Mother’s Day celebrations center on showing your appreciation for mom, duh. From the beautiful bouquets, and thoughtful gifts- even the Barbie with her hair chopped off and the macaroni noodles and glue family photo- making mom feel important is the goal. Why not make the celebration of mom a year-long affair? Is one day really enough?

Being intentional all year long and creating memories that will last a lifetime is the real gift this year- all year.

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Growing up, we made a point to celebrate Mother’s Day by giving something thoughtful to my mom. She was always so appreciative of the things we came up with – even the Barbie I chopped the hair off, giving her a makeover worthy of my mom. Being a mom myself, I now realize how much time my mom invested in the moments, gifting us lifelong memories to cherish. Each intentional moment she orchestrated made my childhood more special, I know now that she celebrated Mother’s Day all year long. I intend to do the same with my family. There are several ways to celebrate Mother’s Day each and every day and as a Momma of 2 little ones (ages 4 and 2) I am finding ways to be intentional with them, just as my mom did with me.

Growing up one of my fondest memories was our families’ yearly vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. My mom is an avid seashell collector, she taught me that if you get to the beach before sunrise there are many treasured that come with the morning tide. We would come back to the beach house at the end of each day and lay out our treasures, pointing out our favorites and discussing what we hoped to find the next day. This past summer, we took our family on vacation to the Outer Banks with both sets of our parents. I cannot express how excited I was to initiate my little ones into the tradition of seashell hunting at sunrise. My son still talks about chasing the ghost crabs and loves to look at the seashells we brought home.

The mundane can also be made into a memory- from baking cookies to making dinner, the possibilities are endless. I cannot tell you how many precious memories I have grown up making homemade pierogies, or chocolate eggs at Easter, and cookies at Christmas with my mom. There’s something about making a dish with your own two hands, that gives a sense of pride and ownership. I love that my son can help me put together some of our dinners because he not only loves every second of it, but he is usually more likely to eat all of it (even if there was an ingredient he normally would turn his nose up to in the past). One of the messiest recipes we make together, and the kids favorite, are our egg-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. The kids love adding each ingredient one by one, then licking the batter spoon afterward as an extra treat. It can be a labor of love, but the excitement and joy they radiate is beyond worth the mess.

One of the biggest things I have been intentional with, in the past couple of years, has been getting outside to play and explore with the kids. I don’t think there has ever been a time they have refused to go outside; and now that they are both well into toddlerhood, I feel more lenient to let them run around and discover things outdoors. Living in a townhouse community, we don’t have the biggest yard to run around in, but we have found ways to play outside anyway. (Read: Don’t allow yourself to feel limited based off of your current circumstances). There’s a beautiful forest in our backyard that I recently braved taking my son into – and weeks later he’s still raving about it. I took some sidewalk chalk this week and made an obstacle course complete with a balance beam and hopscotch that both of my kids played with for hours. I have blown so many bubbles for my kids, that I sometimes get light-headed from my lack of proper breathing throughout; but it has always been worth it! The smiles, the laughs, and the giggles are always worth it because I know I am imprinting memories on my children's hearts that will last a lifetime.

Special trips are another way to spend intentional time with your little... Our local library has been one of the best places I take my kids, that I neglected for far too long. It’s a completely free-of-cost activity that they absolutely love. We sit and read books, play games on the computers and do seasonal crafts together – not to mention, all of the free events our library hosts monthly. The library has been an amazing way to nurture their love of reading, and it allows me to save money at the same time (by not buying more books). If it were not for the library, I would have never realized my son enjoyed “I Spy” books so much, which are definitely an advanced read for his age. Something so simple as going to the library has given me a glimpse into something he enjoys and excels at; which as a momma, feels beyond wonderful.

Spending time with family – our parents and our siblings is one of my favorite ways to invest in the lives of my children. I am beyond blessed by our close family situation, but I know plenty of people who have friends that are as close as family in their lives as well. My kids and I visit my parents on a weekly basis, and my in-laws usually every weekend. Part of investing myself into my kids’ lives, is by sharing them with the people who have positively shaped my husband and my lives.  In the summer, we have backyard water fun with water tables, water balloons, squirt guns and even the simplicity of a bird bath. We even get in plenty of pool time at their cousin’s house, which is another blessing in itself. Our whole family also takes trips to drum corps shows with my in-laws as part of their family traditions and passion for music.

My kids run and laugh and soak in the moments with our families we so deeply cherish.

