Guest Post: Tristan Womack

I asked a friend from high school to do this next guest post because she is a single mom trying to do it all for her little man. She is an amazing woman who would do anything for her son. I opened my email this morning to her story and was deeply touched. She is showing an amazingly positive attitude and is now and has been going through a lot. Never doubt how amazing women truly are! This is a must read!

"When we grow up playing house as little girls none of us imagine that our house would consist of being a single mom working 2 jobs, at least I didn’t.  I had the dream of a big home filled with lots of kids, a loving husband, and a dog.  At the age of 28 my dream changed.  When my son Gabriel was 2 ½ months old and I found myself a single mother and clueless.  Now I won’t get into details but for the first year of my son’s life I fought a battle that is any mother’s worst nightmare.  When I came through that I realized that if I could make it through that then I could conquer anything! Life as a single mom is very challenging but also very rewarding at the same time.  I could not ask for a more perfect little boy.  For the first year of Gabe’s life he was very sick.  He had 2 surgeries and we were in the doctor’s office every 2 weeks for one illness or another.  He came down with RSV and still to this day has breathing problems.  He will also be starting speech therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy this upcoming week.  So on top of being a single mom of a 19 ½ month old toddler, I battle the daily challenges of a child that needs some extra medical attention.  Gabe does not speak much so I’ve had to take on the challenge of teaching us both sign language and he communicates very well.  I could get down on myself and wish he was like other kids his age but I step back and realize that he is special and this is who he is.  I will always accept him no matter what differences he may have. 

So now that you have a little background here is my life as a single mom in a nutshell.  My days start around 5:30 (or at least they should) with getting ready for my day.  Making sure I have everything for work, Gabe has his things for day care, and that everything is packed for both of us for the evening.  When I leave the house in the morning I must make sure everything is prepared and packed for the day since I don’t see my house again until about 10pm Monday through Friday.  Once I get Gabe up I spend time chasing a toddler around trying to get him dressed and corralled to get out the door.  Just getting to the car is quite the chore.  I live on a 2^nd floor duplex so I have 3 bags slung over my shoulder, heels, and a toddler who wants’ to do stairs by himself.  By the time we get to the bottom of 2 flights of stairs (10 minutes later) he claps and is so proud of himself and all I can do is smile at his joy!  We then make the short commute to daycare where I get him settled in and get his breakfast.  Then it’s time for me to head off to my full time job.  I spend the next 8-9 hours in turmoil over wanting to be with my son and also providing a life for him.  Once my day is over about 4pm I go pick Gabe up and off to Grammy’s we go!  I spend about 15-20 minutes playing with him then it’s time to go off to job #2!  Some days he waves and goes on playing and some days he clings to my leg and I end up leaving in tears because it breaks my heart, but I reassure myself that this is what is best for Gabe right now.  I spend 4 hours at my 2^nd job and then I head back to my moms to pick Gabe up then head home to put him to bed and give him his daily breathing treatment. Once he is down for the night I do all the house chores that need done on a daily basis.  My night usually ends around 12:00/1:00 am. 
Although some days I just want to sit and cry, I pick myself back up and do it all over for the precious little boy that is counting on me.  I could ask why me or why us but that wouldn’t change anything.  I would do anything for Gabe no questions asked.  Although I can’t take all the credit, I could not do this without my wonderful family support and friends that keep me focused.  Every morning I have a choice to stay in bed and give up or get up and face the world.  I chose to face the world and show my son that I’m a fighter for him.  I want him to be proud that I’m his mom and know as he grows up that I’ve done everything possible for him and his happiness. Every challenge that I have experienced in life I always thought was the worst that could happen and I would always get through it.  Once I made it through so many things I began to realize that everything is possible and nothing can beat me.  A quote that I keep on my kitchen board and has gotten me through many things is “you never know how strong you are until being strong is all you have.”   I am strong for my son and there is nothing that will ever change that.  No matter how tired I am or how much I think I can’t take on one more thing I take a look at my little boy and realize that IT’S ALL WORTH IT!!"

