It’s a question you get several times throughout your childhood, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I know my answer changed numerous times over the years. It was either a princess (little girl,) pop-star (teenage years,) and my most recent aspiration, a weather girl (college days.) No where on my list of dream jobs did the word “mom” ever come up.

I knew I would always have children, but being a mom was never something I aspired to be when I grew up. I honestly thought that I would have children and still have my “dream job.” Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that the job I love most requires no resume, has no job manual, and doesn’t even pay.

My “career” started nearly three years ago when I gave birth to Harlan.

 

To say that I was scared about what this new life would bring me was an understatement. I had babysat over the years, but with babysitting I could always give the kid back, not the case with my own.

As the days turned into weeks and the sleepless nights slowly faded away, I began to fall more and more in love with my new life. I had finally figured out exactly what my purpose in life was.

When we moved to New York City, I got a “promotion.” My teaching days were over and I got to stay at home full time with Harlan. I was so thrilled to be able to stay home with her during the day. No longer did I fear missing those important milestones in her life. I could now experience everything that life had to offer her, with her.

The past two years that I’ve been at the front row, able to watch her grow, have been beyond incredible.

 

Fast forward two years when we welcomed our second little girl into our lives.

I already knew the feeling that motherhood brought me, but I didn’t know it could be escalated the way that it was. The mix of emotions that I had as I held Avery in my arms was indescribable.

My “work load” got a little bit tougher when Avery was born. I now was solely responsible for not one precious little girls, but two.

By no means do I have this motherhood thing figured out. Every day brings a new challenge and one that I have to learn how to navigate my way through. But through the obstacles, brings on new strength and more love.

As I enjoy my first Mother’s Day as a mom of two beautiful girls, I’m reminded of why all of the stress and anxiety that comes with the job are all worth it.

I don’t need to be a princess, a pop-star, or even a weather girl because no job in the world comes close to being a mom to these two little girls. It’s the best job in the world.

Happy Mother’s Day.

I’m chronicling my adventures on Babble.com! Check out some of my Babble posts at Baby’s First Year.

Some images via PhotoOp

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Thank you to SquareSpot for sponsoring this post! Visit SquareSpot to find great deals and discounts on high quality family-centric products and services.

Since moving to the city nearly two years ago, (crazy it’s already been that long) MacKay and I have enjoyed navigating our way around. NYC is the perfect city for people that love to go out and do things. I am so thanksful to live here becuase there is always something to do. You will never be bored here in NYC.

Last year MacKay and I started a weekend routine of exploring different neighborhoods around the city. We would pick a place that we don’t frequent often (there are so many) and go there to just explore. There are so many parts of Manhattan that look completely different from one another. It’s so exciting to take in all of the culture and experiences that NYC has to offer.

In our quest to learn more about the different neighborhoods, I often look at the daily deal site emails that pop into my inbox every morning for fun products and services around the city. I’m not usually one to buy them because while it looks good in the heading, once you read the fine print there are too many limitations. That was until I found SquareSpot, a new online marketplace dedicated to meeting the needs of discerning moms and families.

One of the reasons that I love SquareSpot is that it was started by a busy NYC mom of two. I am a sucker for mom-owned businesses because they know what other moms truly want and need. All of the products and services offered on SquareSpot are focused around the family.

Their discounted deals range from a family photo session in Central Park to a five hour cleaning session (which I indulged in.) They offer deals throughout the New York City. With their constant focus on keeping the family in mind, they are now my go to site for NYC deals.

The process of signing up and purchasing a deal with SquareSpot was so easy. The best part was that I don’t have to worry about the fine print with any of their deals, because there isn’t any. Everything that the deal has to offer is right there for you see.

Another great thing that SquareSpot has to offer is the SquareCard. A SquareCard gives you exclusive benefits to various places and services around the city. So when we check out those new neighborhoods, I can find the local retailers that accept the SquareCard and save!

I cannot say enough good things about this site! If you live in NYC, I suggest you sign up for SquareSpot right away! You will not be disappointed!

As the weather starts to warm up and we start our tradition of visiting different neighborhoods in NYC, I’ll definitely check out SquareSpot for deals before we go!

Win it! SquareSpot has graciously given me a $100 Visa Gift Card to give away! Anyone in the U.S. can enter. Just fill out the form below!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all my own. #CGSquareSpot #spon

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Juggling Act

April 23, 2012

in Family,Parenting

Yesterday marked Avery’s seven week birthday. These past seven weeks have been somewhat of a blur. As much as I want to tell you that I have this parenting two girls thing down to a science, I most certainly do not.

