[ “dear daughter” notebook available in my shop ] Here’s a little lesson I recently learned that I plan to relay to my daughter one day. No, it’s not really about nudity. Let me explain… I was doing my morning devotion today (from the amazing ladies of Illustrated Faith) and it completely opened my eyes to…
*Heavy sigh* Here we go again. The evil potty training monster rears its ugly head. We are deep in the throes of potty training with our second child. He is only 2 years, 2 months, but I wanted to give it a go. We potty trained Mia first at 18 months, then took a break…
So this is obviously pertinent to my life right now since I am, in fact, in the throes of postpartum – but that’s not the only reason I wanted to talk about it. Ever since having my first child, I have firmly believed that postpartum is not talked about enough when it comes to first-time mothers.
I had NO IDEA what I was in for 4 1/2 years ago. In fact, I hadn’t even thought about it. When you are prepping for your first baby, you are busy decorating the nursery and buying cute little clothes, and your mind is consumed with how you are going to make it through labor. You go to classes to learn what to expect during this monumental occasion and you learn coping mechanisms for the pain and you get yourself all ready to bring this little baby into the world. But no one ever tells you that there is a whole mess of crap you have to deal with afterward.
Grab a cup of coffee and let’s get real. Here’s some ramblings of what’s been on my mind lately (warning: it’s all over the place. I blame hormones.)
Things have been very quiet around the blog lately. Between planning for our 3rd baby, keeping up with my Etsy shop and doing some freelance work, I haven’t had much time to devote to blogging.
The Mr. and I were talking the other day about how things change over time. When I started this blog a little over 3 years ago, I had every intention of becoming a big-time blogger who earns an income from it. Over time, I learned that many of the ways necessary to make an income from blogging were not paths I wanted to take or really felt passionate about. I also opened my Etsy shop during that time and saw success from the more time and effort I put into it, and I have fallen in love with making that my career over the last year and a half.
What is with the nightmares that preschoolers get? I can’t even begin to tell you about the things my poor 4-year-old daughter has dreamt about. Things that I don’t think she has ever seen on TV or read in a book. Scary things that are somehow created in her imagination in the middle of the night.
You might remember when I embarked on a 365-day journey to stop yelling at my kids. I vowed to practice keeping my voice down, responding quietly and not letting my anger and frustration get the best of me. I vowed to no longer be a “yeller.”
So here we are: Day 56/365 I still need some serious work. Unlearning a reaction you feel is innate is hard stuff; but I AM improving. I have gone into my room and yelled into my pillow. I have hit the bed. I have walked away. I have started singing “la la la la la” really loud. I have intentionally whispered. And, of course, I have slipped and I have yelled. But my reactions are coming slower, and I am becoming more intentional in what I say and how I say it.
We obsess over getting pictures of our kids next to a chalkboard sign stating their grade and what they want to be when they grow up (something they will laugh at us for one day, I’m sure, even though we tell ourselves we are creating memories), find them the perfect first-day-of-school outfit, snap a shot of them in front of the house, their school, with their teacher, with us…, coax them into walking into their new classroom with all the excitement and smiles we can muster, and then shed a million tears on the drive home.
I warned you when I started my Coffee Talks that they would be a little too honest – the good, the bad and the ugly of life and parenting, in particular. Although, it seems like I tend to discuss the bad and the ugly more than the good; most likely because I am looking for support and solidarity from my community – and you always deliver!
So much is happening in my head right… so I thought, hey, why not write about it? Even though I just had a quick Type-A moment and thought, wait! “Candid Coffee Talks” are only supposed to post on Mondays! And then I said, shut up, it’s your blog and you can do what you want. Yes, I had that whole conversation in my head.
So here we go… It’s almost time for the big move. One week from today, I will be hopping on a plane in California with my two youngins to meet my husband (who is driving) in Colorado – our new home state.