Lost A Lot But Gained Even More

Well, I have officially lost 100 lbs since Makayla was born 21 months ago!!!! But I have gained so much more!! I have a renewed confidence in myself (which my husband loves) and I just feel great. I can put my clothes on in the morning and not stress on a daily basis if something is appropriate for my figure or not. I weigh about just as much as I did when Jason and I started dating. Whoo Hoo!!!!! I have more energy too but that isn't just from losing weight but it's from making smarter food choices, eating more fiber and protein, and drinking more water. Now I just need to keep it off and stay on track. Easier said than done but I have developed great will power and a knack for protein packed dishes.We will see where I am by Spring. Until then the scale is being put away!!! It's more about how you feel than the number on the scale!!

I BELIEVE IN MYSELF!

Remember that New Year's Resolution I have? Well I have been doing excellent on eating well, hydrating more, getting dressed and doing my makeup on a daily basis even though I had no place to go, and although I have been slacking on going to the gym I feel the multiple trips down to the laundry room with a kid on my hip and a basket of clothes and laundry detergent in the other is pretty decent exercise. So on to the next step for me. Skin care and hair. It's time. I feel like I am starting to look old. Could it be I am starting to get freaked out about turning the big 30 this year? Yeah, most likely. So do something about it. I have started washing my face every night and putting on my Mary Kay TimeWise Night Solution. Waking up in the morning and hydrating my face some more with Mary Kay TimeWise Day Solution and Age-fighting Moisturizer. Today, I got a much needed haircut and had a couple inches hacked off. I felt like my skin and my hair were weighing me down. So instead of getting depressed about it I did something about it. 
What else did I do today? I took Makayla for a half day trial run at her new daycare. She wasn't crying and seemed fine when I left but then when I picked her up they said she cried for an hour straight and didn't play with any of the kids today. She just sat off to the side by herself. If you are a mother reading this than you know how much that breaks my heart. I just want to cry. She was so excited to see me when I picked her up. And then when we got home she kept hugging and kissing me and she didn't want to take a nap. It was like she was scared I wouldn't be here when she woke up. I did finally get her down but that broke my heart too. So here is where it is my time to step up and do something about it again. A couple years ago I sold Mary Kay but didn't invest really any time into it and didn't really take it seriously. I ended up giving it up because I didn't think I wanted to invest the time. My Mary Kay consultant contacted me about a special deal Mary Kay was having on previous consultants resigning. I did some thinking about it and it made sense. What better way to meet people? I know no one here and have no friends here. If I can at least make a couple contacts through Mary Kay maybe I could start some friendships too. I want to be home with my daughter but we need the extra income to have the house we want and live the lifestyle we want to live so what if I started part time and worked my way up where I could be my own boss and stay home with my baby girl? So I am doing it. 100% committed to making my own business a success. Yes, I will still report for work on Monday and I will give my 100% there too but if I can be successful with this then maybe my daughter and I could have as much time as we want together. I know of at least one person who doesn't believe I can do it and maybe one or two more who will be sceptical but I am starting to have more confidence in myself than I ever have from just using the products every day and taking better care of myself and I truly believe in myself. I am looking to prove myself. If any one of you out there do not have a Mary Kay consultant already and are interested in or already use the products I would be happy to be your consultant! Yes, I don't live near you but I ship! LOL!!  I for once believe in myself, I hope someone out there believes in me too.

WHIRLWIND OF A WEEKEND AND ONE HECK OF A MONDAY

I am so exhausted. It felt like the last couple days have just been one big blur. I have been on the go non-stop since Friday. We officially have everything out of the house in Curtice now and I did a bunch of last minute cleaning at the house too so that the buyer isn't walking into a filthy house. Traveling back and forth to Toledo was exhausting. And of course Makayla didn't sleep very well at all this weekend which means mommy didn't sleep well this weekend. When we got home/ to the hotel I unpacked everything, did all the laundry, fixed Makayla and Jason dinner, gave Makayla a bath, and got Makayla down for bed.
Today Makayla and I went daycare hunting. Three daycares visited and a lot of other running around. Out the door by 7:30 a.m. We hit a couple stores we needed to go to and finished my grocery shopping for the week. We came home and after getting her lunch and down for a nap I loaded up the crock pot for a home made meal for my hubby of chicken, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and asparagus. Needless to say, non-stop. I just got Makayla to bed and decided to do something nice for myself so I gave myself a Satin Hands treatment from Mary Kay. I should really head down to the gym but I am just whooped. Isn't it just amazing how much we can fit into one day? Isn't it even more amazing how something as simple as comfy pants and hand lotion can make your night a million times better? What simple thing relaxes you and destresses you?

