I’ve been away for a while. Mind and body.

I’ve had much to say.

Just not the bravery or strength to say anything.

So I will say this:

You can only fool yourself for a little while before you realize the truth.

You can’t fool the universe.


Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash

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NEW MOM MONDAYS CHASING LITTLES
This post is part of the New Mom Monday series! A series about moms and their advice to new moms! Books and videos can only teach us so much, but there’s something special about hearing from real life moms. Honest, true, and always beautifully inspiring!!
♥ What’s your Name?

Britney Mills

♥ Tell us a little about yourself!
I am the mom to 4 children, wife to Max. I love to write and chocolate chip cookies are my jam. Laundry is the most neglected thing in my home until we’re out of things and then it’s an all-day marathon. I love to travel and can’t wait to do more again. I love to play volleyball and softball and try out new things. I love to try new foods and places and I love spending time with my family, whether we’re curled up watching a movie or outside running around.
♥ How many kids do you have? What are their names and ages?
We have 4 kiddos: C is 3, G & D (boys) & M (girl) are 8-month old triplets.
♥ How do you find your “me time”?
Nap time and bed time for sure. Max helps out a lot when he gets home and I can run a quick errand but 5-8 pm is chaos so I usually try to get out after they’re asleep.
♥ What is the best baby related book you’ve ever read?
I haven’t really read books for babies, mostly websites and advice I get in Mommy Facebook groups.
♥ What’s the most useful baby product you have? Why do you love it?

The Nose Frida. I was a little weirded out by it when I first saw my SIL use one because it’s a long tube that helps you suck out the boogers but with triplets, it’s a must have! I gets things out so much better than the blue bulb suckers and it’s pretty inexpensive.

♥ If you could say something to yourself when you first brought home your first baby, what would you say?
With our first I was like, “I’ve got this!” and there were only a few bumps along the way. Bringing home the triplets was a little overwhelming and I would probably tell myself that each phase only lasts a little while. It’s not forever, thank goodness because this girl needs sleep. They are sleeping through the night for the most part now which helps me avoid zombieland.
♥ How much planning did you do before your baby was born, and how do you think that it helped or didn’t help?
I didn’t do a lot with my first, just had baby showers. That probably sounds bad because I didn’t know any better, I guess. With the three, I checked out what all the moms of multiples recommended and it made a huge difference to be prepared for when they came home, since it takes more time to load them all up and go to the store.
♥ What do you believe are the top three pieces of advice a new mom or someone trying to conceive should know?
Don’t put your life on hold because you don’t know when you’ll get pregnant. I struggle with infertility and it’s better to make plans, go on trips and push yourself to reach goals than to mope about not being pregnant. It will happen one way or another and you can use that time to better yourself and be closer to your spouse.
♥ What is your best memory so far of being a mom?

C playing with the babies. He’s so good at talking to them and helping them when I can’t get to them right off (usually when the others are in my arms). I was worried he would have trouble adjusting from all the attention but we make sure to take him out and do stuff with him alone.

♥ Give us the short form version of your birth story.
With C, I went 41 weeks and had to have an emergency c-section because he was 9 lbs! With the triplets, we had to go to a hospital a bit farther away from our home because of the NICU to take care of the babies. I was sent there five days before the triplets were born because my water ruptured. I had to go through steroid shots to help their lungs and on Friday I finally started contracting on my own. They wheeled me into the operating room, gave me a spinal block and then the doctor started. I couldn’t see the babies and they were taken directly to the NICU nurses to assess but Max would tell me they were okay as I waited. He took pictures of them so I could see them because I was taken back to the room to wait an hour or two until they wheeled me into the NICU. They had all three in their own little isolettes, or enclosed cribs, and we had to wait a month before they could come home.
♥ Lastly, for fun, define motherhood!

The craziest, most exhausting and funny rollercoaster I’ve ever been on. You’re tugged in so many directions but somehow you make it through and I love it!

