motherhood Archives - Page 7 of 33

Me, My Mom & Our Mom Bellies

Filed Under: motherhood, postpartum body // September 21, 2020

mother daughter, mom and me, mommy and me, mother daughter postpartum, mom body, mom belly, postpartum body, postpartum bellies

When I was younger, I’d look at my mom’s belly full of stretch marks — and wonder why it’d gotten like that. ⁣

𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦…⁣

All the time, sacrifice, and strength it must have taken to endure a healthy pregnancy, and a cancerous molar pregnancy, followed by a “miracle” pregnancy. ⁣

𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦…⁣

That, to her, those marks represented her kids, her two gifts. ⁣

It wasn’t until recently when I looked into the mirror and saw my own belly after birthing my own two babies that I realized:⁣

𝐌𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬. ⁣

⁣Full of stretch marks — that mark one of the most beautiful periods of my life. ⁣

⁣…More and more I see her when I look in the mirror…⁣

⁣And I am proud to have a belly like 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. ⁣

mother daughter, mom and me, mommy and me, mother daughter postpartum, mom body, mom belly, postpartum body, postpartum bellies

Oftentimes, older women-our moms and grandmas- get overlooked as their skin and bodies age. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

𝘞𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥. ⁣⁣

Women in my mom’s generation mostly covered up their pregnant bellies with baggy clothes and didn’t proudly expose their postpartum bellies. Instead, it was looked down upon to expose those parts of you. (Decades later, even I caught slack from my ‘Buela for wearing a bikini when pregnant.)⁣⁣

So, I am 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 she stood next to me for these photos.

Here she is—here we are:⁣⁣

𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 ⁣⁣

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 *𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬.* ⁣⁣

mother daughter, mom and me, mommy and me, mother daughter postpartum, mom body, mom belly, postpartum body, postpartum bellies

An Ode to Summer 2020

Filed Under: motherhood // September 1, 2020

Well, hello, September, the unofficial end of summer…

As the temps dip and fall creeps in, I am hoping summertime lingers a little longer. Though I am excited about the year moving forward into fall + the holiday season, I’m sad to bid farewell to a summer that stood still—in a good way (most days). One when we watched sunsets by the ocean, went on family bedtime walks, played at home, enjoyed dinners on our deck, vacationed in the mountains, and lived in each other’s presence every single day.

Cheers to a summer of enjoying the outdoors and fresh air, of being grateful for breathing, of wearing a bikini even 15-20 pounds heavier, of letting the ocean wash away my anxieties and worries—if even momentarily, of living and let live my kids who spent months prior cooped up away from the world.

We might not have hopped on any planes or vacationed far away as I’d originally hoped but it’s okay. This summer, we spent it healthy and together—and that’s what matters most anyway.

I’m not sure what fall will look like (I can only hope we won’t have to quarantine again) so I am grateful for every bit of summer fun we’ve had.

A Personal Pause

Filed Under: motherhood, unplug, Unplugging // August 4, 2020

Dad, sons, dad and sons, family time, great pause, unplug, nature, hiking, family hike, poconos

We are off the to the mountains. I see this as an opportunity to reset. It will be my time to unplug, be present, and enjoy the moments.

You know those moments? The candid, real, raw, unstaged, unphotographed moments? I feel like I’ve missed out on some lately as I find myself overwhelmed by all that’s going on. There is just so much. It seems like there’s information overload, and not all of it is even true. There is debating, there is selfishness, there is racism … and so many people are losing their loved ones during this time. Its sad. It’s frustrating. It’s a lot.

As a nonprofit employee , self-care isn’t as simple as just turning off the news or not going on social media, especially when your organization’s work is related to all that’s going on and social media is part of my job. Therefore, it seems the only way to truly make myself tune out was to take time off. I need it. My husband needs it. My kids need it. They have been such troopers during this time.

So during this Great Pause I have decided that I too am taking a bit of a personal pause and will be on social media, especially Instagram, a lot less. I will post to stories more because they’re in-the-moment and don’t require editing or writing deep captions, which take longer than you probably think.

I just want to enjoy all the moments I can with my loves.

Mom, mom life, working mom, motherhood, musings, present, family time, great pause, unplug, nature, hiking, family hike, poconos

Back to School Fall 2020

Filed Under: back to school, back to school 2020, fall 2020, motherhood // July 29, 2020

This post is sponsored by Discount Glasses but all opinions are my own.

Whatever you decide regarding back to school this fall, I think the consensus is that this is a particularly more stressful back to school season. There’s no easy or best decision, really. We are still awaiting reopening guidelines for S’ preschool. That being said, my husband and I are torn but currently leaning one way…

Before I discuss which way we are leaning in our decision-making process, I want to say that my (very involved) husband and I are both home full-time. Due to this, we are able to share household and parenting duties. I know many others do not have this and therefore school / activities serve multiple purposes in addition to education, i.e. provide the ability for parents to get work done; mental health breaks; etc.

We trust that the preschool will take precautions to keep the kids safe. We also appreciate that the school is a nursery school, so only open to 2-4-year-olds. However, we are still worried about what fall will be like here in the NYC surrounding area. Cases have begun increasing again here, and while the number is low, I am worried it will continue rising as cold and flu season arrive. Also, the benefits of social interaction seem outweighed by the possibility of social distancing.

Therefore, we are leaning toward homeschooling, or virtual school if that is an option. We do know just how much S enjoyed school so we will wait until we receive reopening plans to make our final decision.

One less thing I, and everyone who needs glasses for school and work, have to worry about during this stressful BTS season is renewing my vision prescription and ordering new glasses. Discount Glasses offers the convenience of doing from the comfort and safety of your home! Plus, if you’re like me and have little ones who have broken your glasses, or have little ones who might break their own, you can appreciate the affordable prices.

Discount Glasses’ virtual try-on is so helpful to help you decide which glasses to buy! Once you have decided on glasses, you can go ahead and take the Discount Glasses Online Vision Test if you need to renew your prescription.

The Online Vision Test offers the following benefits:

Free
Quick Exam (about 15 minutes)
Fast results (within 24 hours)
No Appointment Needed
At Home

Though it might seem difficult, it is really simple. Here are Step-by-Step Instructions to help guide you through the process:

1. Go Through Checkout

Once you’ve added your eyeglasses to your cart, choose the “Renew Your Prescription” option during the “Prescription Step” of the Checkout.

2. Complete Order

Add payment information and complete your order. Don’t worry, your card will not be charged until after you’ve finished the test and your order is on the way.

3. Click the “Get Rx” Button

A link to renew your prescription will be shown on the order confirmation page or sent via your order confirmation email.

4. Enter State and Birthday

If your state and birthday are deemed to be eligible, the next questions will appear. If not, you will be sent to search for a doctor in your state.

5. Answer Health Questions

A few health questions will be asked to make sure you meet the qualifications to renew your prescription without seeing a doctor.

6. Take the Test

If you meet the qualifications, you will be guided through the test with video tutorials to help. You will need your smartphone, your computer, and 10 feet of space.

7. Receive New Prescription

Once you’ve completed the test, a doctor will review it within 24 hours. A PDF of your valid prescription will be sent to you via email and your package will be shipped!