3rd GUEST POST ALLYSSA WEHNER

This next guest post is from a good friend of mine who LOVES being a mom and fully understands the meaning of a full and crazy home. She is another amazing woman in my life and I am privileged to have her as a friend. I asked if she would write a little something for me on how she balances it all, being a mom to two boys, a wife, and working along with all the other stuff we have to do everyday. I LOVE  her reply and I know you will too!! Enjoy!!!

"First of all I have to say that I’m totally flattered to be called an “amazing” woman by anyone, especially by Theresa whom I consider pretty amazing herself! So, thank you so much for that!

When I got Theresa’s message asking me how I balanced my family, work, and home I was over at my in-law’s house and so I shared it with my mother-in-law. After I finished reading it to her, I said “How do we do it Deb?” and she laughed and said “We don’t!” I knew right away what she meant. We do what we have to as mothers and we make it work, but it feels as if we’re not getting anything accomplished.

I have two beautiful little boys, Logan (2 ½ years) and Braison (5 months), an amazing husband who doesn’t get nearly enough credit, two dogs, a house, and a part-time job as an RN all keeping me busy every minute of every day (and night). Laundry, lunches, nap time, tantrums, dirty diapers, shopping, cleaning…the list is never ending. Then on top of all of that, my 5 month old is exclusively breastfed, I make my own baby food, and I have my own blog as well. The craziest part of all…I wouldn’t change a thing.

Now, how do I balance all of that? I had to makes some pretty big changes to my way of living, thinking, and dealing with all the little (and big) curve balls that life throws at me. Shortly after being blessed with our first little boy, I realized that if I didn’t change something soon, that I was going to die of a nervous breakdown. I used to be a total type A personality, neat freak, OCD kind of girl. Now, I embrace the messes (and sometimes even contribute to them), and I always take the time to slow down and play. My house isn’t always spotless, but my kids are always happy. I can’t tell you how many times a day I drop whatever I’m doing just to hug and kiss my boys. One of my favorite things in the whole world is the smell of my babies’ skin. I love making Play-Doh cookies, splashing in the soapy water in the kitchen sink, watching Nick Jr., pretending I’m a dinosaur, playing hide-and-seek, and building castles in the sandbox. There isn’t a night that goes by that I don’t tuck my boys in bed, kiss their little faces, quietly whisper “I love you,” and thank God for letting me spend another day with them. I’m not going to lie though; I’m also very thankful that they’re asleep as well ha!

So, I guess my answer is simply this…do the best you can do, sleep when your babies sleep, count your blessings, slow down and enjoy the little things, and have a blast doing it! Life is so precious and short.

If you’re reading this and have decided to start a family of your own, I promise you won’t regret it. Motherhood is not always fun or glamorous, but it will be the pleasure of your life. You’ll make it work just like rest of us. Mom’s always do. Don’t underestimate yourself. You’re a woman…it’s in your blood."

Crouching Tiger Hidden Mom

So as one would assume, my daughter is having issues getting down for naps and bedtime. It's not all because we are in a different environment than she is used to ( big part though because she hates change) but it is also because she will be turning two soon. What two year old doesn't have their own idea of what they should be doing? And wow is she opinionated and vocal about what she does and does not want! So I have had to get super hero-ish sly and inventive. This afternoon after about a half hour of trying to get her down, I had to go into that super mom mode. I bounced and swayed her for about 10 min until I thought she was asleep and then layed her in bed. Of course as soon one lock of hair from her pretty little head hit the bed she was crying again and so I just threw the blanket over her and then ducked right down to the floor. I knew I had to lay perfectly still and perfectly silent for her to even think about falling back to sleep. Slowly she drifted back off but every time I thought it was safe to get up she stirred or made a sound as if I was going to wake her up. So I saw no other option but to crawl (practically army crawl) out of the bedroom and slowly close the door behind me. She is now sound asleep. Had to share because looking back I totally wish I had a hidden camera in this place to play that back because I would have to bet that I looked pretty darn humorous.