What I wish all mothers on Mother’s Day, is the blessing of intentional time spent together year-round.  I hope you can hold onto every moment and cherish in this journey of parenthood. The simple, everyday activities to the well-planned vacations, the things in life that bring joy and adventure are the moments that make Mother’s “Day,” more than just a day.

What every mom has probably experienced at some point is the brain dead feeling you get when it’s dinner time and you are completely uninspired. If you’ve turned to Pinterest, then you know how hit-and-miss the recipes there can be. Here is my list of top resources every mom should have for her weeknight time of need.

1. Test Kitchens of America & Cooks Illustrated

Whenever I have an itch to buy a cookbook or cooking magazine, I go straight for the Test Kitchen books that partnered with Cooks Illustrated. I know the recipes are not only amazing, they tell you why things work! They are now the only cookbooks and magazines I buy and I actually use them regularly. I make notes in them if I find a recipe could use some tweaking to better suit my taste.

The website requires a monthly subscription. Access starts at just over $4 a month. That doesn’t sound bad, but I really avoid monthly subscriptions because they add up and they are hard for me to keep track of. That ends up being $50 a year and I know I don’t spend that much on cookbooks every year, so it’s hard to justify a website for recipes. They do have some recipes available for free, but there is no way to sort them that I’ve found—so you could waste a lot of time clicking through to see if it’s a freebie or requires a membership. But, the cookbooks are totally a physical resource worth having on hand!

2. All Recipes

This has to be my go-to for anything I want to make but don’t yet have a recipe for. All Recipes has a database of recipes users have brought to the table and then reviews by other users that have tried them out. The trick here is to pick a highly rated recipe and then check through the top comments—you will so often see five stars given along with the modifications the person made. “Based on reviews, I cut the salt down by half and added a tablespoon of garlic…” And so if you don’t check out the reviews, you will often find the recipe could use a lot of tweaks. But, it still has a wealth of recipes for every dish imaginable.

3. Genius Kitchen

Looking for something unique? I like that Genius Kitchen has beautiful images, interesting recipes and user ratings to let you know how good something is. Usually I double-check the recipes here against recipes from other sites to see how they vary because sometimes the taste is hit-or-miss for me. But overall, definitely a site worth checking out. One of my favorite recipes here is the 5 Minute Artisan Bread (pro tip: it may take only 5 minutes to mix up, but plan for three hours of rising and baking!).

4. The Pioneer Woman

I remember back before she was in Walmart and half as popular, but I’m glad to see she’s gotten so much attention. Her hearty and flavorful dishes are a great inspiration to mom’s everywhere. Check out her food blog for dish ideas before you head to the grocery store.

5. Food Network

You have to know a bit about the stars behind these recipes. If you watched the Food Network for a little education and inspiration like I did (we currently don’t have cable), then you will know who you can “trust” to make things the way you are going to enjoy them. Alton Brown recipes are usually ones I really appreciate.

6. Cooking Light

I do have some favorite Cooking Light magazines in my collection. I love their fresh ideas on days I’m not looking for something heavy. This is especially a great resource in the summer.

7. Smitten Kitchen

I love following Smitten Kitchen on Instagram for inspiration, but the website can be a good resource too. These meals are for days you want to get a little creative and maybe pair something with a good bottle of wine.

8. MidKid Mama

Yes, I totally refer to my own blog a lot when cooking. It’s a convenient place I’ve started publishing my absolute favorite recipes. We probably eat hamburgers almost once a week, so I do a lot of gourmet burgers with “punny” names. But, my Sweet Lemon Pepper Wings has to be my favorite recipe so far. I also have an incredible Chick-fil-A copycat sauce recipe that has been a big hit around here.

9. Everyday Mom’s Meals

This is actually my cousin’s blog. She creates a lot of one-pot meals that are simple and still tasty. She has several published recipes in magazines like Parade.

10. Tasty

With over 2500 videos on YouTube, there is tons of video inspiration alone from this resource. The Tasty videos are creative and gorgeous.

Those are my top ten favorite cooking resources for busy moms! But there are so many sites out there. Here are five additional honorable mentions to check out if you still want more. You can always Pin a few ideas for a later date! Feel free to share your absolute favorite recipe link in the comments!

Simply Recipes

Taste of Home

Parade

Bon Appetit

Kitchn

We had quite the morning.  It was one of those days that is set up to be a rough one.  We made the mistake of staying out too late the night before with friends.  The kids were playing so well. Why leave early? Well, we paid for it the next morning.  As the kids screamed on, I downed one cup of coffee after another. "We will persevere," I thought, "How do we get out of this state of crabbiness"?