To hear more from Britney be sure to visit her blog Marriage & Family Strong and follow her on Facebook.

If you would like to participate in New Mom Mondays please feel free to message me by using my contact form! I would love to not only feature you on my blog but learn from your answers, as I’m sure many readers would too! 
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NEW MOM MONDAYS CHASING LITTLES
This post is part of the New Mom Monday series! A series about moms and their advice to new moms! Books and videos can only teach us so much, but there’s something special about hearing from real life moms. Honest, true, and always beautifully inspiring!!
♥ What’s your Name?

Pragati Siddhanti

♥ Tell us a little about yourself!
I am Pragati—am the co-founder and partner at Be For Beauty. Earlier in 2016, I relocated to the picturesque city of Basel, Switzerland with my 6-year-old daughter and a workaholic husband. After giving up my 6 figure salary and role as an IT manager in India, I decided it was time to take a leap of faith and dedicate this time to grow and hone both our babies, Niyati and Be For Beauty.
♥ How many kids do you have? What are their names and ages?
I have one daughter who is 6 years old. Her name is Niyati
♥ How do you find your “me time”?
While this is something I really struggle with especially after I moved from India to Switzerland but I still manage to squeeze in a lot of “me” time as I always plan my days, weeks and months in advance. I use a calendar to track all my appointments, I make sure I have laundry days marked and I have all the different bags (gym, ballet, school etc.) ready and packed in advance. I seriously plan my meals along with my outings. Even if it’s an hour in the gym, my “me-time” is extremely important to me, and frankly, that’s what keeps me sane.
♥ What is the best baby related book you’ve ever read?
I have read a lot of story books to my child even when she hadn’t started speaking, however, I am not a big fan of parenting books. I do read up blogs, and advice by fellow mamma’s through a number of FB groups I subscribe to.
♥ What’s the most useful baby product you have? Why do you love it?

When she was a little baby, I swore by the bottle steriliser that I had bought from mother care and the swaddle that I used to carry her in while putting her to sleep. It really worked like a charm for us. But now, nothing really, I would really like alternates to netflix and the tablet.

♥ If you could say something to yourself when you first brought home your first baby, what would you say?
I was really unprepared when I brought her home from the hospital. If I could say something to myself, I would say, “Wish you’d have read up more about how to raise a baby vs how your pregnancy is going to be.” In other words, I would have really loved if I had been more prepared for this sea change that happened to me. I was overwhelmed and I went through serious postpartum depression.
♥ How much planning did you do before your baby was born, and how do you think that it helped or didn’t help?
Like I said in my previous answer, I wasn’t prepared and that hurt me quite a bit. I had to rush to the baby stores time and again as the things I had were never enough and I had a very reactive approach to a new born child. I would have loved being more confident and proactive with her. This is when I had learned the importance of planning ahead. (Not at my corporate job, after all this was the most important project I was ever going to manage ;))
♥ What do you believe are the top three pieces of advice a new mom or someone trying to conceive should know?
1. Plan a child, be ready – emotionally, mentally and physically. It’s not easy dealing with unplanned and accidental pregnancies.
2. Whether you go to those fancy birthing classes or not, make sure you have a lactation specialist by your side. That is more important. Giving birth is an organic and natural process, a woman is sub-consciously trained to do a good job at it – I didn’t practice any of the breathing techniques I learned and I sincerely believe that these classes are over rated.
3. Be prepared to welcome a new member in the house – nothing is ever going to be the same. You will never have the luxury of time so use those 9 months of pregnancy very wisely.
♥ What is your best memory so far of being a mom?

I really say this from my heart, every day with a child in your life is a blessing. Every year gets more fascinating than the one that went by. I don’t know how to pick one, every time she tells me that I am the best mom in the whole wide world, I am overjoyed. Not cuz of the oscar that she keeps giving me, cuz I know that all mothers are the best mothers but that she appreciates all the little things that I do and that she reciprocates the love.