2nd Guest Post 2012 Nicole Lloyd Beat

Another amazing woman in my life is my Mary Kay consultant! She is an inspiration to me not only because of how successful she is but also because of how positive and energetic she always is. She is always dressed for success and always has a huge smile on her face. I asked her to put together her story for me for the blog. It is a great story and just proves her dedication. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did and obviously if anyone in the Toledo area needs anything from Mary Kay and doesn't have a consultant, she is amazing to work with! She is flexible to meet your schedule and never disappoints with her product knowledge and amount of product on hand. Please enjoy!!

My Mary Kay I Story

My Mary Kay Career began in September 2001 as a 21 year old college student at Bowling Green State University.  My best friend had recently started her own business and was eager to share the Mary Kay Opportunity with me.  And since best friends love to do things together, I said “Why not give it a shot”  I worked my business in between the full course load, a part time job, and all the normal social activities of college students.  I am so glad that I gave it a try because it was fun, flexible, and I earned fabulous prizes!

After graduating with a degree in “Child and Family Community Services, I moved to London, England to work with a church and put Mary Kay on the back burner.  I knew that I could always pick my business up when I moved back home.  And shortly after returning to the states, I did just that. I did not want to work for someone else for my life. I was 24 and I knew the income potential in Mary Kay Cosmetics was unbeatable. I also love the company philosophy of God 1^st , Family 2^nd, and Career 3^rd.  I quickly began building my business and became an Independent Mary Kay Sales Director in 2005. 

I love helping women achieve their full potential!  I am so thankful for the woman that I have become in the process because Mary Kay enriches lives in so many ways.  I have currently earned 5, 1 carat diamond rings, and 5 Mary Kay Career Cars; including the beautiful CTS Pink Cadillac! I am currently driving the sassy, sporty and hot Black Mustang which is a limited edition Career Car from Mary Kay Cosmetics.  In 2008 I  also purchased my own home, all on my own, with my Mary Kay Career.  But the biggest blessing of that I have gained from Mary Kay is the positive attitude, lifelong friends, and the belief that with God, all things are possible!

I am passionate about passing on what I have gained so that others may have the opportunity to love their life!  I love helping women look and feel beautiful.  We are on a mission to enrich women’s lives around the globe and I know that it is possible!  I am living the dream and you can too!

Nicole Lloyd
Independent  Sales Director with Mary Kay Cosmetics

567.455.6828

nicolmariel@marykayl.com

Privileged

My cousin messaged me about finding her place in life as well. Her message read:

"Theresa, I'm looking to find my place in the world as well. Sometimes I feel so lost. I know you read all my posts about being busy, exhausted, and overwhelmed. The truth is I have a wonderful loving husband who would do anything for me, and I am so lucky and blessed that he is able to be home with me every night especially with being married to the ARMY. I have two perfect dogs that I can't imagine my life without. They fill my life with pure sunshine. I have an amazing job that I'm still not sure how I landed, and even though sometimes I gripe about not being home and dealing with all the stress I still love it. but.... I still feel like something is missing. I want to know what the joy of parenting feels like. I want to have a little person depend on me for anything, for everything. Could you please write about your joys as a mother? Or please give any tips on starting a family? Being so far from home, I fear that it will be difficult without the support of our loving family...... "