Then it hit me.  Something about sunshine and water shifts us, centers us, starts the day anew.  It was worth a try. Through tugging and pulling, I managed to get my boys dressed, gather the necessary supplies, and load us up in the car.

We hit up our local splash pad per usual.  I love the open air, lack of potential drowning and the fact that it's free.  Stress free, or nearly. Blowouts, we have experienced one or two, so I always check around the park before we settle in.  Yes, I am that weird lady that you see wandering around checking the drains and under the slides. Poop is a good way to make a bad day worse.  Luckily, now we come prepared. I am so glad for my BB Littles swim diapers. Both of my boys have worn them for the past couple years. With all of the snaps, one diaper can fit an infant through a three year old.  I have saved hundreds by avoiding disposables and embarrassing poop explosions too. Luckily, we haven't had any problems with poop ever since.

As I guessed, shortly after I settled down on my cozy blanket in the grass, I watched as my boys were running through the sprinklers with joy.  No more fighting. No more yelling. I was finally able to have some peace of mind.

By the time I loaded the boys back into our car, they were yawning.  Water, sun and running is the perfect combo for a successful nap time.  The house was finally silent.

Over the past few years, our family has been thrown a myriad of different food sensitivities, allergies, and overall health issues. If you have read my previous blog, you may already know that I have battled IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), lactose intolerance, acid reflux and candida; and my husband has been battling SIBO-M (small intestine bacterial overgrowth – methane), adrenal fatigue and more that we are still learning about as we research and troubleshoot. We have had our fair share of difficult times navigating parenthood with all of the health issues in tow, however, in retrospect, I am grateful for everything we have learned along the way. I would love to share with you some of our favorite go-to meals and treats that have been a hit with our whole family (and taste pretty darn good, if I say so myself).

1.)   Burrito Bowls! Did you know Chipotle is one of the cleanest places to eat for people with tummy issues? They do not use GMOs or antibiotics in their ingredients, and if you check out their website you can learn even more about the steps they have taken to offer a menu of items that are safe for several health conditions. My family could easily eat Chipotle on a daily basis, however, we do not have the wallets to afford that – and it’s important to switch up your meals anyways. This recipe is one I have made time and time again with grass-fed ground beef, ground turkey, ground venison, ground bison and chicken as well. We even made it for close friends of ours (and avid Chipotle lovers), and they were amazed at how similar our recipe compared. I found this original recipe on the The Prairie Homestead, here is our version...

Ingredients:

-2 lbs of your meat of choice (grass-fed ground beef or boneless chicken breasts are our favorite), fresh or frozen

-2 10 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies (we get this at our local Aldi)

-1 small onion, diced

-1 teaspoon ground cumin

-1.5 teaspoon garlic powder

-1 teaspoon smoked paprika

-1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in a crock-pot. Cook for 2-4 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low. (We have also made this in our instant-pot under the poultry setting and it has turned out pretty good for how fast it cooks). Once meat is cooked, you can place on warm setting until it is ready to eat. If cooking ground meat, make sure to break up the meat – if cooking boneless chicken breasts, make sure to shred chicken with a fork once it is tender. We like to serve this with white basmati rice and a variety of burrito bowl toppings: salsa, black beans, pinto beans, guacamole and occasionally corn (as long as it does not tear up your gut). Our whole family of 4 eats this without complaints, which includes my 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter, who have their fair share of picky eating moments.

2.)   Turkey Chili – there’s nothing that just screams fall comfort food quite like chili. I am so grateful for the numerous recipes I have gained thanks to Dr. Junger’s “Clean Gut” book! If you have not read it before, I would highly recommend it, as it was the first thing my husband tried that actually began making a difference in his daily wellness. Our favorite recipe, included in the book is the Turkey Chili, which we make year-round.

