baylspenn

Winter Parenting

Edited to add: I wrote this a couple weeks ago when it was still frigidly cold out but then we started seeing some warmer temperatures with some snow melt! Spring is on the horizon! But the wind has felt pretty wintery the last couple days and today the roads were kinda crappy and it wasContinue reading “Winter Parenting”

Not a Creature was Stirring…

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, except Mother of course. The stockings were hung and brimming with gifts. The house had been decorated for weeks, no less. After weeks of preparing, the day had finally arrived. Mom slumped on the couch feeling like she had barelyContinue reading “Not a Creature was Stirring…”

Beautifully Broken

Motherhood breaks you open. It exposes your heart and soul, your values, your past, and your strengths and weaknesses, thankfully, to no one else but yourself. In my experience, it happens gradually when you first have a newborn and as your child gets older, you start seeing parts of yourself that you’ve never seen before.Continue reading “Beautifully Broken”

The Torture Balance

In pharmacy school, we used torsion balances and for a good reason, we called them ‘torture balances’. I don’t know how many people will know what a torsion balance is, but it is a scale where the product you are weighing goes on one side and on the other side, you put the actual weights.Continue reading “The Torture Balance”

How Do You Fill Up Your Cup?

The amount of self care we do changes with the seasons, the amount of time we have, and what’s going on in our lives. It is individual to each of us. What fills me up, doesn’t work for my husband. Self care can range from reading a good book, having a clean house, journaling, setting boundaries with family and friends in your life, going to a job you enjoy, taking a hot shower, getting a pedicure, having a deep conversation with a friend, de-cluttering your house, saying no to an invitation, and accomplishing a goal or a project.

You’re Going to Miss This

I don’t know if it was Mother’s Day, or the beautiful weather, a few days of my kids napping at the same time (hallelujah!) or maybe I’m just in a sweet spot of parenting right now, but things are good. This past week the lyrics of the Trace Adkins song, You’re Going to Miss ThisContinue reading “You’re Going to Miss This”

Hello Guilt

I’ve been speaking with a lot of friends lately about Mom guilt. I think it’s something that comes up for everyone. I’m always the first to tell a friend they shouldn’t feel guilty for something, but we can’t avoid it. We all feel it, myself included. And it can be very overwhelming if you letContinue reading “Hello Guilt”

The Fourth Trimester

In pregnancy, the days turn into weeks and you enter each new trimester with the passing of time. There’s no big event that marks the entering of a new trimester. The changes are so subtle. They’re hardly noticeable even, but as you reflect on the journey, (and see how big your belly has grown) there’sContinue reading “The Fourth Trimester”

The Newborn Sleep Dance

Let’s start with the first hours after our beautiful new baby arrives. We spend the night and day in the hospital in blissful happiness. We’re so amazed by this baby and spending all our time getting to know her. I’m on a high from successfully giving birth to this human. I sleep in between momentsContinue reading “The Newborn Sleep Dance”

First Timer Information Overload

The internet can be very good and bad when it comes to motherhood. All the information you could ever need is at your fingertips but this can be a bad thing. You make a decision for what you think is best for your child but for every choice you make, there’s always a contradicting optionContinue reading “First Timer Information Overload”