Monthly Mama Spotlight: Kim (Our Mama)

 

Journey to motherhood

After being married for a few years, I was so excited when I found out that I was pregnant with our first child! Although my body experienced ALL of the challenges of becoming a host for a beautiful life, I was blessed to repeat the process two more times within 7 years! My husband, Shawn, and I welcomed 2 beautiful daughters, Lauren and Carmen, and one gorgeous son, Joshua!

What it means to me

Having the responsibility of taking care of innocent children, protecting, feeding, educating, and staying attune to their development can be a daunting task. However, I loved every moment of it! I loved that as a mom, I could put my fingerprints on the fabric of their minds, praying all the time that the mistakes I made would be covered enough by my heart for them, that they would know how much their dad and I wanted the best for them.  Although they are all grown now, and, yes, I have to back off a little, I have to trust that the lessons they learned as children would be good soil for words of wisdom to grow in.

Any lessons of encouragement to share

I can still remember the advice  that my mother shared with me when our second child, another daughter, was born. I was talking to her on the phone, describing Carmen to her, and she said, “Now honey, you have 2 daughters and each one is different from the other one. Don’t treat them the same way. Get to know each little girl as an individual.”  Momma said! Boy, was she correct! God has blessed each of us with different everything or else we would be clones. Learn your children as individuals. Love them the way they need to be loved!

Apologies

Raising kids can be HARD! Making sure they do the right thing when you’re not around is even harder. Sometimes they don’t always listen to our sage advice. But just as important is teaching them how to respond to their mistakes. When I received this note from a child who got in trouble being mean to my son I was elated in the lesson her parents were teaching her. A little goes a long way sometimes with kids. Making sure they know how to properly apologize is incredibly important. Kudos to that kid’s mama! – Lauren 💗

Monthly Mama Spotlight: Anna

Hi all I’m Anna!!! I’ve been married for five years and I am a Momma to a beautiful, energetic, lovely two year old boy named Holden Michael. As we ALL know, Motherhood is no walk in the park. No matter how much you read, practice or dream – it can never fully prepare you for a babe, especially a first babe.

I had an awesome pregnancy and an awesome labor and delivery. Exactly six hours from water breaking to holding him on my chest. All natural!! Postpartum Anxiety hit me from the jump and I had NO IDEA. I was fully prepared for PPD – watching my thoughts and feelings, but I was happy. I just couldn’t settle. I was so tired, but I couldn’t relax enough to sleep. Then anxiety eventually turned into depression. My body had changed so much. I was unmotivated to workout, eat right or even get out of my house. I have a summer babe, so it was too hot to take him outside. Then he was still too little to be out in the cold, in the winter. So I just stayed inside eating and THEN I didn’t even want to go out because I didn’t want anyone to see me! I withdrew from everyone and essentially became a recluse. A crazy, vicious cycle! (Carmen can attest – she practically hunted me down/also fun fact I’ve known Lauren and Carmen for more than 20 years!)

My husband is the bread winner and he was doing his job beautifully and I felt like as a SAHM…the baby/house is MY job. And you never want to complain to your spouse about the best job in the world…so I didn’t talk. I tried to keep everything perfect (outside of myself) until I started to crack. And that’s what kept me in my cloud for so long. I used to want 6 kids and to be a Wife and a Mother. I’d dreamed of that since I was a little girl. But when I became a Mom, and being raised by a Mom who was fulfilled being a SAHM…I had a very tough realization that I LOVE my Baby, fiercely. But I do not always love being a SAHM….and that is O-K-A-Y! And once I realized that, accepted it and talked about it out loud…that’s when my depression broke. And that was January of this year (my son was born July 2017!) That’s a long time, Girls! Too long!

So my encouragement to you is – if you are feeling these things – anything – TALK! Just talk! Open your mouth and talk to someone. Your spouse, find a Mom’s group in your area to join (this is what really helped me- Moms Time at my Church) or connect with someone in this community. We carry A LOT as Mommas and it is okay to want other things and it is okay to BE FULLY satisfied being home with your Babes and killing the SAHM Life! And it is okay not be perfect. None of us are – Welcome to the Club!!👏 Your crazy is welcome here and so are you!! Bc I know mine is 😁

Now, I have my own Communication Coaching business and I LOVE it! I get to stay home with my Baby, but also take Mommy-Mind Breaks and focus on something I really love encouraging others and it fills my cup back up! And by doing that – I enjoy my baby and motherhood SO much more! We are all different, but we are all in this together! You’re amazing, Momma!!!

Self Care

SELF CARE!!!!! I haven’t bought bras for myself in YEARS. I have finally been at the point where my sagging, stretched out bras were causing me back pain because they just weren’t holding the girls up anymore. So guess what? I took my three year old and I went and got new bras so I could take care of ME. Self care isn’t always about getting away or having a glass of wine. Self care can be just as simple as taking the time to make sure you have the right size bras to ease aches and pains. Make sure your self essentials are taken care of so you can take care of others.

