Life After I "Dew"

I'm nosy and that's probably why I love blogging so much. You get a glimpse into people's lives, their likes, their struggles, and you can relate. You no longer feel like a weird-o or a bad mom because someone out there is like you {in some ways}.  I love to see what other goodies people are into these days so I thought I'd share some things I'm loving right now.

1. Green Mountain Coffee-Pumpkin Spice K Cups.  I'm addicted- I drink 2-3 per day currently.  Since it's National Coffee Day so I don't feel too bad about it...today.  I don't like PSL, no I don't, but these babies are just the right amount of fall festiveness to make me happy.  And now I'm gonna go make another cup. Don't judge me.
2. American Horror Story: Roanoke.  Guys last season of AHS was a total shit show.  Am I right?  We had to turn it off, pray to Jesus and never look back 45 minutes into the first episode.  What the hell was that?!  This season is right up my alley though, back to it's "roots".  I grew up watching scary movies so it takes a good one to give me the spooks and this does it.  I have so many questions each week and I kinda hate that I have to watch it live because I totally want to binge watch.  It's a little bit Blair Witch Project, a little bit AHS season one and I love it.  Are you watching?
3. 3 Week Yoga Retreat.  Since about this time last year I've been practicing yoga pretty regularly.  I've done the 30 Days of Yoga and Yoga Camp from Yoga with Adriene and loved both.  Whenever I'm feeling like I need it I go to her YouTube channel and pull up any one of her practices and dive right in.  I was SO EXCITED when Beachbody announced that they were coming out with a yoga program this summer.  Once I read the details I was a little nervous though.  It seemed like it might be too new school and so I judge it before I even gave it a try.  You know that saying, "never judge a book by it's cover"?  Couldn't be more true of me and the 3 Week Yoga Retreat.  I officially started it last week and I am loving it!  It's so good for beginners but also good for the more experienced too because it's good to try new things.  I still find it challenging some days but in a good way.  My body is responding and I am so excited for the next two weeks.  
4. American Eagle Hi-Rise Jeggings.  I'm fairly certain I've talked about these before but, with the cooler temps approaching, they are worth re-mentioning.  I was super skeptical of jeggings when I first learned about these {pajama jeans anyone?} but I tried them anyway.  Dream come true.  They're soft, they're stretchy, they don't gap in the back {girls with a booty will appreciate this}, they go with everything.  I have three pair and they're the only pants I wear in the fall/winter {besides yoga pants}.
5. Yeti Rambler Tumbler.  I know, I know, everyone and their mom has one these days and they all have cute monogrammed stickers to boot.  Well that's because they're awesome!  I use it every single day.  You want to keep you coffee hot?  This baby will keep it hot for AT LEAST two hours, I kid you not.  I fill it up with ice water at night, before bed and their is still solid ice when I wake up in the morning.  Everyone needs one, I promise it's worth it.

My distaste for the PSL {pumpkin spice latte} is no secret. I don't know what it is {too sweet, maybe?} but I just can't get behind this festive fall drink.  That doesn't mean I'm a total pumpkin spice hater, I am not.  I actually love all things pumpkin outside of the PSL.  Gimme all the pumpkin muffins, coffee creamer, chili, and, now, overnight oats.

Overnight oats and smoothie bowls have become super popular lately and rightfully so.  First of all, they are SO EASY.  Just mix everything in a bowl and enjoy.  Second of all, if you do it the night before your breakfast is ready to go when you wake up. And, lastly, you can pretty much throw any ingredients together and have something healthy, yummy, and extremely filling.

This pumpkin spice version could be made using Greek yogurt, chia seeds, chocolate chips, etc.  I used what I had on hand and it turned out delicious, almost like a slice of pumpkin pie! Say what?  It's true!  


Ingredients:

¼ cup brewed {chilled} coffee

¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

¼ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon flaxseed

½ cup old fashioned oats 

Instruction:

Combine all of the ingredients except the oats and stir until combined and smooth

Add the oats and stir to cover

Place in the refrigerator overnight

Stir in additional milk before serving, if necessary

That's it!  It's that easy!  Enjoy!

This week I'm saying SO WHAT if...

• I don't like PSL.  Tried one, hated it, never looked back.  Gimme all the chai lattes though {soy, no water}.
• I've never seen Hocus Pocus.
• Every night Kendall has soccer I secretly hope it rains.  
• I am like a grumpy old man and like to eat dinner by 5 o'clock.
• I'm asking for a bike for Christmas.
• Yes, I'm already thinking about Christmas.
• I'm really pissed that CBS is making us pay for BB19.
• I am shocked about the Brangelina news but more so I'm happy {Brad+Jen 4 eva}.
• I'm obsessed with Chalene Johnson's Snapchat.
• We won't be listing our house till spring time but I can't help but look at houses on the market right now.
• One episode in and I'm obsessed with This Is Us.
• I've been craving Shepherd's Pie for over a week and now that I'm making it for dinner tonight I don't want it.
• I want my house to always smell like Scentsy coconut pumpkin pie. 