 I feel honored and privileged that you would ask me about this! But I will be honest, I know nothing about starting a family. LOL! I mean yes we had Makayla which started our little family but we really never decided to have a baby. We just decided to not do anything to prevent it. Our thought process was that we wouldn't try but we wouldn't prevent it and one day it would just happen. We both believe everything happens for a reason and when the time was right for us it would just happen. Even that didn't go as planned. I hadn't been off birth control for more than 3 months and I switched jobs. Jason was back in school and just had braces put on to try to correct some things he had been putting off for years. I was actually driving home from my new job one evening and talking on the phone to one of my best friends. She told me she was pregnant and I just felt this whirlwind of emotions come over me. I was very happy for her but I was also extremely mad, then I got really sad and started crying, and then I just started laughing. I drove straight to Wal-Mart and bought a pregnancy test. That could be the only reason I could think that would cause such a mental breakdown. And sure enough, I was pregnant too. (Now if you ask Jason, he thinks it was a conspiracy theory between my friend and I but really it just happened.) We didn't put the pressure on ourselves to try to make it happen.
I remember thinking when Jason walked in the door with his back pack and braces and knowing I had only been on my new job for a month that this might be really bad timing. But when is it really the "right" time to have a baby. They are expensive and they consume every part of you. But Makayla is the most amazing thing to ever happen to me. There is no feeling like being a mom. And I thought I kinda sorta realized that when I was pregnant but from the minute she was born until today I can't get over how much love I have for her and how much one little person could depend on me. This morning she woke up at 4 a.m. and was wide awake, happy, and ready to start her day. I was less than thrilled that I was up at 4 a.m. but she reached up for me and I picked her up out of bed and she kissed my right cheek, then my left, and then my lips (yes, I think my child is french because I have no idea where she learned to kiss me on the cheeks like that and she only does it to me.). How can you be mad after that?
When you and your husband decide that kids are in your future maybe just decide to stop preventing it and let nature do the rest. I am not perfect by any means and I am still learning this mom thing. But Makayla is a good teacher and one day when the next one comes along (not for awhile) I will most likely have to learn it all over again. Each child is so different. You just do the best you possibly can and learn from your mistakes. I will always be here for you even though I am super far away and so will the rest of your family. You should never worry about that. As far as joys of motherhood, I could go on and on forever and ever. And I will for sure be posting stories from time to time. You want to see what motherhood is like for me? Look at my Facebook page photos! LOL!! There are a million of Makayla and almost all Makayla. I love to capture every moment as will you one day. I have no doubt about that!

My pride and joy, Makayla Marie Emch born 4/8/10 8lbs 10 oz 20 in long

1st GUEST POST 2012 JACKIE BRAITHWAITE NICHOLSON

As promised in my first post, I have sent out a couple emails asking some of the amazing women I know to put together a little blurp about what they do and why they do it (lots more emails and /or Facebook messages to go out but I know so many amazing women that I can't get them all out at once, bare with me). I asked my high school friend Jackie Braithwaite Nicholson to write a little something. She is a great stay at home mom but she also wanted to work a little from home so she went into her own business designing items for special occasions, such as the personalized chocolates that she did for my daughter's 1st birthday. Her response was so honest and true and I am sure will hit home for a lot of women out there.
Jackie's response;
          "So as for my business, I will have to try and come up with something about it. For the most part I am just doing it for friends and family right now. I really enjoy doing it but honestly, I just can't seem to find the time to focus on it. Having my own "design" business like this is something I've always wanted to do but I feel like at this point in my life, my focus is my little family. My true joy is being home with Kole everyday and I feel very fortunate to be able to do so. I don't know how working moms do it. I have so much respect for working moms. Raising a child is the most difficult job anyone could ever have! Between AJ's work schedule and Kole thinking that he doesn't need to sleep, ever, I have no time for even myself, let alone running a business :( So I guess for now being Mom and Wife is my job :) and the business is just a "hobby"."

