does your family have?

We have one vehicle. Honda Accord. We get great gas mileage compared to our previous cars.

11. Weight gain before pregnancy, during and after and now?

Before Carter, I weighed 160. I gained 40 pounds. Afterward, I dropped down to 180. I continued to gain after that. Before Ireland was conceived, I weighed about 190. I topped out at about 228 during my pregnancy. I'm not sure what weight I'm at now, but I'd say near the 190-200 mark.

12. Dream holiday with your kids?

If we're talking about a place we've been before, I'd take them to Burr Oak Cabin to enjoy train rides, boating, and campfires. If we're talking about a place we've never been, I'd want to take them to Great Wolf Lodge! Indoor waterpark, for the win!

13. Dream holiday without your kids?

Ah, this is a hard one! I've never seen the ocean, so I would love to do that. I'd also love to travel to the mountains of Tennessee. My husband once mentioned going to the east coast to watch the sunrise, and in the same day, heading to the west coast to watch it set. Wouldn't that be something?

14. How has your life changed since your baby has been born?

When Carter was born, I changed a lot. I moved in with Justice, and I became more responsible, more serious, and I even lost a lot of friends. It didn't bother me very much, because people drift as their priorities change, but I was pretty lonely for awhile. After Ireland was born, my life became far more hectic. She's very attached to me, so it became hard to get things done, and even harder to get 5 hours of straight sleep!

15. Finish the sentence: 'It makes my heart melt to see … '

It makes my heart melt to see Carter playing with Ireland. I think back to when he was an only child--and then when he found out he was going to have a baby sister. He's grown up so much. It's crazy. They laugh together, dance together, and play together. Sometimes, they get mad at each other, though. It's actually pretty funny at times.

16. Where do you shop for your kids?

I like to check out thrift stores for clothes before spending a fortune anywhere else. If I can't find what I'm looking for, Walmart and Meijer are usually my go-to when it comes to clothes for them. We purchase most of the things we need from Walmart as well.

17. Favorite makeup and skincare products?

I don't have a favorite brand, but in my purse I typically have foundation, pressed powder, bronzer, mascara, chap-stick, and eyeliner. For my skin, I almost always have lotion on hand. If my hands get dry, I panic! In the shower, I always have an exfoliating body wash.

18. Huggies or Pampers?

Neither. I use Luvs. It's weird, because when Carter was a baby, Huggies were the only diapers that didn't leak, and Luvs were terrible for him. For Ireland, though, Huggies AND Pampers would leak, so we switched to Luvs and they're great for her. I swear, the brand of diapers you use depends on the baby.

19. Have you always wanted kids?

Surprisingly, no! My whole life plan was completely different than what it turned out to be. I wanted to be single--never marry--and move to California. Once I met Justice, I kind of changed my mind about kids. Next thing I know, Carter was born, and 6 years later, Ireland was born. Justice and I have been together for 8 years, married for two, and we live in a cozy little town in Ohio. Perfection.

20. Best part about being a mom?

Oh, there are so many! I love watching them grow, learn, and seeing them express themselves. Their personalities are amazing. There are so many things that we could learn from children.

If you liked this little "survey," go ahead and copy and paste it to your blog and fill it in!

Pregnancy Photos: Don't Be Ashamed.

When I became pregnant with my son many moons ago, I only took two photos of myself when I was pregnant. I wasn't happy with my "baby bump." I thought I was fat. I thought my stretch marks were disgusting. There were times that I told myself, "You don't even look pregnant--you just look fat." I was very, very hard on myself.

I stand at 5 feet, 8 inches, and I weighed 160 pounds when I found out I was pregnant. I had just recently lost about 30 pounds, and I just couldn't believe that I was about to gain most of it back (I actually gained 40 pounds). I loved the idea of having my son, but I hated the idea of looking like, what I deemed, as a "swollen balloon."

And then, I gave birth to my son.

And that's when I regretted not having taken more pictures of my pregnant self.

So, when I found out I was pregnant again 6 years later, I started taking photos of myself. I may not have added my face to the photos, but I took a photo of myself with my bra on showing off my baby bump in all of it's glory.

They may not be professional photos, but I have them!

All real. All beauty.

They're not stretch marks. I'm a tiger, and I earned these stripes!

 

Take it from me, mamas. You will regret it if you don't take maternity photos. Even if you don't want to share your face, even if you don't intend on showing anyone, please, take photos. These moments--these precious moments--are not about how you feel about yourself. It's about how you feel about what's growing inside of you. Your photos are not to please the world. They're about remembering that you, my friend, carried a living, breathing human being inside of your body for nine months.

And after you've taken those beautiful maternity pictures, learn to love that body of yours. It's beautiful. It's real. It's powerful. You created LIFE!

Moms: We're Superheroes

Nothing prepares you for a career as a secret agent like sneaking away from your baby's bedroom right after she falls asleep. I'm serious. I could work for the FBI with all this expertise.

Seriously.

My daughter will sleep through a tornado, but as soon as she hears even the lightest footsteps leaving her room, BAM! She's wide awake and ready to play peek-a-boo.

It can be frustrating, you know? And sometimes, we as moms get down on ourselves. We take comments about our mothering skills to heart--even if we pretend it doesn't bother us. We tell ourselves that we could do better. We often forget about taking care of ourselves, because we're too busy pushing ourselves to the limit.

But the fact still remains: We're moms. We're superheroes. We have magic rituals. We do more in 7 minutes than most people do in a day.

Sure, we're imperfect, but who the hell isn't? And just because that childless lady up the street told you that you're parenting skills are less than stellar doesn't mean it's the truth. You're fantastic. You love your kids like no one else. You have their best interest at heart like no one else. Screw the people who try to bring you down. Who carried your children for 9 months? Who popped them out and was back at home to care for them within 5 days? That's right. It was YOU.

My reasons.

Look, there is absolutely nothing that can prepare you for motherhood. Nothing. Not manuals. Not classes on parenting. Not babysitting.

Nope. It's one of those things that you have to learn as you go. You develop "tricks" to make your life a little easier. You know, like how to wash your face, hair, and body in less than two minutes, or how to put makeup on, bathe two kids, and have them dressed and out the door in 10 minutes or less.

And while we as moms may not love every second of the work we do (because no one likes catching vomit with their hands), we love every second with our kids.

You're a mother. There is no job in the world that is more difficult, and there is no job in the world that is more rewarding. We are superheroes.