"You're gonna find your own path because we're {women} tough and we can take it. And as long as you believe in yourself and you take care of each other and watch out for each other, you just make the rest up as you go along. That's all there is to it. That's it." -Sam Fox {Better Things}


How many times, as a woman, have you felt defeated?  Like you are doing a less than perfect job at life?  Judge by other women?  Like you have no flipping clue what you are doing?  Judged by other mothers?

Raises hand.

For me, my biggest fear is that I'm not being a good enough mom, even after 6 years of raising tiny humans.  I have days where I literally feel like I'm in a fog, this can't be my life, what the heck am I doing?  My kids are running around, hitting each other, jumping off the furniture, crying, watching too much TV, and I'm over here feeling like my nose is barely above water {and I only have two kids!}.

Most of motherhood is making stuff up as we go along, am I right?  Trial and error is my parenting style.  What works for one kid doesn't work for another.  What one kid likes, the other doesn't.  It's like a three-ring circus some days and I'm the ring leader.  Sure we can all read the books and join the moms groups and buy the organic everything but when it comes down to it, we are all just learning as we go {and doing the best that we can along the way}.

There's so much drama and mommy wars going on these days and it's like, why?  Why, instead of criticizing other moms for their choices, don't we celebrate them?  Can you even imagine what kind of world we'd live in if we applauded moms for breastfeeding?  Encouraged moms who co-sleep that they are doing what's best for their baby?  It would be a much different place that the world we currently live in, I can tell you that much.

As moms, as women, we put up with a lot.  We have pretty thick skin and we take a lot of crap.  BUT it can tear us down.  The endless arguments.  The numerous uneaten meals.  The protests to take a bath, get dressed, do homework, go to bed, etc.  I know there have been days/weeks I have felt defeated and like I couldn't take anymore.  But then I remember I have to and I can take it.  I can take it and I can learn from it.  I can learn how not to do things, how not to react, how to do it differently the next time.  I can show my kids that I am tough and I can overcome my obstacles.

As a fellow mom, I hope that when you meet me you feel encouraged.  I hope to never meet another mom with judging eyes.  I want to be the type of mom/friend who you can talk/vent to and never feel criticized.  Often times we can feel like we are the only one battling these things but I want to assure you, you are not alone.  I want you to know that we are all making this up as we go, no one is the perfect parent and we are all doing the best that we can.

I think that's why I can relate to Better Things so well.  Sam Fox is a single mom to three young girls.  She's busy, she's imperfect, she feels like she's not enough and she's doing the best that she can.  Life can throw us curve balls but I think if we learn to believe in ourselves, that what we are doing is the best, and lift each other/other moms up, then we are going to be OK.

To celebrate our perfectly imperfect lives, I have an amazing swag bag to giveaway to one lucky mom who comments with her most rewarding mom moment.  If you follow me on Snapchat you saw how cool this prize was!  Inside the swag bag includes:

• Ray-Ban Sunglasses
• Chipolo bluetooth keyring
• Leather Clutch for mom’s things
• Emergency Beauty Kit
• Hypoallergenic travel pillow
• Ultra-Soft travel pillow protector
• Essential Oils Blend Mini 
• Skinny Lip Balm
• “Credit Card” Mints

Everything a busy mom needs to get through live a little easier.

To be eligible to win the swag bag, go to this link, watch the trailer for Better Things and come back to share the most rewarding thing about being a mom in the comments.  Winner will be announced September 29.  Good luck!!

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

Mine has always been reality TV.  I always describe myself as a reality TV junkie and proud of it.  I mean it's part of my tagline for crying out loud. But is it really a guilty pleasure e if it's something you don't feel guilty about?

Until recently, that is.

As you know I love me some Bachelor/Bachelorette, who doesn't?  I had never given into Bachelor In Paradise {BIP from here on out} franchise and really never thought twice about it.  This summer I thought, "what the heck?" and decided I'd enjoy this train wreck too.  Except after watching the first episode I felt so icky.  I guess I should have known what I was signing myself up for but this was so much worse/gross/traumatizing/sad than any season of The Bachelor/Bachelorette {in my opinion}.  I gave it until episode 3 {or maybe it was 4} before I finally gave up on it.

