It has been a LONG time since I’ve sat down to write solely to write. It has also been entirely too long since I’ve done a little life update, so I thought today I’d go back to the basics with a Friday Five. Remember when we all did these every week? It seems like ages ago now. While I would love to say I’ll do these more often going forward, the truth is I don’t know if I will. That’s the craziness of life, right?
ONE
This cold and flu season has KICKED MY BUTT. If you’ve seen my Instagram stories, you’d know that I have been fighting a bug of some sort pretty much all of fall and winter. I had a sinus infection and terrible cough before Christmas, a UTI earlier this month, body aches early this week… and now the cough and congestion are back. I don’t know why this year has been so terrible for me, but I am ready to be done with it and be healthy. I do not have time to keep being sick (literally, I have one sick day saved up at work and that’s it). Here’s hoping a restful weekend will kick this and I don’t get sick again for a while!
TWO
The girls are growing so much lately, both individually and with each other. There is no denying that Abbie is a full-blown kid now – since turning 5 (and I STILL haven’t written her birthday post), I feel like we’ve really crossed into a new world with her. She has full conversations with us, remembers so much, and has opinions about everything. She’s also gotten incredibly emotional and ready to cry at anything that makes her just a little sad. It’s hard. I’m trying to teach her coping mechanisms and ways to keep herself together, but I know it’s so hard to do that at 5 – and I was an incredibly emotional kid too, with it getting better around 2nd grade or so. It’s hard to be patient when she’s crying over being dropped off at school when she’s been going to school or daycare every day since she was 3.5 months old. We just try to take it one day at a time.
Ella on the other hand, is now at the stage that she’s into EVERYTHING. She’s mastered walking for the most part, and you cannot turn your back on her for a second at this point. She’s babbling up a storm and I’m convinced she’ll be speaking in full sentences way before her second birthday. One of her favorite things to do is go into the Tupperware cabinet, taking everything out and climbing in herself. She adores Abbie but isn’t afraid to push her away (literally) when she doesn’t want her touching her. This little lady can hold her own, and definitely makes what she wants known.
THREE
A few people have asked how my new job is going, and I have to say I am SO glad I made the change. I like what I’m doing, but more importantly, I like who I’m working with. It’s truly a team environment and we all help each other out, which is the best change of all. My days are busy and go by quickly, and each day is different. For so long, I let myself stay in a place I wasn’t happy because I was scared to change things. I’m so, so glad I finally faced that fear and I’ve been so much happier for it. When you’re working full-time, it’s important to enjoy going to work and the environment you’re in.
FOUR
I have a million (well, that’s probably exaggerating) post ideas in my head but so little time to do them. If you’ve read this far, I’d love to hear what you WANT to see from me so I can prioritize those things first. Some things in the pipeline: Weight Watchers essentials, our meal plans, style posts, Abbie’s new chore chart, and a day in the life. I also have a few thoughts about being a working mom and its unique challenges swirling around, so stay tuned for that too.
FIVE
There’s a lot of talk in the blog world lately (and especially this week) about being true to yourself and about not letting other people’s “perfect” lives get to you. I wanted to say that I hope I’ve never made you feel like my life is perfect because it’s certainly not. There are people who have easier lives than I do and people who have harder lives than I do. Every single person has their own struggles, and what seems silly to one may be a big issue for someone else. Is it hard to be a working mom and get everyone out of the house by 7 am? It is for me. But is it also hard for a stay at home mom to get her kids out of the house for school by 9 am? Of course. Everyone’s struggles are different, and everyone’s struggles are VALID. I would love to build a community where instead of criticizing other people’s struggles for not being “hard enough,” we help them solve the problem. As women, so many of us have lost our village, and building each other up (and teaching our children to do the same) is the only way we’ll find it again.
Now that this post has gotten entirely too long, I’d love to hear your thoughts on my randomness – especially that last one.
I hope you have the best weekend and I’ll be back with some more (non-sponsored) posts soon!
4 Responses
Blog idea: how has having kids changed your marriage?
That’s a great one!
Great post! I ((knock on wood)) haven’t gotten sick this winter. For blog post ideas, I like your breakfast and lunch ideas. I’m finally getting around to making the breakfast egg muffin recipe this weekend. I think I saw it on your blog. As for #5, I also believe that we all come into motherhood, and life in general, with different priorities, needs, and struggles. We don’t truly know what most people are dealing with, so judging them is pointless, and just plain hurtful sometimes. I agree that it takes a village, and women should ideally support and stand up for one another.
Thank you so much for the feedback! ?