Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Storytelling, Under Eye Bags and Why Everyone Should Have That Kind of Babysitter

I recently got a new laptop that uses face recognition to unlock the home screen. I love this laptop for many reasons but mostly because it does not judge me when I stand before it wearing the same black leggings I've worn three days in a row. Bonus points, it even recognizes me before I've put on makeup and am still wearing yesterday's mascara that has settled so far beneath my eyes that it's actually accentuating the dark circles that have become permanent fixtures on my face regardless of how many hours of sleep I get or how much I spend on magic eye creams.

So, uhh, where did we leave off?

The end of 2017 brought with it several milestones. Most notably, my husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in October. If I have one piece of advice for new-ish parents, it's to find a really, really great babysitter. Someone who isn't family but whom you love and trust like family. Find that person and never, ever share their number with any of your friends. Hide them away like the treasure they are and pay them really, really well. Spend weeks putting together a compulsive family binder and plan a trip away with your spouse. If you can, don't wait 7 years. Trust me on this, I speak from experience. We celebrated our 10th anniversary with an island vacation and it was just the absolute greatest. It should be noted that getting these weekends away with your spouse are addicting. We were barely home from the vacation it took us 7 years to take before we booked the next one. 



I spent most of December focused on keeping my family healthy, doling out magic tinctures, diffusing all of the oils, handing out supplements like candy, desperate to not have a single person spend Christmas sick- only to have none other than myself fall victim to what I'm affectionately calling The Plague, the night before Christmas. For those keeping score, this would be the second Christmas in a row that I would spend confined to my bedroom. 

Sometime during December it was brought to my attention, by several congratulatory messages on LinkedIn no less, that I was celebrating  my 9th year writing in this space. I want to say that I had some huge, wonderful revelation about what this space means to me and what it will look like in the coming year but the truth is, it left me questioning what do I really have to offer you, my dear readers, any more?


And the answer is, I've got my story. I've got my real and honest take on motherhood and what it feels like standing at the precipice of no longer raising babies and stepping into the vast unknown of raising big kids, three boys no less. Some days I feel like I've really hit my stride in parenting (finally!!) And others, I feel like a total dweeb newbie with no idea how to solve common core math problems and certainly no patience when it comes to helping not one but two kids with nightly homework.

And oh, the eye rolling. Why doesn't anyone warn you about the 7-year-old's eye rolling?

So, here's to story telling the best way I know how. Without the pressure of fitting into a niche or a pretty little perfect square. I'm sure as hell not hiring a photographer to follow me around and we'll all have to settle for a few Instagram-worthy shots taken by my Instagram husband whom I likely bribed with sexual favors to do so. I still maintain the promises made that I will never make you "like to know it," and I will never, ever try and sell you something (but I'll sure as heck continue to support those who do). I'm not giving up yet.   

Most people begin the new year with one word. They choose something, a behavior, a habit, a vice- a less-than-savory-something that has perhaps plagued them for years that they suddenly can no longer go even a single day embracing. They then narrow that list of imperfections down into a single word, one that will hopefully bring them to a better version of their former self.

I don't have a word, but I do have a short list of things I want to be better at doing this year than last. Starting with washing my face before bed each night. I want to be better at taking care of myself and of those around me. I want to write more. I want to read more. I want to care less about the bullshit, find contentment in the present and spend more time on an island with my husband.  

2018, let's do this.



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6 comments :

  1. LOVE the way you write. You always have me laughing and furiously nodding my head! :) Thanks for this!

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  2. I’m always so glad to see your posts! Your sense of humor and real life moments make me feel better about my life with my crazy three kiddos :)

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  3. Long time reader here and glad to see you're back! Keep doing you, mama!

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  4. I've missed your blog so much! Keep on writing, girl!

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  5. Yay! You are slightly ahead of me with your 3 boys, mine are 5, 3 and 8 months, so I really enjoy getting a peek into my next stage of motherhood.

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  6. I’ve been reading for awhile. I have three boys, too. It’s just fun to read about your life. Don’t we all feel good when we have it going on for a moment? And in the next moment, we feel like we cannot do ONE MORE sleep deprived day. But if you can laugh, and feel connected to other moms, even if you’ve never met them, it gets you through. My “word” (sort of) for this year, is to forgive. Mostly myself. No more beating myself up at the end of the day for what I didn’t get done or do well enough. To try to do well each day, but not get mad at myself if I fail. Keep posting- love what you have to say!

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