Tag Archive | Parenting

Come Away With Me….

Sep22

I’m so ready to embrace Fall and all it has to offer. Cozy moments, cinnamon and pumpkin wafting through the air. Cooler temperatures, holidays I love, colorful leaves, crunchy walks and that golden glow.

If I’m being completely honest, something feels different this year. Letting go of the summer season is making me a little bit heartsick. Not because I’m sad summer is ending but because I know we are on the verge of saying goodbye to Jacob’s childhood. I know by next summer he’ll be even more independent and taking on even more moments without me by his side.

I know this progression is inevitable and is needed for him to grow into a strong and independent young man but honestly it still stings. It makes the pit of my stomach feel tight. It makes my body do that quick tingle of terror. It makes me want to cry for just a minute before pulling myself together and carrying on.

For the life of me I can’t believe any of this has gone by so fast.

Some days I just hold on to him for a moment and breathe him in. I tell him I love him, tell him how lucky I am to be his Mom. I tell him it’s the greatest job I’ve ever had. I just need him beside me sometimes.

Nobody said motherhood would be easy but nobody said it would be this hard.

I didn’t expect the end of a summer to gut punch me because the reality of how quickly it’s all going would settle in my throat and make it hard to breathe.

He’s growing up way too fast.

So tonight I’ll quietly look at the moments of this summer. Moments forever frozen in time. Photos that make me smile but also make me feel the sting of time gone.

The more I try to soak in that summer sun the faster it all slips through the cracks in the winter ice.

Mental Health Day ….

Feb17

Look… parenting is hard and I’m the first one to stand up and admit all too frequently I get it wrong. This morning tho, I got it right!

I’m a huge advocate for mental health and treating ourselves with grace. So this morning when Jacob woke up and called me into his room to make a case for missing school today I didn’t skip a beat. As soon as this usually excited for school seven year old told me he was tired and a bit sad I said ok. He continued to plead his case that he’s not sick he’s just tired/sad and I sat down on his bed and said “J you don’t need to convince me you need a mental health day” .

Let’s be real here…we could all benefit from the odd mental health day here and there and because I’ve realized the importance of this in my own life I 100% support it in my child’s life! I was so thankful this morning when even J’s teacher was enthusiastic and supportive of him having a mental health day!

I grew up with parents from a generation that all too frequently ignored mental health. A generation that championed pushing themselves to physical and mental exhaustion. Don’t get me wrong I have the utmost respect for work ethic but I also have mad respect for anyone willing to set boundaries to respect/protect their health, both physical and mental! The past two years have been hard but I’ve learned so much and I know what’s important to me. Nurturing my child’s mental health is just as important as vaccinating him, feeding him well, and keeping his body healthy!

Feeling safe, loved, and heard is so important. Today I got it right and J definitely felt all those things.

We called it a mental health day…Now he’s in great spirits. We just got home! We walked, talked, had breakfast, played at the skate park, watched the ducks, practiced our dance moves on the stage at the amphitheater, laughed, and his favourite part was when I gave him a $5 bill to hide at the skate park for someone else to find and help brighten their day! Side note…it’s actually international Random act of kindness day!

During our morning adventure we talked about the importance of filling our cup and the importance of doing little things to help others fill theirs when we can! We talked about how it’s important to feel our feelings, how it’s ok to be sad sometimes. We talked about making sure we rest, play, work hard, and honor our feelings!

Now we’re cuddling on the couch and he just paused his screen time to tell me this was the best morning he’s ever had! And with that he made my cup overflow. I got it right this morning friends 💙💙💙

Tuesday Turnaround 

Oct9

Happy Belated Thanksgiving Canadian friends!  

I hope everyone got to take a few minutes this past weekend to give thanks for the things in their life! I was lucky enough to get two turkey dinners. One with Kevin’s Family and one with my sister in laws family.  Both were delicious and I definitely feel like I should probably eat a big salad for dinner tonight! 

I’m extremely Thankful for many things but the last couple days I feel foggy. I need to get my head clear. I’m not sure how to do that or what I need but I definitely feel I need some quiet “me time”.  Jacob is currently going through a phase that is testing my whole being. 

This photo was taken after he had his first real MAJOR public meltdown! He lost it at the pumpkin patch on Saturday and in hindsight I should of seen it coming because he had a full and exciting few days prior to Saturday. Yesterday morning he was incredibly upset when it was time for me to go to work. When I arrive home he instantly turned into a head strong little tyrant and it didn’t stop until he fell asleep on the couch at bedtime! Parenting is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s exhausting and demanding. I love him ferociously but sometimes I have to remind myself that he’s just a child and no matter how strong my emotions are dealing with all this his are just as strong and he doesn’t yet have the tools to deal with these big emotions. 

So my goal for today is to turn it all around. I definitely need to get my head together and just breathe. Let’s hope Jacob can get on bored.