How Are YOU? Seriously...

How are YOU? Seriously...

Do you ever scroll through social media and see nothing but smiling faces, organized playrooms, pristine kitchens, extravagant vacations while you sit in your messy house, pink painted child - because she got into the nail polish - and feel more stressed and overwhelmed rather than blissfully perfect and happy like everybody else seems to be?

Can I just say, that's the kind of morning I've had? 

But that doesn't go into a picture perfect Instagram post very well, does it?

I read Chapter 2 of 'Grace not Perfection' this morning - I was suppose to read it yesterday, but I think it was really perfect and almost meant to be that I read it THIS morning. I got up early to get a head start on my book study and workout. I loved what I was reading by Emily. She said she has a friend that will ask her how she TRULY is - not the bullpoop answer of "I'm fine!" like I normally give acquaintances. But her friend asks her how she is...seriously. And she asked us to do the same. How we are, truly and seriously. 

This morning, my answer was different, but similar to what it is now. This morning my answer was that I feel overwhelmed. I feel like I have taken on a lot of projects - that I've done to myself and honestly really enjoy, but I feel the time ticking down. I wrote that I feel anxious and excited for school to start, but am worried that I've lost my teacher touch and will struggle being the primary teacher again, as much as I want to be. 

But then Harper woke up. Smile on her face, excited and joyful to see me. We got up, started to change her "poo?" (Harper's words) diaper when she grabbed the open diaper and pulled it straight towards her face. In an effort to prevent the ultimate poop tragedy of 2017, I grabbed the diaper with my hand and ended up being the one covered in, you guessed it. Good morning to me. Ha. 

After some deep breaths, morning workout, breakfast with my girl, we got ready to head to my sisters house. Harper lagged behind in the bathroom, but I assumed she was coming and I went to out to put my shoes on. Only to realize that she didn't follow me. And that it was eerily quiet - the kind of quiet only a mom is terrified of. And as I turned the corner, I see hot pink painted feet and hands. Nail polish bottle in the right, hot pink painted brush in the left. And behind her, hot pink drips of nail polish on the carpet, bathroom floor, and all over her precious little dress. Not to mention all over me as she grabbed me - my clothes, skin, and newly painted fingernails - which were white, now with blobs of pink. 

So. If I could reanswer truthfully how I'm feeling - overwhelmed, anxious, excited are all still there. But now stressed, upset, angry - at myself more than anything - and feeling like a crappy mom. But normally, if someone asked me how I was feeling, or if I were to post on social media - it wouldn't be that answer. It would be an "I'm great." answer. But not one with much truth. 

So as I type this out rocking her to sleep, I think back to the book. I remember to find grace in myself - these things happen, this is temporary, it's okay to slow down today and regroup. It's okay to find joy in other things - like how Harper helped me start the dishwasher today and was the proudest girl in the world, pink feet and fingers included. How cute and happy she was to sit inside the dog crate, holding up my Fitbit, and saying "CHEEEEESE" cause she thought it was a camera. 

I find joy in her joy today.

So, yes I have a mess to clean. 

I have a list of things to do.

 I'm slowing down, taking deep breaths and finding joy today. 

That's how I'm TRULY doing.

Mommy + Me

Can I be that annoying blogger today, please? Can I blog something that happened six months ago?  Don't hate me. These pictures though.

I mean, really. I don't know why this is bothering me, but I need these pictures posted somewhere. I don't know if it's because I had a scare with my previous laptop drowning in a cup of water that I totally didn't mean to spill. Or if it's the fact that my baby just turned ten months old, and when I really should be starting to plan her first birthday party, I'd rather just sit in her rocking chair, hold her really tight, and pretend like she's not getting any older. Whatever the reason, my heart is telling me to share, share, share.  I've wanted to for six months, I promise. But this little thing called life and *excuses* got in the way. I'll probably be doing this with a million more memories - you know, blogging them way past due - but at least for my peace of mind, I need to know I'm documenting my baby girl's life somewhere. I believe I mentioned these before - but it's been so long, who knows! These pictures were the sweetest gift a freshly squeezed new mama could have ever asked for.  Ashley gifted these sweet little things to me for Christmas - which totally melted my heart because it was so thoughtful, and I had a bazillion postpartum hormones racing through my body. They were scheduled for April, and that's when Harper was about four months old. (I feel like these days were such a distant memory...) Literally, the best gift I could have been given - even if Harper looks less than amused in the majority. :)

I'll most certainly love these forever.

