Mothering Mommy

Ok, so let’s jump right in. I covered all things Nanny, which did reach and impact many of you. So to all those to whom I did give some insight, you are very welcome. It’s time to touch on Daycare. This is always a scary choice for any parent, myself included. After all, you are trusting your kids with a stranger (just as with a nanny), the only difference is that your little one will be cared for outside your home, they will now be one of five (instead of one on one as with a nanny) and the environment is notorious for exposure to any bugs that might be going around. Doesn’t sound too appealing right now but keep reading and you may be pleasantly surprised. The daycare environment is a transition for any child and parent, especially those children over the age of 1, so the nervousness you are feeling is completely normal. Just as with choosing a nanny, research is crucial along with open houses. All daycares allow you to tour their facilities during operating hours,...

THE CHILD CARE DEBATE OMG! It's positive you are going to have a baby. Your heart is racing, your face hurts from smiling so hard and you get those familiar butterflies of excitement in your stomach. Then your thought process begins, and sometime during this moment you think eventually I am going to need a nanny, no maybe daycare wait no I'm quitting my job. WAIT! I am a mom, who had been a nanny for years. I switched careers and became a stay at home mom/author, then as of a month ago I put my daughter into daycare. Yes I have experienced it from every angle, so let me give you a little insight. THINKING OF A NANNY The choice to get a nanny is a big one and one of the most personal relationships you could ever have. To be clear a nanny is not a babysitter. A babysitter ensures your little one is safe, and entertained in your absence, a nanny ensures not only your little one's safety and entertainment, but they also see after the entire wellbeing of your little one. ...

So this week’s post got sidelined after my experience this weekend. It would have not been in my nature to not share this experience with all of you. So my apologize for the late post but this is worth it. This weekend was full of blessings, with my daughter turning 2 and Mother’s Day all wrapped up in one, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. We celebrated by going to the zoo, and it was awesome!! We were lucky enough to see all the animals and witness feeding time. Honestly, my kids spent the entire day smiling. Now to this week’s entry. When you visit a public, family oriented place like the zoo, you witness first hand the differences and similarities in how we parent. Bringing together, strangers with a common interest, for brief random reassurances. While enjoying the attractions, I saw this family, with a reasonable gap in ages between their two kids, which caught my attention seeing that my kids are 12 years apart. The little one didn’t want to do what the bigger one ...

As parents, we all hit points where we feel like we failed or we could have done it differently. I reached that point this week, and hopefully my experience could ease the mind of any parent out there going through what seems to be a silent or visible dilemma. When life dealt me a really confusing hand I like most, had to just figure things out. Which led to me submerging myself in my writing. I was in my bliss. Not only was I doing what love, but I was also raising my now 23 month old and being home when my son came from school. I was on a high. Pulling energy from God knows where. So much was wrong with that plan, it wasn't even funny. I now had two full time extremely time consuming endeavours, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I was planning activities and projects all morning along with potty training, ensuring her meals were home prepared and nutritious, reading and teaching and ensuring loads of social interaction with myself and other kids. Whewww! Then came naptime. 2 ...

Somehow the fact that I am now a mom of a 23 month old girl and 14 year old boy, snuck up on me and both of them are going through their transition periods at the same time. Lucky Me! These transition period episodes happen so radomly that I cherish the many days with 'I love you's', endless hugs and non stop conversations. My 23 month old has the most beautiful spirit. She is focused, funny and an extremely loving little girl - I may be biased but I am allowed😄. As she approaches the 2 year mile stone, her thirst for independence is very clear and my ability to breath deep is well practiced LOL. Now does this sound familiar to anyone...she thinks everything is hers and she lets you know if she doesn't want you to take it. She believes she is invincible, bedtime is on a whole other level of defiance and her super favorite word is, inevitably 'NO'. Be honest, as cute as the little munchkins are, this is a scary transition point. As for my 14 year old, he is ...

So this week was one of reflections and realisations, all that created the messge I have this week. Back Story: About 4 years ago I was a pedestrian struck and I am gratefully blessed to still be alive. After the accident, I did all I needed to, for my body to heal and for me to function. Like most moms and women, I dug deep and got through it. I went back to work and took care of my family and home, but little nagging pains remained. As time went by, I had to see doctors related to the accident but my life post injury became more painful.  I took pain killers for the now growing pains, and kept focused on providing for and taking care of my family. Before I knew it, I was on autopilot, and not taking any time for me or listening to my body. I pushed through and pushed through, until one day, my body said enough was enough. It took me by surprise as I literally could not get the right side of my body to respond to any signal my brain was sending. I had to stop. Here I was, fo...

I want to talk about something that I personally went through, and believe that a lot of other mothers probably go through it as well. It’s all about bonding with your second child. Like most first time moms, I was head over heels with excitement when I found out I was pregnant with my son. I was in my 20’s then and would sing to my belly, talk to him, journal poetry at every milestone of my pregnancy and would try newborn diapers on my stuffed teddy bear (this bear has been my favorite stuffed toy since I was 9 years old and I gave him to both my kids so don’t judge:)). Yes I was so ready to be a mom. And then the day came that I finally held him and to this moment it still makes me smile. Seeing his squishy face and velvety skin, I was in love. My son and I bonded from inception and to this day, he is 14 now, we are still extremely close. After my son, I knew I wanted more kids, 3 in total to be precise. But life had other immediate plans for me, and it would be 11 years before I...