ALL DRESSED UP TO GO NO WHERE

Despite how well I thought I was doing with my appearance while I was working (for being a single working mom during the week for the past 2 years while my husband was traveling for work) I have to say I sucked. Frankly, I don't even know that I was really trying. Some days I would wear make-up but I would do it in the car on the way to daycare or I would do it at my desk when I got to work. And not very often would I take the time to do my hair. This whole last week of being unemployed I have gotten up, worked out every other day, ate breakfast, did my hair, did my make-up, put on some nice jewelery, and even dashed on some perfume. ALL BEFORE MY 21 MONTH OLD EVEN WOKE UP AT HER NORMAL 6:30/7:00 AM. So what was my problem? Maybe I thought I would just be too freaking tired if I got up early enough to do those things. Maybe I was burnt out and just didn't feel like it. I can tell you right now that working out, changing my diet, and drinking a lot more water has helped tremendously!! I have a whole new energy. Am I still tired at night? Yep. Exhausted like usual but still in bed by 9:30 or 10 and back at it first thing the next day. I have more confidence and enjoy getting up and getting ready. How about that? I actually enjoy taking care of myself. LOL! What a concept! I told myself on New Years day. This year I will start taking better care of myself because how can you take care of others if you don't take care of yourself? I want to be an amazing role model for my baby girl.
The funny part of this is I get already to go and then my daughter wakes up and I get her all ready for the day and then we just both kind of look at each other like now what? We have no where to go and nothing to do at 7:30 in the morning any more. But we may soon. I may have landed myself a job but I won't find out for sure until next week. But job or no job, I want to continue to do all of this and create the habit (it takes 21 days of doing something to become a habit) so that I feel good about me at the beginning and end of the day. There is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself. Sometimes that is a hard lesson to learn.

Picture by CrystalMae Photography

Finding my place

Yes I am looking for a house but that's not exactly what I am talking about here. I am trying to find my place in this big old world and I'll tell you what.... I don't have a clue what my place is anymore. The only 100% sure thing I know is that I am a mom, wife, daughter, friend, granddaughter, niece, and cousin. LOL! But does that tell me my place? Well actually it kind of does. My place is with my family and friends. If you know me at all you know how much I love my crafts and other various projects, I love to cook and bake, I LOVE wine, I love to get dressed up and feel good about myself, I love to donate my time to charities and walks, and I love to party/event plan. So could I be a craft show cook/baker who drinks wine while getting dressed up to donate my time to charities and plan their events? Umm that would be a big fat NO! But I could stop fussing and worrying all of the time about not finding my lot in life and just be me and I can have the best of all of those worlds. I feel like sometimes we get too caught up in I have to do this and I have to do that and we don't always do the things that make us happy. My New Years resolution for 2012 is to just be me and to stop trying to figure it all out. Yes, I am a planner but you can't plan life so do the best you can to plan the day but leave plenty of room for changes and the unexpected.
With keeping with my resolution I am going to use my new blog as my way to keep myself on track and slide back to reality a little when I start to drift from time to time. Hoping to meet some wonderful people out here to add to my amazing collection of friends and surround myself with a lot of positive energy. I already have several guest posts planned for this blog from the amazing women I have in my life and how and where they have found their place in life and how happy they are.

How is the wealth of a woman gaged?

Is it her clothes? Is it her jewelry? Her shoes? Her car? For me it is the smile on my child's face. I don't need all of those fancy things (although I would be fibbing if I said I didn't like them). I really only need my healthy, happy family. My husband is making a journey through a relocation for work which has become a huge journey for our entire family. We are moving away from the only home our little girl has ever known, 2 1/2 hours away from our family, and I have yet to find a job. And to top it off we will be living in a hotel with our large golden retriever and 20, almost 21 month old, we have for up to the next 90 days until we can find a house. At times I feel like I am losing it all including my sanity but then I have to sit back and realize how many people have it so much worse. I get to stay close to my husband and my little girl gets to be close to her daddy.
Since I am unemployed and newly a stay at home mom, during nap times, after the hotel or house is tidy (just to get dirty again when she wakes up and the husband comes home) I plan to write. I have always loved writing and maybe I can not only share some of the quirky things I like to do or that I have going on in my life right now but I can also share some tips on some of the passions I have in my life such as crafts, cooking, wine, couponing, jewelery, make-up, and etc. Anyone is more than welcome to share their ideas as well on here and I want to feature some of the amazing women I know as well who have their own business or who have great experiences to share. So if you get a crazy email from me to feature something on my new blog that I may be the only person reading (lol! hopefully not) please do not erase but use it as free advertising for your great business you are currently running!!