How to Meal Prep With Your Kids (And NOT Lose Your Mind)

So, I'm pretty sure the number one thing people find most difficult when they begin meal prepping is the time it takes to actually meal prep. Throw in a kid (or two...or three) and it almost becomes your worst nightmare. Now, I don't have much experience with meal prepping and wrangling two (or three) kids, considering I just have my one. And lucky for me, she's pretty stationary...for now.  (don't worry, my days are numbered) 
But since I have started meal prepping now that I'm working on my fitness, I've had to learn how to juggle meal prepping and taming an UNRULY (just kidding) nine month old. So if these tips have helped me with the process, I may as well share the wealth in hopes that someone out there with an unruly nine month old (or two...or three) can maybe take just one trick away and tuck it up under their sleeve to keep until their next meal prep day.
So with that being said - here are five things that have totally helped me tame the beast, I mean baby, while I take on meal prepping. :)

#1 - Get Them Involved
So, Harper quickly taught that me sitting her in her walker beside me in the kitchen for two hours while I meal prepped was a seriously foolish plan that only a first time mother would actually attempt. You see, my baby wants to be in my business (and probably yours too if you let her), so the idea of her just watching me or you know, actually playing with her toys, was dumb. So, she won. And I decided to sit her tiny hiny up on the counter with me in her little chair, so she could not only see directly what I was doing, but could also interact with me.
As I'm cutting things, cooking meals, mixing, etc. I talk to her and I tell her what I'm doing. The girl has no idea what I'm saying, but she loves the interaction. Toys? Who needs toys? Not Harper. Spatula? Wooden spoon? Measuring Cup? That's where the fun is at. And where ever the fun is, that's where Harper wants to be. Letting her hold unbreakable, plastic, non-life threatening, kitchen utensils solves many of my problems for the majority of my prep time. In between our kitchen conversations, and utensil holding, I try and let her experiment with different textures of fruits and veggies. She doesn't really eat them as much as she she holds them in her hands and squishes them in between her fingers. Whatever works for ya.
You can decide how you want to get your kids involved depending on their age.  I promise, they'll probably love it more than you realize. 

#2 - Break It Up
In case you didn't hear me say it - MEAL PREPPING TAKES A LONG TIME. Time that most of us struggle to find, am I right? A lot of the time, I have to break up my meal prepping through the day. This past Sunday, I meal prepped my snacks and part of my breakfast, and then we spent the day together having family time - which was so needed and so important to keep a priority. When we came back home, I finished up my lunches, and prepared a little bit of our dinners for the week. And it worked out just fine. Family time is a priority for us, but so is meal prepping. You just have to find the right balance!

#3 - Schedule It
I'm pretty sure you've figured out by now that your baby or kid rules the roost. The days of doing what you want to do when you want are looooong gone. (goodbye good old days...) But their squishy little cheeks and leg rolls completely make up for any personal time lost. Even though your schedule is a little different than before kids took over your life, you still need to find the time to do this for yourself. You'll thank yourself and feel so relieved knowing you're prepared for the week ahead - not to mention, you'll actually love the extra family time you get during the week not having to worry so much about food.
So with that being said, schedule your meal prep. Decide on a time when you know you are going to commit to it. Do it for yourself. Taking care of yourself is still important you know - even though it gets lost sometimes. I try and meal prep during naps for example. I know she's probably going to take a morning nap, so that's a good time for me to try and knock some of it out. Do what works best for you. You'll be so thankful you did.

#4 - Ask For Help
Put those baby daddies to work! Just kidding. But really. A lot of times, my husband is a complete rockstar, and takes care of Harper completely while I'm knocking out meal prepping. Harper loves the time with Daddy, and I know he loves it just as much, if not more. It's so helpful, and actually allows me to get it done a lot quicker.