❤️

Sunday Recipe

Sunday means recipes!!!! There is no long caption needed….. This is Hoisin Sriracha Beef Meatball dish is
DELICIOUS!!!!! You should try it!!!

Hoisin Sriracha Beef Meatballs

Sunday Recipe

It’s SUNDAY!!!! For many families, gathering around the table for a meal on a Sunday is tradition (cue Fiddler on the Roof Music) and often times the mama is responsible for whipping up a delicious meal. If you’re drawing a blank with what to make try this yummy and EASY Sweet and Sour Pork recipe. We will be making it tonight with you!! Let us know how it turns out 💗💜
——————————————————————

Cook the rice separate but everything else together!! Enjoy!! ¾ cup
Jasmine Rice
2 clove
Garlic
12 ounce
Pork Chops
3 teaspoon
White Wine Vinegar
1 unit
Vegetable Stock Concentrate
2 unit
Bell Pepper
2 unit
Scallions
1 tablespoon
Cornstarch
1 tablespoon
Soy Sauce

Sweet and Sour Pork

Monthly Mama Spotlight: Kayla

 

Hey Mama’s,

I’m Kayla Ford, 28 year-old, mom of three girls. My daughters are Lily (6), Daisy (4), and Willow Grace (22 months) and yes I’m one of those moms who say the months instead of 1 year-old lol. We are a Military family, so because of that I am left to do most of the physical everyday parenting alone, most of the time. It can be hard sometimes but this has been our family’s norm for as long as I can remember and the girls are used to it, and thank God for FaceTime and vacation days.

Being a mom is hard and just recently I realized that being a mom is not something that can be taught, but is a part of life that has to be experienced in order for you to truly understand it. With Motherhood, you learn as you go and even have to relearn some aspects with each child you have and the stages they go through as individuals.  All three of my girls are so different, personality wise. I believe that it is so important to find out what your children’s love languages are. My oldest, Lily’s love language is “Words of Endearment,” she loves to talk and be talked to but most of all that the person she is speaking to listens intently. Daisy, my middle girl, loves “Physical Touch;” whether a hug or simply her toe touching me, she has to be near me at ALL times. Lastly, my baby Willow loves “Time Spent,” she will demand you play with her until you do so. It is impossible to always be able to meet the needs of all of our children every day, but it is important to make an effort to show this intentional love.

Taking care of three spunky little girls is no joke sometimes, but do you want to know how I get through it? I tap into my inner “Mommy Beast Mode!” This is a concept God gave me a few years ago when I was having a rough time parenting the girls. “Mommy Beast Mode” is the inner strength, which I believe; God gives us moms to get through those times of the day when we feel like we just can’t keep going. Have you ever felt like you just couldn’t do another thing, and then a burst of energy just pushes you to get that last load of laundry done? Well that’s you tapping into your inner “Mommy Beast Mode!” I use my Instagram page @mommybeastmode_mbm to highlight moms and their businesses, and to just uplift our community of moms as a whole. Whenever, we as moms feel alone just know you aren’t, God is always there.

Moms lets continue to uplift and encourage one another! There is enough room and opportunities for us all to win! No mom shamming, it’s all love here.

Love and Blessings

Ford Family

Monthly Mama Spotlight: Laura Beth

This is definitely my favorite stage

…is what runs through my mind with each milestone that my girls reach. I decided early in my twenties that I was gong to wait until I was 30 to start a family. I wanted to wait because that was how old my mom was when she had me, and my mother in law was 30 when she had my husband. What I DIDN’T take into consideration was the fact that my husband and I are both the youngest, so our mothers didn’t actually start at 30. They started in their twenties. I realized all too quickly (and much too late), that I was going to be an older mom. Oddly enough, it seems to be the “in” thing these days, but that doesn’t make things any easier for me. After giving birth I quickly realized (much to my chagrin), that being a mom is hard. I had postpartum depression, difficulty getting them to latch, trouble losing the weight (it’s going to come off any day now!), and I missed going out with friends and having drinks. Thankfully, though, I love my little girls so much that it makes up for all of the other stuff, and I settled into motherhood, trying to drink in every moment so I won’t forget all the yummy cuteness that comes along with raising little girls.

When they were newborns, I just knew that was going to always be my favorite stage, because they slept so much and were so calming to hold and so completely reliant upon mommy. Then I realized 6 months was the best stage, because they could sit up and giggle and flap their little wings with drooly smiles and bright blue eyes.  But once they started talking, I realized THAT was my favorite stage because everything they said was funny and entertaining, and it gave me stuff to talk about at work. Then toddler-hood was the best stage because they were out of diapers but would still hold my hand and with complete trust and love, follow me without fear or questions.

