The adventures of a girl aspiring to be many somethings, including (but not limited to) a pretty good wife, a passable mom, a decent human being, and a humor blogger whose posts you actually want to read.
More than once, I have found myself shaking my head as I ask myself, Is this what I signed up for? And then I realize that, as a parent, whether I knew it or not at the time, this is exactly what I signed up for.
As the days of sipping lattes while getting a pedicure with your girlfriend while your baby sleeps peacefully next to you in his carseat are long gone, you are likely to find yourself desperate for adult conversation in a more manageable setting. It seems like a no-brainer. Enter the playdate.
A friend of mine recently posted an Instagram story featuring some of the lies she has told her kids to make her life as a parent a little bit easier and a lot more entertaining. When I saw her post, it inspired me to do a little digging to see what kinds of stories other parents are telling their kids to help them get through the day with a chuckle or two. When I originally posted the question, I thought I was going to get a huge variety of crazy answers, but what I found instead was kind of fascinating. Imagine my surprise when, over the course of a couple of days, I started to realize that we are all lying to our kids about the same things.
I have to imagine that one of the greatest struggles of maternity leave has got to be finding the will and strength to leave the house. Actually, I don't have to imagine, because I know this to be true. When I was on mat leave the first time around, the seduction of Netflix, combined with both my fear of Mommy and Me groups, hatred of cold weather and just general laziness found my new baby and I spending the better part many winter weeks hanging out around the house.
There is a window of time in all of our lives when receiving a wedding invitation in the mail is a cause for excitement and joy. Someone who you know cares enough about you enough to invite you to bear witness to one of the most important days of their lives, and if you're lucky, you'll also be surrounded by many of your friends and/or family while eating, drinking, dancing, and partaking in similar activities of celebration and general merriment at the event. While all of this generally remains true regardless of your age or the stage of life you may find yourself in, attending a wedding when you have a child, particularly one of toddler age, makes things considerably more...interesting. Click the picture for the rest of the post!
As the days leading up to our anatomical screen get closer and closer, I've started to ask myself, "What if it's another boy?" And I think I've come up with a pretty good answer.
You know that story, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? Isn't motherhood like that sometimes, only with less cookies and more chores?
Remember when you were childless, and going out for dinner meant sitting at a romantic table for two, gazing lovingly into the eyes of your partner as you leisurely sipped at your wine and let the hours stretch out before you as you indulged in deep and meaningful conversation over appetizers and entrees? Remember when [...]
By now, you, your grandma, and your long-dead pet hamster have all seen the video of the BBC News broadcast where a professor's cover gets blown and the world discovers his true identity as a parent who is only pretending to have it all together. Moments after the initial shock of seeing not one, but two children bust [...]
Maybe subconsciously I was feeling a bit guilty about leaving my son to have some time to myself, but I don't think that it's fair for moms to have to feel this way. Being a mom brings me incredible joy, but it's important for me to remember that, while it's a part of my identity, it's not the only thing that defines me. I'm allowed to do things for myself and have time alone; it helps me to appreciate the time that I do spend with my son and not take those moments for granted.
THE ASPIRING SOMETHING 