This Unfamiliar Road

Hey y'all!

I am so excited to announce the launch of our new perinatal education class: Boot Camp for New Moms! This class was inspired by its "brother" class Boot Camp for New Dads, facilitated by my very own hubs :)

Boot Camp is not an exercise class, or a course on infant care; it is a discussion-based workshop for parents-to-be to join experienced parents and their babies to learn about life as a new family.

In Mommy Boot Camp, we focus on topics like breastfeeding, comforting techniques, male bonding timeline, and going back to work. The workshop is a judgement-free zone where rookie moms can ask veteran moms about their experiences as a new Mom.



Here are some upcoming classes at my hospital- let your Mom-to-be friends know!

I've had this post floating around my brain for a while now, and it feels good to finally get it down on, er...paper.

As a working Momma of two little ones, it is easy for things to get away from me. I find that from the moment I wake up, I am running non stop. Not a bad thing, in general, but I'm usually just spinning my wheels-going from one task to another. When I finally stop, I take a look around and realize that nothing feels completed. Dishes may be done, but toys are everywhere. Toys might be put away, but laundry is overflowing from the basket. Every task completed comes at the sacrifice of something else being incomplete.
I realize that this is probably the norm in most homes. Honestly, I have learned to embrace the messy house and occasional chaos in my home. My kids are happy and that's all that matters, right?

Right! Or is it?

As mothers, we often sacrifice our own health and wellness to take care of our home and family or ALSO go to work! I get it. Even something like a home fitness video is difficult to do unless kiddos are napping. And please...the last thing I want to do when I finally get that time to myself is exercise. If we're being honest, I want to (and sometimes do) sit on the couch and watch Dateline NBC while eating Cheetos. Seriously.

Diet? I try to eat a well-balanced diet but again, time. Do you know what I had for lunch yesterday? The crust off of my 3-year-old's peanut butter and jelly. Yup.



But this sacrifice of self cannot go on forever. I know what you're thinking- I will sacrifice anything, including my own health, for the happiness and health of my children. Me too. But is that beneficial for our kids? We are not heroes by putting our needs last.
My family is the most important thing to me, and they deserve the best version of me. In order to give them that, I have to make my health a priority. At very least, what an awesome example to set-actually showing them that health and wellness is important!



My nutritional program kickoff begins soon. It's simple to follow, so I won't miss a beat in daily life, which is just what I need! I'm nervous but excited as I think this will be life-changing in more ways than one. I don't quite know what to expect, but hey...I'm just following This Unfamiliar Road and I know it will be GREAT!

Wow, 2014 was a great year! It's pretty awesome to think back to January 2014, when we decided it was time to add another member to our family....and by the end of the year, our little Bean was in our arms!
Here are my favorite memories of the year:

I had fun playing with my new mixer: Making cookies with the cutest taste-tester there was!

Recipe here

We experienced some crazy winter weather and I was stuck at work for 4 days straight. Thankfully, the husband was able to stay at home and work....and enjoy P's first snow!


 We traveled to Nashville to celebrate a dear friend and to help her prepare for the arrival of baby Scarlett!

Guess what! There are 2 preggos in this picture :)

In March, we shared some exciting news. Oh, and Peyton got her first haircut. :)


A trip to Chattanooga to visit our buddies kicked off springtime!



We celebrated Mother's Day and watched the baby bump grow and grow!




We celebrated the marriage of dear friends. And Peyton enjoyed her first gig as flower girl!



In June, we celebrated our sweet Peyton's 2nd birthday, and partied Mickey Mouse style!



As the days grew hotter, the belly grew bigger! We attended our 10 year high school reunion and I accepted a job promotion and returned to night shift!





I blogged about my new favorite recipe


We got really brave and decided to potty-train Peyton! Using the 3-Day method made it easier, but it was still a lot of work!


 I celebrated my birthday and counted down the days until Bean's arrival! (Little did I know those days would turn in to weeks!)


We welcomed our sweet baby GIRL into the world and became a family of four!






Fall was a busy time with the fair, pumpkins,Halloween and Thanksgiving! Being on maternity leave allowed me to really enjoy this season at home with my family.





We enjoyed a visit from the Michigan parentals and Ben competed in his first BBQ competition and won FIRST place for sauce!


Christmas was a blast this year!




We celebrated Ben's 30th birthday, then I rang in the New Year with my work family!

Woohoooooo!!! I have made it! Ok, I know I didn't technically blog every single day in May. I did play catch up (which really just means I did double or triple duty in one day!) and I posted about every topic. So I am proud. 

While I will probably miss the writing prompts, I am glad this is over :)


Day 31: A vivid memory

I have shared quite a few memories during my blogging years, and even some during this challenge. I've discussed my childhood, my wedding day, and Peyton's birth story. One thing I have never touched on was my acceptance to nursing school.

I transferred to Kennesaw State University for the sole purpose of going to nursing school. I knew they had a good program, but I had NO idea how good-or how competitive it was. After spending a semester taking some requirements for Georgia schools (different from TN schools...), I applied to the program. That was a no go.
I applied again next semester, interviewed...another no go.

At this point I was becoming stressed out big time. I researched other majors, but nothing felt right to me.

My third time applying was the same as always, and I ended up on the wait list again. 

Then one day, I returned home from picking up my sisters from school. The phone was ringing as we walked through the door and I ran to grab it, barely making it before the machine picked up. It was my adviser, Fran. She confirmed it was me, then told me she had some news. 

On the home stretch, folks. I have almost completed the challenge!


Day 30: React to this term: Letting Go

I need to...let go.
I beat myself up about not being perfect. Which is silly. Nobody is perfect, and I don't really strive to be perfect, honestly. But every time I fail at something-anything-I am pretty bummed out. I stress myself out over trying to do it all; when I inevitably do not do it all, I feel like I have failed.

So, I need to let go. 
Let go of the fact that I might not have a clean house all the time. 
Let go of the fact that dinner might not be homemade every night-a frozen lasagna is ok.
Let go and allow myself some 'me' time-it's not selfish to sit down and read during nap time (instead of cleaning the house).


Just....let it go!