Ingredients:

-2 tablespoons coconut oil

-1-pound ground turkey

-1 yellow or red onion, diced

-1 small winter squash, peeled and cubed (we usually get yellow squash instead because it is almost always available at the grocery store)

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-1 organic red bell pepper, diced

-2 zuchinni, diced

-2 tablespoons chili powder (more if you like a little kick)

-1.5 tablespoons ground cumin

-1 tablespoon paprika

-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (we prefer organic Ceylon cinnamon – I would highly recommend you do some research on why this is recommended)

-1 tablespoon raw cacao powder (if you are in a pinch, baking powder will do)

-1 24-ounce glass jar of tomatoes (canned is fine too)

-Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

1.     In a stockpot set over medium-high heat, warm the coconut oil.
2.     Add the turkey and sauté it until browned. Then add the onion and squash, sautéing until the squash is soft, about 5-10 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
3.     Add the garlic, red pepper and zucchini.
4.     Sauté an additional 3 minutes.
5.     Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and cacao powder, and continue cooking until the spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes.
6.     Serve warm.

3.)   Roasted veggies – believe it or not, it does a body good to take a break from meat every once in a while. This is one of those meals that I make on a weekly basis and although my son complains about the veggies, he still eats them all every time (consistency has been key). I will say, eating roasted vegetables is a completely different experience than eating microwaved, stove-top or steamed vegetables. Yes, I will admit that I have cooked my vegetables every way possible, but roasting is by far my favorite and most flavorful way to cook them; and we never have leftovers!

Ingredients:

-Vegetable of choice (I typically do a bunch of broccoli, brussel sprouts or cauliflower)

-Olive oil

-Himalayan pink salt

Instructions:

1.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.     While oven is preheating, spray your baking pan, then wash and cut your vegetables (if you are making broccoli or cauliflower, do not be afraid of slicing the “tree trunk” portions and tossing them on your cooking pan).
3.     Once your tray is covered in vegetables, take your olive oil and drizzle evenly. Be careful not to douse your vegetables in olive oil, or they will have a hard time crisping up. Sprinkle salt over vegetables, then toss with your hands to make sure everything is coated evenly.
4.     Cook in oven for 30 minutes. Usually my vegetables begin to brown at this point, but if yours have not you can always let them go an additional 5-10 minutes as long as you watch them closely.
5.     I typically serve roasted vegetables with a variety of sides. I typically make a side of stove top cooked chickpeas and diced organic Yukon gold potatoes (which I will throw in the oven, about 15 minutes before I put in the vegetables for roasting).
6.     Enjoy!

4.)   Crockpot Chicken Rice Soup – This is one of my tried and true Pinterest recipes that I have been making for years upon years (read: before children)! This recipe was originally designed to be a chicken noodle soup, but noodles have to be gluten-free in our house and once we tried basmati rice, we haven’t turned back. Here is the original recipe found on jocooks.com. Here is our spin on it:

Ingredients:

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1 large onion, diced (or you could forgo dicing if you want to cut it after its softened)

-2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

-2 stalks of celery, chopped

-1.5 pounds boneless chicken breasts

-7 cups of chicken broth (the original recipe calls for Vegeta, but suggested chicken broth as a substitute – we have only tried it with chicken broth).

-1 cup of water

-1 teaspoon salt

-1/2 teaspoon pepper

-2 bay leaves

-1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

-1 tablespoon of dried parsley (optional)

-1 cup of dry basmati rice cooked separately (we have tried cooking it in the soup, but have not mastered the art of getting it perfect every time)

Instructions:

1.     Add the oil, onion, carrots, chicken, celery, salt, pepper, chicken broth, water, bay leaves, rosemary and parsley to crockpot.
2.     Cook on low for 8 hours or 4 hours on high.
3.     Within last hour of cooking, add in cooked rice.
4.     Optional: we like to add 1.5 cups of frozen green peas to this recipe on occasion to change it up.

5.)   Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls – our family just recently started enjoying this recipe over the past 6 months or so, but let me tell you… it’s so incredibly easy to put together quickly and the kids always gobble it up like there’s no tomorrow! Here is the original recipe from The Recipe Critic. Here is our spin on it:

Ingredients:

-1 pound grass fed ground beef (or ground bison)

-3 garlic cloves, minced

-1/4 cup packed brown sugar (I have used less than this amount and it still tastes delicious)

-2 teaspoons sesame oil

-1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (yes, there is some kick to this meal, so you can certainly use less heat if you prefer, however, my kids have handled this well every time)

-1/4 teaspoon pepper

-1 cup of dry white basmati rice, cooked

-optional: 1.5 cups frozen green peas

Instructions:

1.     In a large skillet cook the ground beef and garlic breaking it into crumbles over medium heat until no longer pink.
2.     In a small bowl whisk brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes and pepper. Pour over the ground beef and let simmer for another minute or two.
3.     Optional: add in frozen green peas and stir until they are cooked completely, usually a few minutes
4.     Serve over hot basmati rice

6.)   Salmon Cakes – don’t get me wrong, but this was one menu item I never tried growing up, and I give all the credit to my husband for finding this recipe years ago and sharing it with me. You can find it here on allrecipes.com. Due to our food sensitivities, I have altered this recipe a bit to make it gluten-free friendly and with no eggs (tip: if you have digestion issues, avoiding eggs may benefit your gut). Although this recipe can be a labor of love, we typically will double it and freeze the extra salmon cakes for future meals.

