Today’s post is a guest post from the lovely and talented Sarah West, at A Life Inspired.This post was originally published at: A Life Inspired
Dear Son, Make Your Own Sandwich….. (Love, Mom)
The other day I hit my limit. I was already stressed due to work deadlines, soccer games and all the many other “priorities” pulling me in a billion different directions.
And the funny thing is, what pushed me over the proverbial mom edge was a sandwich.
It probably did not help that I was running off 12 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours. Again, certain “priorities” demanded my attention more than my bed. So let me paint my moment of total psychosis for you. Keep on Reading!
“I think we need a new shed,” my husband said, looking out at our neglected and overgrown back yard.
“Maybe we can get a kit and I’ll build it,” I said.
He looked at me like I was delusional.
“Do you really think this is a good time to commit to building a shed? We can’t even commit to putting away the laundry.”
Well, he has a point. He had also caught me at my new habit – making goals that I cannot possibly complete. Is this a thing other new parents do? Maybe it is the freedom of nap time or the nice weather, but suddenly I am brimming with tasks I can’t wait to complete.
There is just one thing standing in the way of my burst of productivity and the completion of all of my brilliant ideas. Yes friends, only one thing can stop me now – and it is currently crawling over to splash in the dog’s water dish.
Hey kid, can I have some?
As a parent of a newly mobile baby, I spend most of my day chasing him around and picking up after his destruction. If a task cannot be done in 35 seconds, then it will not be done until nap time.
As such, I have had to re-evaluate my rather over-ambitious goals. Here are some examples: Continue reading →
Well, after about 8 months, it has finally happened. Baby MB has learned to crawl. Well…sort of crawl. Rather than the traditional crawl, he has opted to do the worm whenever the urge to move strikes him. (Which is often.)
Since he is not the first of his baby buddies to crawl, I began baby proofing the house early. I put up some baby gates, changed the outlet covers and did a sweep of the house for dangerous objects. I felt prepared.
As usual, I was wrong. Here are some things I was not prepared for when the baby started crawling: Continue reading →
Before my son was born, I enjoyed going to yoga classes. It was a place for me to unwind, relax and stretch. When my son was born, I looked forward to attending baby yoga classes as a way to relax. Ha! Well, I still love yoga, but when you bring baby along – relaxing it ain’t!
Sure, it starts out well. The baby is momentarily dazzled by all the natural light and wood beams. They stare in open fascination at the yoga poses. If it is your first class, they may even drift off into a short nap. “This is amazing”, you think. “So relaxing. We will have to come back.” But don’t be fooled. This will not last.
Oh no, this sense of peace cannot last because you are not at yoga – you are at baby yoga. I know what you are thinking: “Newbie Mom, how can I tell the difference?” Well, aside from the babies all over the floor, there are several key differences between yoga and baby yoga:Continue reading →
First, this story is not for the squeamish. Also, if you are about to fly for the first time with a baby, you may want to pretend you didn’t see this one and then read it when you get home.
Well, we just got back from a great trip to Sedona, Arizona, where we all had a blast hiking, swimming and sightseeing. Baby MB had a blast making friends with any nice looking strangers at restaurants and learning to crawl. Yes, the trip was amazing. Just the right amount of fun and relaxation and no major problems on the plane over. Our son slept very well in the provided crib. We even began thinking of taking another short trip before I head back to work in September.
Another beautiful day in Sedona.
“We’re so glad we did this!” We said as we packed the car to head home. We congratulated ourselves on our excellent planning skills, our packing ability and even our choice of restaurants. Yes, we got cocky. And as always, when you get a bit too full of yourself, life has a way of putting you back in your place. Continue reading →
Of all the things I have learned about being a new mom, this is the most important: get out of the house and talk to other moms! This has saved my sanity many times.
When my son was born, our hospital matched us up with moms with similar aged babies and had several post-natal meetings. We met a group of about 20 moms and babies from our area. These post-natal classes turned out to be far more beneficial for me than the pre-natal classes!
Our group continued to meet about once a week doing a variety of things. We walked, went on playdates at the library and went to the mall. This became my first mom group, though I am now lucky enough to have a few others as well. I will call them the mom squad. (Because it sounds awesome, obviously! So badass, right?)
Okay, Newbie Mom, get to it. Why do I need a mom group? Well, let me tell you. Continue reading →
After many a sleepless night, my son has finally become a pretty good sleeper. (I know, feel free to make disparaging comments about me if your baby is not sleeping well at the moment. Are you done? Okay, can I go on now? Great. Where was I?)
Oh, right Baby MB has become a pretty good sleeper, but I still try to keep things quiet for daytime naps. My dog? Not so much. As soon as the baby dozes off, the dog morphs from laidback couch dog to hyper-vigilant guard dog, determined to protect us from any potential dangers. Continue reading →
We live next door to a park. And by next door, I mean that the park literally wraps around my house on two sides, separated only by a tall chain link fence and some cheap lattice. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that we live in the park.
“Oh, how nice!,” people say when they find out, “You’re so lucky to be so close to the park.” I mostly smile and agree, but the real answer to this statement is a bit more complicated. Continue reading →
To the person who discarded their chicken wings on the street:
My dog would like to thank you for dropping all of the delicious bones. It was so nice of you to share instead of throwing them away at any of the 10 garbage cans we passed. You must be a really kind and generous person. Continue reading →
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