Mommy Tuesday: Finding Our Groove

I've been pretty upfront with the struggles of motherhood on this here blog of mine.

From my posts on breastfeeding to lack of sleep to feeling frumpy nonstop to weight loss struggles, becoming a new mom has been challenging at best. If you're one of those lucky ladies who found their groove with new-mommydom right away, good for you. Maybe I'm a bit slower on the learning curve, but it took me three months a good, long minute to really start to enjoy myself.

Looking back on when Henry was a brand-new-born is bittersweet. He was so tiny and those moments were precious; but I would not return to the newborn phase if you paid me lots and lots of money. I was exhausted and my nipples hurt and my abs weren't in the same place and I didn't know what Henry wanted when he cried and I wanted to take our dogs to a shelter because caring for them was nearly too much and I was Just. So. Tired.

Now, motherhood is a completely different story! It's enjoyable. I know what Henry wants before he even starts to fuss for it because we have a nice little routine going. He coo's and "talks" and responds as opposed to just lying there with all kinds of needs. Mornings are the absolute best, because this little guy is always in a good mood, and we play and talk together as I sip my coffee.

Morning giggles in our jammies

The dogs have adjusted to having a baby in the house too, and are back to their normal, well behaved selves. Henry has just started to notice the dogs, and I can't wait to see them play together!

A lot of "mommy blogs" fall into two categories: the "It's All Sunshine and Rainbows" camp where they only share all the lovely, wonderful parts of motherhood. Their children are always well dressed and their lipstick is always on. Yeah, right! Or the "Scary Mommy" camp, where they jokingly complain about all the terrible parts... But they complain nonstop. From vomit to diper-blow outs, they make being a mom sound like a nightmare! Also not true. My goal for Mommy Monday posts was to be as real as possible, and share the struggles along with the bright spots.

Henry has gotten good at afternoon naps while mommy blogs

Well, the newborn phase certainly had many, many struggles for me, but I'm so happy that Lil' H and I have found our groove, and the vast majority of days are indeed full of sunshine, rainbows and butterflies these days.

I'm going to enjoy it while I can because those "terrible two's" are going to come up quick!

"Oh, me? No way, I could never be a terrible two year old!"

High Five for {Picture-Heavy} Friday!

And, we're back to the weekend! Cheers to a weekend without a nasty head cold, but full of cold ones, amirite?

1) New pink running shoes. Do I need to explain any further? I don't think so, either.

No filter was applied to this pic - My shoes are just seriously that bright pink! Whoopwhoop!

2) Having the ability to drop Henry off at the gym daycare for an hour is absolutely changing my life. Turns out, all I need for better sanity is an hour workout by myself and not in 100+ degree heat. Boom! Happier Paige. Which means a whole happier family, for the two and four legged members.

3) Mornings have become my most favorite time of the day. Henry is always in a good mood, smiling and talking to himself. We play with his toys and chitchat over coffee for about an hour every morning, and it's my absolute favorite!

4) I FINALLY got some frames for Lil' H's newborn pics. His shelf is now complete (and yeah, he's almost four months old. Whatevs.)

5) Confession: I'm a Halloween fanatic. Favorite holiday, hands down. Love scary movies, love fall, love pumpkin carving, all of it.[NOTE: I do NOT love PSL's. Or people who post pics of PSL's. Or endless commentary about PSL's.] Sorry, I digressed there. So... I may have already bought our dogs' costumes for when we go trick or treating with H. I am waiting to decorate the house until September though... But that's only because I have a hubs to consider. Trust me, if I was still single Paige and in my own apartment, that shizzle would be done up proper. Already.

I can't wait to share pics of what the boys look like in these! And the story behind my costume selection. Alas, I'll wait until October... Maybe.

I hope everyone has an excellent weekend! Please tell me I'm not the only one jumping the gun with my Halloween enthusiasm?!

 

 

 

August Birchbox: The Bumper Crop!

Are y'all signed up for Birchbox yet? Because if you aren't, you're missing out.

No, I wasn't compensated for this post, nor do I represent Birchbox in anyway. I just love them. $10 a month for high end/salon quality products sent to you via a profile you fill out online. It's also an online retailer for you to purchase said products, unlike other monthly subscription boxes. So if you love something, they make it real easy for you to purchase it. You know what this new mom loves? The easy things in life!

The box I got for August was especially great. Let me begin:

- Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo
Y'all. Y'ALL!! The smell of Amika products, tho! So good. So, so good. I digress, back to the dry shampoo... The spray comes out in a fine mist. I went super light with the application, and ended up going back over it again very lightly to absorb more grease (I have very oily hair!) This is the first dry shampoo I've used that doesn't make my head feel like it's full of product. And, uh, I've used a lot of dry shampoos! It's my new favorite. I WILL be purchasing the full size.

- laura mercier Flawless Skin Tone Perfecting Eye Gel Creme
Coming from the land of the frozen tundra, I had developed a love affair with Mary Kay eye creams - super thick and rich. When I saw this was a gel, I thought there was no way it would be up to par with the moisturizing level of a creme. Wrong! This stuff is luxurious. It kept the skin around my eyes soft and moisturized all day. Win.

- Hello brand breathspray
I received the pink grapefruit mint flavor... And I'm not too sure about it. I might just stick with a mint/peppermint. But, the packaging was great! And it wasn't too sweet - you know, some mints are like eating a glob of sugar. Give me a new flavor, and I'd purchase it for sure! Because honestly, some days I kinda maybe might forget to brush my teeth before leaving the house... I blame the baby.

- Supergoop! Hand Creme
The funny thing about Supergoop! products is that I never immediately love them, but I always use all of the sample. I mean, I scrape it dry. So I tried the hand cream and thought, "Meh." And I promise you it will be the only sample from this box (outside of the dry shampoo) that I use until I can't possibly squeeze any more out of the tube. I love that it doesn't have a strong scent. Heavily perfumed lotions get tossed ASAP by me.

- ModelCo Shimmer Bronzer
This looks super dark in the container. My first thought was, "Dang! It's going to be super pigmented and I'll have streaks all over my face since it's so dark!" But it applied fairly evenly. It also has a nice shimmer to it - nothing too 16 year old girl-ish, but a flattering glow. It will be perfect to round out the color in my face for the remaining three months of summer (living in Texas = summer until October, folks!) since I've gotten really strict about applying sunscreen to my face, always.

Do you have a subscription box that you love? If so, tell me about it! I'm always up for trying new things.