Ingredients:

-2 (14.75 ounce) cans of wild caught salmon, drained and flaked (it is our preference to take out the bones, but they are technically okay to eat)

-3/4 cups of gluten free bread crumbs OR oat flour (I have made it with oat flour the past few times and it has been a hit)

-3 tablespoons dried parsley

-2 flaxseed eggs (Quick Recipe: Mix 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 4 tablespoons of water. Let sit and gel for 5-10 minutes)

-1.5 teaspoons dried minced onion

-2 teaspoons seafood seasoning

-1.5 teaspoons ground black pepper

-1.5 teaspoons garlic powder

-3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

-3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (we omit this on occasion due to dairy)

-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

-2 tablespoons organic mayonnaise

Instructions:

1.     Preheat oven 400 degrees.
2.     Mix salmon, bread crumbs (or oat flour), parsley, flaxseed eggs, minced onion, seafood seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard and organic mayonnaise together in large bowl. Divide and shape into 24 patties (I like to divide into 8 sections like a pizza, then make 3 patties per section).
3.     Cook 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

7.)   Tuna Noodle Un-Casserole – have you ever read the ingredients to your tuna or hamburger helper boxes? Once I started paying attention to it, I knew there had to be an easier way to combat all the unnecessary ingredients. We found this recipe on godairyfree.org and have been loving it for the past 6 months. It is another meal that is quick to put together and the kids always eat it without complaint. Here is our version of it:

Ingredients:

-2 tablespoons Kerry gold butter

-2 tablespoons einkorn flour (I have also used a combination of coconut flour, almond flour, oat flour and even arrowroot starch powder to create a good consistency)

-2 cups chicken broth

-2 (5 oz.) canned chunk light tuna (in water)

-1.5 cups frozen green peas

-1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

-3 cups dry pasta, cooked (we like Aldi’s gluten-free fusilli)

Instructions:

1.     Boil water for pasta (and toss in when it is ready to cook).
2.     Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
3.     Add the flour, whisking until no lumps remain.
4.     Add ¼ to ½ cup of the chicken broth and whisk until smooth.
5.     Slowly whisk in the remaining chicken broth.
6.     Add flaked tuna, and bring to a boil while continuing to whisk.
7.     Once boiling, add the frozen peas, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. (If you are using alternative flour, like we do, it may not thicken as quickly as you would expect; but once noodles are added it seems to soak in and thicken).
8.     Whisk in the black pepper and stir in the cooked noodles until they are well-coated in the sauce.

I hope you are able to enjoy some of our favorite meals, that have been so good on our tummies and wallet.

Let us know your favorite recipes in the comments.

We brought you an article a while back about 5 things second-time mom's never talk about. However, having a new baby whether it's for the first time or the fourth time there are things that mom's don't talk about nearly enough. We want to bring those things to light and start the conversation, "moming" is hard and we need to be there for one another.

 

From the moment we see that positive pregnancy test, for some of us even long before that, we start reading and preparing as much as we can for motherhood.

When I got pregnant, I had a vision and plan for how mom life was going to go. These “Instagram moms” make it look so glamorous and easy. What you don’t see, is that there are common struggles every new mom goes through that many don’t talk about.

1. Not bonding with your baby immediately.

Once the news is shared that you are expecting, the bombardment of affirmations start coming from all your friends, family and even the strangers in the checkout line. One of the most common things mothers before you will say, is that when your baby is placed on your chest, you will feel an outpouring of love and emotion. Makes sense right? Well, believe it or not, this doesn't always happen right away.

When my second was born, and he was placed on my chest, I was numb. I didn't have those overwhelming emotions like I did with my first child. Sure, I was happy and I loved him and cared for him, but it took weeks for me to really connect with him. I remember thinking, “what is wrong with me?” I wondered if I was broken. But once those emotions flooded through me weeks later, like a dam had opened, it was beautiful.

