My motherhood journey - not what I expected!

Hello everyone, I hope that this post finds you safe and healthy. Cases are rising so please remember to do your part to keep not only yourself safe but your loved ones. Most mornings, our little one wakes up with a big smile. This morning, he had that same big smile...but a certain distinct smell accompanied that smile. He had pooped - which is normal. But, when I picked him up - there was wetness and a dark tint to his pajamas, sleeper and bed sheet... yeah, that is how my day started. The only relief I had was that I caught it early enough that nothing was too badly stained and all could be salvaged. So, that was good! Also, he was so happy because he had released himself and knew he was about to get a nice bottle of milk. He chugged it and fell asleep. And the weird thing is that I feel so blessed that my morning started this way. I can already hear you thinking: "How can that have been a blessing?" Let me explain. I was blessed because I got to wake up in my bed. I was b...

Hello everyone, I hope and pray that when you read this, you are keeping safe and healthy.  One of the hardest things I have had to deal with is finding joy when it comes to parenting...especially when I started being more with the kids. Don't get me wrong... I love my children and would die for them, but there are days when I am just unable to find any joy. This tends to happen on the harder days - when everyone is cranky and screaming and there is just pure chaos... but even on good days, I still find it hard to find joy always. It's a battle that most moms experience, especially when they have multiple children. No matter the age group, they still struggle. With Covid having most having to stay home with their kids and helping out with e-learning and not having them be able to play sports or outside like they could... I know it has been challenging. For us, because the kids are so small, our outings were already pretty restricted... but still, our planned vacations have beco...

Hello everyone, I hope that when you read this post, you are keeping safe and healthy!  Here is a scenario: the kids are awake and you know there are in the house...you could hear move and play around and then, it got quiet - very quiet! You think: 1) maybe they just fell asleep on the floor - totally unlikely 2) they found a treasure and are mesmerized - totally unlikely and 3) they are up to no good - MOST LIKELY SCENARIO!!! Then, you begin to panic a bit and start looking around for them. Your hope is that your house is not starting to burn or that your walls are still intact or that one of your kids is not stuffing the other one through the banister...  Yes, quiet is nice when you have small children...because they are all sleeping. But when you know they are not sleeping --- when you know they are in the house...but you don't know where and it suddenly got very quiet...yeah, you panic! You panic because you are know they are up to no good. I used to hear stories from my s...

Hello everyone, I hope that when you read this post, you are keeping safe and healthy. Remember to wear your masks - they are not restricting your rights, they are saving lives! DISCLAIMER - this post deals with very serious subject matter and will be, at times, a bit graphic - beware! My ex-boyfriend's mom, she died of breast cancer. It was tragic because she was in her fifties and was full of life. But, she did one very stupid thing - she ALWAYS put herself last. She had pain in her breast for a while but thought nothing of it. Then, when she could no longer stand the pain, she went to the doctor. It showed up on her mammogram and surgery was the next step.  She had her surgery, but they closed her up as soon as they cut into her. The cancer was all over and had spread so massively, that even with chemo, she did not have much of a chance. She still underwent treatments because she had hope. Unfortunately, in the summer of 2002, she died. She fought a long battle, but it was one t...

Hello everyone, I hope and pray that you are keeping safe and healthy. New mask mandates are popping out all over the nation - be sure that you are doing your part. Don't see it as a way to restrict your freedoms, but as a way to protect you and your loved ones!  Last night, a close family member went into the hospital. She is almost eight months pregnant and started bleeding heavily. When I heard, my heart sank. Praise God, as of this morning, the bleeding has gone down. But she is still not out of the woods - so, please, keep her in your prayers. As this was going on, I heard myself think: "Yeah, I am glad I never had to go through that!" And I meant it!! It was not even me in that situation, and I could barely sleep all night...so, imagine how she was feeling. She also had to be all alone because no visitors are allowed due to Covid. I know God is with her, but I can also imagine her fear and apprehension.  There are instances when I feel sadness because I did not get ...

Hello everyone, I hope this email finds you well, safe and healthy. Remember to wash your hands, not touch your face and wear your masks! They are not there to restrict you but to save lives - the lives of the people you love and cherish! A few weeks back, during a therapy session, I said that I felt inefficient because I was doing more house work than work. He looked at me through the screen - yes, I do online therapy - and he said: "What do you mean? Are you implying that house work and taking care of your children is not work?" I looked back and said: "No???" And then, it hit me - wait, that is work!!! I googled what kind of salary would a stay-at-home make in 2020. I was rather shocked by the amount and I think you will too. Are you ready? If I had a salary, it would be over $160,000!!!! Crazy, right? And some of you may be thinking, why would we be making so much? Trust me, I asked the same question. So, let's itemize what a stay-at-home does. Common tasks ...

Hello everyone, I hope that when you read this post, you are safe and healthy. Remember to wash your face, not touch your face and wear your mask. The wearing of mask is not restricting your rights - it is saving the lives of those you love! I went to the doctor with our boys. The nurses, knowing our kids are adopted, asked if I had children of my own. In my head, I knew they were asking about biological children - yet, they said: children of your own... I should have clarified by saying: "You mean biological children?" Instead, it went right through me and I answered that we lost her a few years ago. Only when I was in the car did it register..."Wait!!! What just happened???" And then, I was so thankful that the kids were small and could not understand what was going on. Yet ... if they had understood and heard my answer, they would have been upset and confused. You see, many people still think of adopted children as "adopted" and that's it! And altho...