You know who else is good for this... THE GRANDPARENTS! :)

And my FAVORITE tip...
#5 - MAKE IT FUN!
As if meal prepping wasn't already thrilling enough... ;) Karaoke, dance parties, cowboy hat wearing - we make it fun as a family, and seriously, it makes all the difference! I hate taking time away from Harper to do anything, especially since our time together is so limited with me working. So, if I can be productive, while bonding and creating memories with my little family, then I'll certainly be okay with that.

My Biggest Piece of New Parenting Advice

I'm going to pretend for a second that I know what I'm talking about with this whole parenting thing, and that I have years and years of experience in this very prestigious field. We'll all just ignore the fact that I've really only been a parent for six months, still don't know what the heck I'm doing half the time, but have somehow managed to keep this little human being alive with lots of love, patience, sucking boogers out, and cleaning lots of spit up formula. Good with y'all?
Some days are just plain hard. Babies can be terrifying, confusing, and lets face it, disgusting. We're at the stage in Harper's baby life, where we feel like - for the most part - we got this parenting thing down. Some days, I feel inadequate, like I can't do anything right. But after a night of sleep and a fresh perspective, the next day we're back on track.
We survived the newborn stage - probably the hardest weeks of my entire life - we've fought colds, sleep regressions, nap boycotts, bottle refusal, a milk allergy, and more. We made it through restaurant meltdowns, and realized a "vacation" with a baby isn't really a vacation at all. We have more on our plates to come the older she gets, but there's one thing that I learned that always helps me keep a positive outlook and to cherish and appreciate each stage she enters.

EVERYTHING IS A PHASE.
They won't be a newborn forever. They won't always not sleep through the night. They will at some point in their life let you sit through a meal at a restaurant without crying. One day they will take a nap longer than 20 minutes. You won't always need to pack an arsenal of baby products to leave the house for an hour. Everything is a phase, and it too shall pass.
This little token of wisdom has gotten me through tough times more times than I can count. Harper being a newborn seems like such a distant memory, but at the time I never thought I'd make it. Now, we're battling all sorts of new "inconveniences", but understanding how sweet and precious this stage of her life is puts everything into a more appreciate and patient perspective.
...And just for the sake of me being a mushy mom who wants to pretend like she knows what she's talking about, let me just melt into these newborn hospital pictures of my once 6 lb little baby for old times sake (and by old times, I mean six months ago). :) 



Oh, my achin' mama heart...

Sunday of Firsts | Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day could not have been more special! All day long I felt so blessed to be chosen and thought fit to be Harper's mom. What a dream being a mom has truly been. I thought I knew what happy was, but Harper has brought on a whole new love and excitement for life that I never thought possible. I love this little family that Cody and I have created together, and being a mama has been nothing short of amazing.

We spent our Sunday morning at the Georgia Aquarium with my mama and family. My grandmother had always wanted to go to the aquarium, and with my grandfather passing just a few months back, my mom thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get her out and do something she's always dreamed of doing. 

Her first trip to the aquarium was also our sweet Harper's first trip as well. Harper has kinda been a little homebody, and we've had trouble taking her out and doing things because she just gets fussy and out of her comfort zone (as many times as we've tried). So needless to say, these first time parents were a little nervous with taking her to something so public and far from home. But our best shot at doing something was going to be bright and early in the morning, which worked beautifully.

She was an absolute dream all day long, completely loving the aquarium with  all the fish and animals. She's become so observant recently, so I really thought deep down that she would love it. And loved it she did.

She did great throughout the aquarium, and even through lunch afterwards. She sat in a highchair for the first time, and loved watching everybody eat and chat. I really think she's turned a corner with stepping out a little more because she is so observant and social nowadays. Or maybe it was just a really wonderful Mother's Day gift, in which, I'll take either.  We all had the best day together. I loved sharing my first Mother's Day with my mom also. If it wasn't for her being such an amazing mom, I wouldn't even know where to begin. She's a great mom, but I know she'll be an even more amazing grandmother throughout Harper's life.

I love being Harper's mama.

That little girl has my whole heart and even more. My first Mother's Day was perfect.