Welcome to our newest blog series, Mom-hood! I am so excited to share the advice, encouragement, and stories of some amazing moms with you. Every guest blogger is not only a mother, but a business-savvy individual who is raising their tribe the best way they know how. I hope this series is not only relatable and inspiring, but offers comfort in knowing that every mother doesn't have it all figured out, and we're all just doing the best we can with what we're given! Thank you so much, Chelsea for sharing with us your thoughts and feelings. I know I can certainly relate to a lot of this on my journey through parenting and I know our readers will, too. Xo
Navigating Motherhood - Chelsea Vance
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it always. Becoming a mother is the best thing to ever happen to me. Two years ago I was a 24 year old living life spontaneously with no husband or baby in site. I can embarrassingly admit I hardly had a single good habit besides getting myself to work on time because that was my only real responsibility. I had a lot of growing up to do and while finding out I was pregnant kicked it into gear, I still have a lot of things I want to be better at.
I know I’m not alone when I say our house is always a mess. Motherhood can be exhausting and I’m lucky if Hudson gives me any extra time to do chores aside from when he takes his nap. Obviously I’d much rather be playing with him than doing the laundry. And I’d much rather be pampering myself during nap time than doing the dishes that are piled high in the sink. But that’s the lazy in me helping the organized wannabe in me, lose. I can’t even count how many planners I’ve bought only to have them lay around the house practically unused. Or the amount of bins I’ve bought to organize things that sit empty. I want Hudson to grow up with good organizational skills that come naturally, but how can I expect that from him when I can’t even figure it out myself?
Consistency is another struggle. Sticking to a routine that works. Saying no to the same thing every time. I find myself all too often saying no to Hudson throwing food on the floor one day and letting it go the next. Why? I have no idea. It’s all in the mindset and that’s exactly what I’m trying to change. I believe that consistency is key when raising a child. I don’t want to be on a super strict schedule but enough of one so that my son gets accustomed to something. And I want him to know that when I say no, I mean it. Parenting comes with a lot of trial and error which will always be the case but why don’t I have this part of it together yet?
I woke up the other morning and looked over at Hudson sleeping so peacefully and my heart melted all over again for this sweet innocent boy. I thought about how he was turning one this Friday and realized this was it. This is real. And I don’t want to screw this up. I’ve tried several times in my life to change the way I do things, or shall I say don’t do things, but always seem to fail. I get overwhelmed at the thought of my goals when I think about them longterm. And it doesn’t help that changing habits or creating new ones isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Especially if you’re like me saying “it’s no big deal I’ll start tomorrow.” And just like that nothing changes. But today I decided I had to stop making excuses and take control. We can teach our kids anything we want but they’re going to learn the most just by watching us. He’s going to get a lot of his habits from me and if mine aren’t so great his won’t be either, right?