The fact is, is that the bond or connection may not happen right off the bat. This can bring on feelings of shame and inadequacy for new moms. Just know, this does not make you any less of a mother. The bond and connection will come in its own time, and IT IS OKAY to not feel it right away.

2. The loneliness and darkness that can set in.

Becoming a new mom is a huge change. One that comes with a whole new excessive amount of responsibilities. Throw in whacky hormones, and you got yourself stuck on one crazy rollercoaster. Baby blues is a very common response to the change of hormones and sleep deprivation in the beginning days of motherhood. You can feel really irritable, anxious, and weepy. You can spend the whole day wondering why you're crying, and never find a real reason. Hormones are funny. Baby blues should only last days to a few weeks. What is important, is to acknowledge all the feelings you're having. When it gets tricky is when it lasts longer or feelings become more intense. This is when the regular baby blues can morph into Postpartum Depression. When people hear depression, they think the worst, but it comes in all different forms. PPD can come on even a year after having a baby. Not treated, it can become very serious. Self care is something that mom’s put on the back burner, but it is extremely important. If you find yourself not wanting to get out of bed, not wanting to shower or even change your underwear (yes, I have been there), ask for help. There is no reason to be ashamed, and it’s something more women should talk about. We all want to show people we are all right, and can handle it all. You can still be super mom while admitting you need help.

3. Not knowing who you are anymore.

When you become a new mom, you immerse yourself in everything baby and it becomes your  focus, your entire life. Your routines change, and you don’t have the freedom or want to do some of the things that you used to. Instead of spending Saturday night taking shots of Fireball and blacking out with a McNugget in your hand, you're curled up on the couch with a colicky infant and a cold dinner that you haven't gotten to touch yet. Your body is different, so you wear clothes that are more for comfort instead of style. Those TV shows or books you started on are now collecting dust because when you have a moment, all you want to do is sleep before you are woken up again in an hour. We all go through a time of mourning our old self or “glory days”. It is really easy to lose sight of who we are aside from being a mom. It is important to remember that we are a mom but we are also our own person. It is valuable to have something for yourself. Something as simple as finding a hobby can help bring joy into your days when you’re feeling lost. Or, you can be like me, and pull a Britney Spears circa 2007, and cut all of your hair off into a pixie and dye it purple! Sometimes all you need is a dramatic change to your appearance to set you on track to finding yourself again.

4. How friendships change.

Every mom is going to experience changes in their previous friendships after having a baby. Maintaining relationships after baby is born is pretty tough. Parenthood is time consuming  and occupies us physically and mentally. Our needs and wants change when it comes to the important people in our lives. The truth is, some of our relationships won’t withstand the change to motherhood. Babies are unpredictable, and being a mom means that sometimes you have to flake. Being a mom means sometimes you just don’t have the energy to get out of the yoga pants you have been wearing for 2 days now, to meet up with somebody at Starbucks. Instead of bragging about your 2 a.m. shenanigans the night before, you want to talk about how you got your first official smile from your sweet babe, and you swear it wasn’t gas. You don’t feel like you fit in with your childless friend group anymore, and your friendships start to gain distance because they don't relate or understand the anxiety you feel when you even think about leaving your baby with somebody else. The loneliness of motherhood is real, and it’s hard for moms to admit how lonely they are.

5. Sex and intimacy after baby.

The first time you have sex after having a baby can honestly feel like you’re about to have sex for the first time ever. You have  6 weeks of healing to do, which also means you have 6 weeks to overthink the entire thing. Do I look different down there? Do I feel different? Is it going to hurt? Does he even find me attractive anymore? Oh the lights will definitely have to be off. When the day finally comes, you may not even feel ready. It is important to have open communication with your partner about all your worries and feelings. Maybe after holding a baby all day long, you are touched out and getting intimate is the last thing on your mind. Maybe it’s hard for you to get turned on because you have so many thoughts running through your head, and want to go check on the baby. Or maybe your hormones have your body out of whack so sex hurts now. Maybe your feeling self conscious of your body and the way it has changed. The best thing to have when it comes down to it all, is patience, both for yourself and your partner. Release the expectations, and learn each other all over again. Every couple goes through this awkward time.  

The changes we have to navigate through when we become a mother are immense. They say it takes a village, and I believe that to be true. We all experience some of the same changes going through motherhood, and it’s important to have somebody to lean on and reassure you that you aren’t alone. Although we have to let go of old parts of ourselves, and discover new ones it’s important to embrace the change. Don’t be afraid to talk about it, or ask for help.