♥ Give us the short form version of your birth story.
Giving birth to Niyati has and will be one of the toughest things I have ever done in my life. I still feel that I almost died but then I came back to life because I was a mother and the journey called life was just about to begin. I was past my due date so I was induced, I was obviously anxious as I was late and I was trying all home remedies to go into labour – however nothing was working. The contractions started but the dilation didn’t – hence I was in labour for a good 28 hours. The pain became excruciating during the last hours, the epidural didn’t work as it was put in quite late and I pushed for really long before she arrived. My husband and my sister were right by my side, I really had no love for anyone at this point as I was delirious with pain by the end of it. But when I saw her, she completely took my breath away, I was still being sewed down there when they wrapped her up and got her to me. She was perfect and an absolute miracle!
♥ Lastly, for fun, define motherhood!

Motherhood is not for everyone, motherhood is extremely exhausting and rewarding at the same time. Like a wise woman once said, “Having a child is like having a tattoo on your forehead”.

To hear more from Pragati be sure to visit her blog Be For Beauty and follow her on Instagram.

If you would like to participate in New Mom Mondays please feel free to message me by using my contact form! I would love to not only feature you on my blog but learn from your answers, as I’m sure many readers would too! 
Follow:

NEW MOM MONDAYS CHASING LITTLES
This post is part of the New Mom Monday series! A series about moms and their advice to new moms! Books and videos can only teach us so much, but there’s something special about hearing from real life moms. Honest, true, and always beautifully inspiring!!
♥ What’s your Name?

Tyane Milem

♥ Tell us a little about yourself!
I’m a boymom of four who began blogging while my husband traveled for work. I’m a work-at-home administrative assistant by day and blogger at night. To add on to my full plate, I also homeschool my oldest. When I do have the free time, I love to read, write, cook and bake, spend time outdoors, and watch sports. My idea of a relaxing night involves a good read and glass of wine.
♥ How many kids do you have? What are their names and ages?
I have FOUR boys…Landon is 10, Logan is 8, Rylan is 5, and Greyson is 3.
♥ How do you find your “me time”?
I’m a night owl. My kids go to bed by 8 PM and I spend my time catching up with blog work, reading, or spending time with my husband.
♥ What is the best baby related book you’ve ever read?
What to Expect While You Are Expecting. I read that book each time I found out I was pregnant.
♥ What’s the most useful baby product you have? Why do you love it?

Dr. Brown’s bottles. My oldest had colic, BAD. I used the bottles with him and the other three, and they helped eliminate gas bubbles like crazy!

♥ If you could say something to yourself when you first brought home your first baby, what would you say?
Sleep while the baby sleeps. Even if it’s for 10 minutes. The housework can wait, and this is your time to recover and bond with the baby.
♥ How much planning did you do before your baby was born, and how do you think that it helped or didn’t help?
Not much. We had the basics (the crib, stroller, swings, etc.) and I did some nesting a few weeks before delivery, but nothing major.
♥ What do you believe are the top three pieces of advice a new mom or someone trying to conceive should know?
1. Do not hesitate to ask for help. You need to take care of yourself before you take care of anyone else, especially during the first few weeks.
2. Plan a date night with your spouse every week. You don’t have to go out, but setting aside alone time with your spouse will help you keep a spark in your marriage.
3. Cherish each and every moment you can. It goes by way too fast!
♥ What is your best memory so far of being a mom?

I love that I can stay home with them and watch them grow and learn every day.

♥ Give us the short form version of your birth story.
While I have four different birth stories, I will share my last one. It was a bittersweet moment because I knew it was the last c-section I would have. I would give birth one last time. They prepped me at 9:30 with the spinal block and everything else. Then, they brought my husband in to start the procedure at 9:50. By 10:03 AM, my final son was born (with all the scar tissue in play, I was SHOCKED it went that quick). While I was a little emotional because it was the last time I would experience the birth, I was relieved because I don’t have to face another c-section and long recovery period.
♥ Lastly, for fun, define motherhood!