Although the girls and I are starting to get ourselves in a routine throughout the week, I still find myself at some points struggling just to get through the day without feeling like I am going to lose it.

Last week I had to take the dogs to the groomers for a haircut. Their groomer is right by Harlan’s school, so I figured I could take them with me on the way to school, drop them off and then drop Harlan off.

My plan was easier in my head than actually implemented. Walking two dogs with a double stroller on the busy streets on NYC is almost impossible. Once I made it to the groomers to drop them off Harlan had a fit in the store and refused to leave because she thought I was leaving the dogs their for good. I managed to pick her up while she was screaming and carry her the two blocks to her school, while still managing to push the stroller with Avery in it.

Once I picked her up from school we still had a couple hours to kill before the dogs were ready to be picked up. I took them to lunch and then went to the pet store to let Harlan look at all the animals. In the middle of us walking around, Avery wakes up screaming because she is hungry. I take her into the bathroom so that I can put my nursing pouch on and nurse her hands free while still pushing the stroller and dealing with Harlan.

Finally the dogs are ready to go home, but Avery isn’t finished nursing. So here I am walking down the streets of NYC with Avery in her nursing pouch, Harlan in her stroller, and me holding two dogs. Of course over our 20 block walk home one of the dogs decide to poop. Now I have to figure out how to handle both dogs, while still nursing Avery and attempting to get out of the way of all of the busy people walking by.

As I am bending down to pick up the poop and still trying not to disturb Avery from nursing, this crazy impatient girl walks right by me and steps in the poop. I yell at her and she doesn’t even notice. As I pick up the rest of the poop, I am secretly laughing in my head because not only do I look crazy trying to manage all of this, but that stupid girl deserves to step in my dogs poop because she couldn’t wait the two seconds for me to pick it up.

That was the point that I realized I can’t always do it all. As much as I want to try to get everything done at once, sometimes it’s just not going to happen. I can’t be the “supermom” that I want to be, because it’s not just practical. The dishes and laundry can wait, the writing can wait (have you noticed that I’ve been lacking on my own site?), but my little girls can’t.

At this moment, my life really is a juggling act. Now I just need to learn how to juggle.

I’m chronicling my adventures on Babble.com! Check out some of my Babble posts at Baby’s First Year.

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Ready for Camp!

April 12, 2012

It’s hard to believe, but Harlan’s days at Kidville University (her preschool) is coming to an end. It’s been such a blessing to have her go three days a week. Not only is it a time for me to have alone time and get work done, but it’s been great for her to meet new [...]

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Communication Gap

April 6, 2012

As a mother it takes time to get to know the child you just brought into the world. When they are born, the only way they know how to speak to you is by a cry. Their cry could mean anything really. They could be telling you they are hungry, tired, want a new diaper, [...]

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On My Own

March 26, 2012

It’s been a whirlwind over these last three weeks. It’s hard for me to believe that much time has passed because everything has happened so quickly. Having two little girls, two and under, takes a bit of getting used to. I’m trying to spend a lot of time with Harlan, but Avery is so dependent [...]

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Sisterly Love

March 16, 2012

I’d be lying to you if I told you that I wasn’t nervous about Harlan meeting Avery for the first time. Although we kept Harlan super involved throughout the entire pregnancy, there was no telling how she was going to react when she saw her baby sister in real life. My sister stayed with Harlan [...]

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Deja Vu Delivery: Avery’s Birth Story

March 7, 2012

As I approached the end of my pregnancy, I was extremely surprised at how well I felt. I wasn’t tired, had no trouble getting around with Harlan, and was having minimal contractions. All of the “greatness” was driving me crazy, because it has me thinking that this little girl was quite comfortable in my belly. [...]

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Capturing the Moment

February 27, 2012

I used to think that there was nothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman. That was until I became pregnant with this little girl and my body began to do things that I never thought were possible. To say that I haven’t felt as glamourous as I did during the first pregnancy would be an [...]

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My Video Diary from the Strut Fashion Show

February 22, 2012

It’s been almost a week since I had the amazing experience to walk in the Strut Fashion Show during New York City’s Fashion Week. I am still pinching myself that I was able to participate in such an incredible event. Never have I felt so empowered as a woman, mom, and even a pregnant mom. [...]

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