Then the questions started, and that’s where we land today. The girls are 7 and 4, and they are definitely in my favorite stage! They help set the table, feed the pets, pick up their shoes, and they are able to play with friends down the street so mommy can have some alone time. Daisy asks “why” a million times a day and Ella tells me every day that I am beautiful, especially without makeup. We are at a unique point in our lives where I feel like a married single mom, because my husband travels for work so much. It’s usually around the 4th dad-less day with 2 kids and 2 pets that I realize, being a mom is a young woman’s game. My kids have too much energy, and I have none. They want to go swimming and play at the park but I’m  barely able to drag on pj’s because I’m exhausted from work but I still have to muster enough strength to feed and bathe them. But then the evening comes, and with daddy gone, we all pile into my bed, watch YouTube videos, and snuggle until we snore. We have long talks and lots of laughs, and they pray over me when I complain about my aches and pains. These kids are my whole world, and it this is DEFINITELY my favorite stage.  Until the next one…

 

Nine Things My Nine Year Old Wants You To Know

Today our oldest is nine! He is super sweet and full of random facts. He is always telling me very useful information so I figured I would interview him on this birthday and see if there is any nine year old gems he wanted to share. So here is a list of nine things he wants you all to know about!

1. You should know physics.

2. You should know how to cook.

3. You should stop saying boys rule or girls rule, because we all rule.

4. You shouldn’t play violent video games.

5. You should know that God is real.

6. You should help needy people.

7. You should know that being nine is a big responsibility.

8. You should know that nine year olds have more energy than eight year olds.

9. You should know that boy nine year olds do not like to talk about marriage like nine year old girls do.

💙

Summer and Spiders

Heads up this post is about spiders. I used a cutesy spider picture in an effort to make them less gross and to make sure you all kept reading.

So who is excited about summer! I know I am! I love that the kids are stress free from school and I love hearing all of the giggles as they spend hours in their imagination land. But what I don’t like are the influx of bugs. Especially around my kiddos. I live in Arizona, which I am positive is like a baby Australia when it comes to all of its deadly and worrisome insects. And this spring/summer season has been horrid with all of the creepy crawlies. Like most of the country we have experienced and unseasonable cold and wet winter. Which for my fellow Americans in the Midwest and East Coast has probably been super annoying, but for us in the dehydrated desert, it has been MARVELOUS! Apparently the month of May hasn’t been this cool in like 30 years. All the neighbors are smiling at each other, no one is making a mad dash to their cars to keep their skin from melting off. I’m telling you its been bliss.

But now that the summer has begun, our ecosystem has been thrown off and there is an extra amount of foliage and dampness that the bugs are thriving off of. Thus, we’re now paying for our extra unexpected months of basically no A/C bills. And unfortunately, my four year old son became collateral damage in a spiders quest to ruin lives. Just kidding, was that too much? Yeah probably. But in all seriousness, he did end up getting cellulitis from his spider bite.

It is so important to trust your mom instincts, even in the seemingly mundane things like bug bites. I really felt like this wasn’t a time to utilize my Thieves oil. Situations like this I would not recommend be handle by homeopathic remedies. I am ALL FOR all natural, homemade, homeopathic remedies. But because of the potential severity of things like cellulitis, I would say that having professional medical intervention is super important. Bug bites aren’t always serious but cellulitis should be taken seriously if it happens. The emergency room on a Thursday night at 8pm when your husband isn’t home yet, is not an ideal time to make that trek for a bug bite, but I knew in my gut he needed to be seen.

My son has allergic reactions to almost all bug bites, but what caught my attention with this particular bite was the fact that it basically was not healing. Most of his bites, become hard, hot to the touch and really really swollen. But within a day or two they go down. Not only was he not seeing any relief from those symptoms, but his wound was also seeping. Like basically leaking.

The symptoms of cellulitis caused by a bug bite include:

• pain and tenderness that radiates from the bug bite
• inflammation
• redness
• swelling
• red streaks or spots near the area of the bite
• skin that feels warm to the touch
• skin dimpling

If cellulitis isn’t treated, it can develop into a serious infection. Signs of a worsening infection include:

• fever
• chills
• swollen lymph nodes
• pus or drainage from the bite site

So because he had most of these symptoms we decided I should go ahead and take him to the ER. Once we were seen, the doctor confirmed our suspicions of cellulitis. He was put on a 15 day antibiotic and we got home at 1 am. While it was not the way I wanted to spend a Thursday night, I am obviously very glad we decided to go ahead and take him. Honestly, we were actually worried about his bite being a result of a brown recluse spider (I’m telling you it’s for real the wild wild west out here) and had no thoughts about cellulitis. I wanted to share our story because it is so super important to catch things like this early because infected bites can get worse very quickly. If you think your child needs to be seen by a professional take them as soon as you can.

And finally, if you think I am a mom who is like really great at keeping up to date on whats going on with my children’s body’s because I was watching a spider bite, calm down. Because while we were at the hospital I was informed that my kid was like super constipated……. You win some you loose some I guess.

❤

 

 

 

 

**https://www.healthline.com/health/cellulitis-from-bug-bite**