Motherhood-a memorable, exhausting, rewarding joy ride of your life.

To hear more from Tyane be sure to visit her blog BoyMom Blessed and follow her on Pinterest.

If you would like to participate in New Mom Mondays please feel free to message me by using my contact form! I would love to not only feature you on my blog but learn from your answers, as I’m sure many readers would too! 
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Best Nine Memories from July

What can I say? July was full of ups and downs. Still though, since I write these as the new month starts I can tell you progress has been made.

One

We’re just a month away from hitting our one year mark in our home and since we’ve been here we’ve very much dedicated our time to the first floor. It’s gotten the most love as it’s where we mostly hang out and where we entertain, but over the past little while, I have been lacking in a peaceful feeling when going to bed. Organization is key, but let’s be honest, we don’t put our clothes away right after it comes out of the dryer, it may linger around for a couple days until we have a giant pile that we sort through. But during those in between days we’re in this constant movement of objects on and off the bed, a lack of order and a place for things made me feel like we’d never make progress. The colours were also so dark that it was hard to feel light and airy. Without thinking much more about it we sold the bed frame, moved out unnecessary furniture, and added a couple new fresh wooden pieces that immediately lifted the place up from its darkness. Now we feel so calm going to bed, draped in white and surrounded by so much less. Also, we’ve been very good about folding the laundry right away!

Two

Our wedding anniversary always stretches into July because of Canada Day and there always being a long weekend which we love. We starting the weekend with hitting some softballs at the range! Catching a midday movie and eating so much sushi. The rest of the weekend had us going to the beach and sleeping under the sun. Playing in the water and then sleeping some more. Some board games to close off the long week with mom and Kike was the perfect way to get back into regular life and back to another work week.

Three

I’ve been a workout from home type of girl for many years now. I found that I wanted to switch things up a bit. My mental health beat me down this month and those home workouts were not getting done, adding to the guilt and horrible feelings I was going through. I figured getting out of the house and making a monetary commitment would push me to break away from this lack of activity and it sure has. I just bought 10 one hour sessions with a martial arts trainer who has been kicking my ass. She leaves me breathless and sprawled on the floor in disbelief it’s over but also feeling so energized, strong, and proud of what I just accomplished. After seeing her for a couple weeks I started working out at home, and slowly my motivation has been coming back.

Four

It’s kind of cool how organically and easily your family grows. For many immigrants with little to no blood family around you create this wonderful chosen family. Sure, some of it comes through marriages and children, but it’s kind of wonderful how easily close friends become part of the ‘family club’. Our Latin roots pull us close and the shared pain and history of leaving our loved ones behind keep us leaning on one another. We had a wonderful day at the park with lots of our family. It was a huge event with the typical mountains of food and adorable babies, though this time they featured cute swimming suits to play at the splash pad! Lawn games, good chats and sharing together was a great reminder how many great people we have close.

Five

So, have you heard of Zombies Run? It’s an award winning app that has an incredible story line and incredible voice actors. As you run you get to hear parts of the story, where you’re a key part! You collect items to help the township continue to survive the Zombie outbreak. It’s actually quite entertaining, and a huge motivator to get out there running, jogging or walking, but boy can it be creepy. The sounds of zombies in your ears means you have to run faster or they’ll catch you, and if you manage to hold them off you’ll evade them. I was so motivated I went on two runs on the same day! When you’re having a rough month when it comes to motivation you have to use it up as soon as you get it!

