"Ms. Can't Do Most Of It" (from http://thatwifeblog.com/)

A blog that I often read, who also happens to run Pintrest Fail as well, came out with this post this morning.  The title?  Ms. Can't-Do-Most-Of-It.  She talks about how hiring part time help even though she doesn't work outside of the home made her feel guilty to admit.  How hiring someone to help clean before the birth of her second made her feel like she would be judged.  She came to find out from most of her friends that they too had help for some of these things, making her feel normal.

As I wrote about last week in First World Problems, sometimes it feels like the weight of the world is on our shoulders to be "perfect" moms.  BUT Ms. Can't-Do-Most-Of-It is more of the reality than "perfect" mom.  Thanks Jenna for reminding me of this!

"Hand me my sash because I am proudly going to wear the title of Ms. Can’t-Do-Most-Of-It. (I’ve already got the tiara sitting on a shelf at my mom’s house due to my high school pageant days.) If I lived next to family I would be asking for their help on a weekly basis (daily?). That’s not an option here, and so where I can afford it I’m going to outsource wherever I can. I’m going to send my children to school instead of homeschooling (not only because it’s a great environment for them to learn and grow, but also because I enjoy a break from them), buy my vegetables pre-cut from the grocery store, find a way to have once-a-month housekeeping work within our budget, and hire a babysitter whenever I feel I need one.

I am Ms. Can’t-Do-Most-Of-It and proud of it. Join me. I’ll even let you try on my tiara."

Room Tour: Nursery

Welcome to the "new" nursery!  All of the furniture is the same from Grayson's nursery, but all of the decor is new.  When we turned this room into Grayson's nursery, I wanted to make it a comfortable space for him, but for myself as well.  I spent hours and hours sitting in that room, in that chair.  

I wanted to make sure that I felt the same way with this nursery.  I struggled with a lot of the overly girly themes, pink/floral/etc.  I wanted to find something that fit our house and our tastes, but also looked like a little girl lived there.  I also wanted to keep the white furniture and the tan walls

The color scheme that I finally decided on was hot pink, orange, and teal.  The "theme" is birds, although there isn't that much of it.

-Bumper and curtains are from Target.
-Crib skirt was from a friend, and my mom and I sewed ribbon trim on it.
-Wall decal is from Etsy
-Wall decor are embroidery hoops painted white with fabric in them

Day 20, Monday

   

Day 20, Monday: Get real. Share something you're struggling with right now.

Happy Monday!  So I totally skipped 2 posts this weekend.  Sorry about that, I just didn't get around to them.  Oh well, my blog, my rules.  Also, it has been brought to my attention by one of my loyal readers that I am blogging about my pregnancy too much.  To my credit, that's mostly what's going on in my life right now.  But for this one, I'll try to talk about something else.

Something I'm struggling with right now...

T.O.D.D.L.E.R

So you've heard of the terrible 2's have you?  What someone failed to mention to Brandon and I is the bipolar nature of this journey we call toddlerhood.  Terrible?  Yes, he can be downright terrible.  BUT he can be AWESOME too.  The really hard part is that terrible and awesome seem to switch back and forth waaaay too quickly and without warning.

Some days we joke about which kid we'll get when he wakes up.  Is awesome coming to the party today, or do we get terrible?  The slightest thing can set him off without any warning, which can bring on a 5 minute tantrum with hysterical tears, runny nose, and red face.  And then, just like that, it's over, and he's awesome again.

The highs and lows are just exhausting.  He is incredible.  Learning new things every day.  Putting toddler sentences together.  Doing just about any task we ask him to do (he loves a job).  Finally experimenting with some new foods and textures.  I love watching him play independently, when he's really trying to figure something out.  He just loves his new room, the independence of the space is really cool for him.  And no, he has not gotten out of his bed by himself yet, only when we come in and tell him he can.

But those lows.  Man, those lows can knock you down on your ass fast.  They can make you become the yelling mom fast (something no one wants to be but hey, it happens, ok?).  They can frustrate you to a level that you didn't know was possible.  While his communication skills are improving daily, he still can't quite let us know what the issue is.  That's not the cup I wanted.  I don't want to put on shoes.  You've given me 4 different kinds of snacks but I don't want those.  And therefore I SCREAAAAAAAAAAAAM!  And kick.  And hit.  And sometimes mommy cries too.  And everyone is frustrated.  And then it passes, and turns to hugs and kisses and the world is ok again.

This isn't meant to be a rant.  We love this stage of G very much, he is so much fun.  But each day can be a struggle as well.

Day 17, Friday

   

Day 17, Friday: A favorite photo of yourself and why

 

 This picture was taken a few short weeks before Grayson was born.  I remember both Brandon and I feeling so ready for the life change that was about to happen to us, but still not sure what that exactly meant.  It was those last few weeks of just the two of us, waiting for the little boy that would change our lives.  I was uncomfortable, but happy.  The excitement of the unknown made every day seem a little longer.  Now here we are almost 2 years later in the same place.  The unknown is different this time.  We know about newborns, nursing, and diaper rash.  We do not however know about having 2 kids under two.  And the excitement of the new unknown is here again!

 

Day 16, Thursday

   

Day 16, Thursday: A Day in the life (include photos from throughout your typical day - this could be "a photo an hour" if you'd like)

6:00am: wake up!  Ughhhhh, rough night. Sinus infection + 3rd trimester = awake throughout the night

7:00am: netipot and coffee. Both necessary to get through the day

8:30am: breakfast at my desk. Homemade bagel and cream cheese from the cafeteria

1:00 pm: my footrest under my desk. I've essentially made myself a recliner at my desk

1:00pm: oh hello, just working here

5:30pm: driving home, almost to daycare

5:45 pm: greeting the turtle while holding onto a book. Also known as not wanting to come inside the house. 

7:00pm: testing out the new potty seat before bath time. No action, but he liked being up there. 

7:45pm: bedtime, and turning the air on in the house (77 in his room, really?)

8:00pm: catching up on Million Dollar Listing.  These guys are a little nutty!

First world problems

We live in an interesting time.  Mommy wars are real, but I think most of the time we are trying to outdo ourselves, not really each other.  Suddenly we all think that we are Martha Stewart.  Reality check, we are not Martha.  Nor should we try to be.

Pintrest can be really great, getting ideas for things, being inspired, and just generally gathering and storing information.  BUT, it can take.you.down.  Case in point, do we all remember this disaster?

What we really need to remember is that it's ok to be inspired, but it's even more ok for real life not to look just like Pintrest.  That store bought decor/valentines still get the point across.  That we're still doing a great job as moms by even getting valentines.

First world problems.

This article made me laugh, she's right and you know it!

Day 15, Wednesday

   

Day 15, Wednesday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it

Well I'm not sure that I would describe this pregnancy as necessarily my "lot in life", but it has been difficult.  It's been a scary ride, much different than my pregnancy with Grayson. There have been so many ups and downs, but I have connected with this little girl in a very special way. I've had to protect her my protecting myself. And so far, we've done great! With tons of support from Mr. Wonderful, family, and friends, I feel like I've turned a difficult situation into a great one!