Shortly after I had 4 or 5 episodes of KUWTK recorded on the DVR along with 4 or 5 episodes of Botched and 3 episodes of UnREAL {I know it's not technically a reality show} that I just clicked 'delete' on.  You guys, IT FELT SO GOOD.  I can't even tell you the feeling just seeing those shows on my recorded list gave me.  I literally felt wrong watching it.  Like I'd be embarrassed if someone came over and saw those shows I recorded.  I guess I do have a moral compass?

Recently I've been making lots of changes in the guilty pleasure department.  On top of getting rid of some {let's face it I can't give up on my Housewives} reality/trash TV, I've changed up my morning rituals.  I used to wake up and grab my phone of the nightstand first thing, doesn't everyone?  I'd gaze into that screen all sleepy-eyed and squinting until my eyes adjusted to the brightness.  I'd scroll through the last 9 hours of my Instagram feed, catch up on all my Snap stories, check my email and maybe even entertain Twitter if I was really avoiding my feet hitting the floor.  I realized that when I did that, if there was something I saw/read/heard THAT early int the morning it kind of, sort of affected my day.  Some days I'd see/hear/read good things and that was fine but the days where I'd see/hear/read something that wasn't necessarily uplifting to me it kinda put me in a funk for the whole day.  It probably sounds pretty sad that I could let social media affect me that way but I'm sure someone can relate.

So instead of grabbing for my phone first thing, I simply turn off my alarm and head to the kitchen.  I make a cup of coffee and I sit down with my journal.  I've never been much of a journal person so I didn't know exactly how I was going to like journaling but I have found it to be very therapeutic.  I've been doing daily affirmations/mantras every day right when I wake up with my cup of {hot} coffee.  Once I am done I pray over them and I start my day.  I cannot tell you the difference it has made in my life.  It's helped me be more successful with my job, it's helped me control my poor eating habits, it's helped me stay focused on the good rather than dwell on the negative, it's helped me be more present with my kids.  It's definitely a better way to start my day than scrolling through other people's lives.

I've also started reading more.  I've always liked reading but I never made time for it.  I used to only read at bedtime which was not productive because I'd fall asleep after 10 pages and then wonder why it took me months to finish a book.  Since I've cut out some of my trash TV I've started reading more, randomly, in the middle of the day and it feels good to get lost in a book again.  I just started reading The Passenger and I'm already hooked and I'm only a few chapters in {what is going on with this woman?!}.  I'm sure my brain is happy to be doing more constructive things than watching young singles hookup, break up and then hookup again.

So what are some of your favorite guilty pleasures?  Do you feel guilty about them?  Does that still make them guilty pleasures?

Well folks, we're officially one week into the 2016-17 school year and I still feel like I'm in a total daze.

Part of me was excited for the school year but mostly it was excitement over the cooler temps {which have yet to arrive} than anything else.  I do like having a schedule/knowing what's happening for the day but not as much as I like being carefree.  I am not one of those mom's who is doing a little dance in the car on my way home from drop-off.  Nope, I'm the one sitting in the car-rider line watching until I can no longer see my girl and she's safely inside the building.

I vividly remember my aunt being sad about the start of school each year my cousins had to return.  I remember her saying how she didn't want school to start and how she just loved summer break so much.  She liked being able to stay up late, skip a bath here and there, come and go as you please, that carefree-ness of summer.  It was a much different tune than most moms sang and I always thought it was sweet.  It took for me to become a mom of a school-aged kid to really appreciate her sadness for school starting.

Guys, we bring these tiny little humans into the world.  We have no clue what we are doing as new parents but one thing we instinctively know/do is protect them and love them.  We pick our registry items based on what is "safest" and we google "best infant car seat".  We are our babies number one source for all things from kissing boo-boos to feeding them breakfast, lunch, and dinner to squeezing their guts because they're so dang cute.  They rely on us and we love them unconditionally {as they do us} and no one else has that bond with them.

The school years start and for the first time they have to rely and trust someone else.  They are out of our care more hours of the day than they're in our care.  All we can do from that point on is hope and pray that the lessons we taught them up to this point have prepared them {somewhat} for this new phase of life.  That, to me, is terrifying.

Did I talk about stranger danger enough?
Did I talk about it too much?
Did I teach her how to open her applesauce?
What if she misses me?
Will her teacher know what she needs?
Who will she eat lunch with?
What kind of kids will she befriend?
What if she can't find the bathroom?
What if she get scared?
Does she know how much I love her?
When will she have a snack?
Will she be kind to everyone she meets?
Will they be kind to her?
Is she happy?

These are just some of the thoughts I have throughout the day.

Just as I know that the sky is blue, I know that this phase will come and go and we will survive.  I'm sure a time will come when I am blasting "I'm So Excited" as I pull away from the front doors of that school.  But for now it is bittersweet even if I am a "seasoned" 1st grade mom. I also know that I will have these same exact emotions when James starts school so #HelpMeTomCruise.