Six

Camping. We thought we’d give it another try. Happy we did, because now we really know we don’t enjoy it 🙂 We had an amazing time hanging out with my closest girls and their husbands, but we had another guest… mosquitos. Hundreds of them. And I’m not exaggerating because Azra had like over 80 bites so… The beach times were great, and talking and sharing with them was wonderful, it always is, no matter where we are. Though sadly, this time we were outside haha. It’s actually quite shocking that we dislike camping that much, so we got right down to it and realized it’s not the sleeping in tents, that part is so nice, and it’s not the fact you have to cook things over a fire, it forces you to slow down which is a great thing to be forced to do. It’s the damn bugs! Who knows… Maybe a fall time camping experience is still in the books and who knows, we may love it! I have my doubts though… The best part of the trip was celebrating some wonderful news we got from our friends, so if there was something to highlight from that trip it was how happy we all were!

Seven

When Sofia, my niece, was a few days old we spent the night with her. (This is also why we pushed off having kids… hahah) but in all seriousness, looking at that tiny human being, it would have been impossible to realize how much more you could love her. As she has gotten older and talks about everything and anything we’ve been able to get to know the special little girl we love so much. Stealing her away to go for ice cream was a nice treat but it also made me think about all the future moments I can’t even imagine that we’ll get to share together. What a joy it is to be an aunt.

Eight

We had a wonderful day visiting Grandma Carmen. Christian’s grandma has Alzheimer’s, the same disease that eventually took the life of my paternal grandmother. I never got to be with my grandma during her illness as she lived in Colombia and soon grew nervous and scared when video skyping with people as she couldn’t recognize us or understand how we were inside a little metal box. I’m grateful for the memories I made with Grandma Carmen. I know how funny she was and she still manages to be! We loved hugging her and getting her to dance and clap along with her childhood tunes. So much love for this old lady.

Nine

This is supposed to be a ‘best memories’ recap. And I will say, this month it was hard to see anything as the best of anything. Days blurred together. My motivation hit the lowest of lows. I struggled with feelings of worthlessness, failure and an overwhelming cloud of sadness. With how much I have learned and read about these things I thought I could fight it off, I thought it would be like a bad cold. I’d be down for a few days and then bounce back up after some long naps. But those naps became all I wanted to do. It’s been an incredibly challenging mental month. I’ve got a road of work ahead of me, I know it. It’s not going to be easy, and right now, everything seems very dark. I felt like I needed to write this blurb to keep this as a part of my history for the month. The goal of these recaps is to be able to have them to look back on and remind myself of how many wonderful moments I was able to experience. Although this is a hard moment, it’s something I hope future me can look back on and feel like a whole new person.

In July I was grateful for…

  • Having a long weekend to celebrate our anniversary, every year haha.
  • Dressing up our room to make it feel very relaxed and calm.
  • Apples and cinnamon. All day every day.
  • Meeting with a nutritionist to figure out why I get bloated so often.
  • Seeing my body get toned.
  • Softball. A work in progress.
  • Being surprised with another day off and going on two runs that same day.
  • Starting with a personal trainer to help push me beyond my comfort level.
  • Although I struggled a lot with my mental health this month, many friends and family were there to support me, I’m grateful for them and the impact they have in my life.
  • Packing up for vacation with friends.
  • Friends who are fun and silly and love having a good time.
  • Bug Spray.
  • Sweaters.
  • Costco food shopping.
  • Grateful kike got to go visit Daniel and Michelle in BC.
  • Making crafty things to help keep my motivation up.
  • Christian for his endless support and his help during a very hard month mentally.
  • Having the fitbit to keep me accountable and competitive even on days I didn’t want to move.
  • Sofia being adorable and old enough to take out to ice cream dates.
  • Visiting Christian’s grandma and seeing her light up at the sounds of her childhood music.
  • Pool day at a friend’s house and fun times with board game people.
  • Wearing a headband and not hating it.
  • Finding a positive way to look at my constant failures at hitting the ball with a bat.
  • Spikes in motivation that help pull me from moments of inexplicable sadness and defeat.
  • Congo being super photogenic.
  • Homecooked meals.
  • Beautiful views as we drive home and to work.
  • Surviving an Insanity workout.
  • Mango and Ice.

Look out for another Best Nine next month to hear all about August!

Mariangelica

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