Meet Megan + Necklace Giveaway!

Hi, friends!

Natasha is out on a work trip this week, hope she's doing ok being away from Ethan for so long, but I'm sure she's enjoying a little down time. ;) 

Natasha is a working Mom that I look up to, she always appears to have it under control (although, guaranteed there are moments of mass chaos that we don't see!). I also have a huge respect for all of you SAHM's - now, that's a hard job, but also oh so fulfilling!

I should probably introduce myself before we go any further, heyyyy ladies!!! I'm Megan, wife to Mike, Mama to Sofia, I work full-time for a shipping company (if any of you deal with logistics, give me a holla!), write Hello Newlywed Life blog & I own and design jewelry at DolceAve on the side. With all of that going on, family is always my #1 priority. I would give anything to be a SAHM, but that's just not in the cards for us at the moment.

Here's a sample day for us, just because I think "day in the life's" are fun, it's always interesting to see how other people live their lives. Right?

|6:20am|

Wake up, get ready & make the bed - this is a rushed process before Sofia rises, 'cause when she's up it's next to impossible to get dressed with the mini tornado working her way through our closet, pulling out every pair of shoes & necklaces that I have. She usually walks in the bathroom rocking my flats "walk-e walk-e" "Mammmma" then I walke walke miss hot stuff right back to the closet to clean the mess.

|7:00am|

Get Sofia up (if she's not already) & dressed

|7:15am|

Downstairs to grab Sofia's milk, throw her lunch in the diaper bag & off to the sitter

|7:45am|

Drop Sofia off & head to work

|8:00-4:00pm|

Work

|4:15pm|

Pick-up Sofia & give her a snack that I prepped in the AM, otherwise I hear "NACK NACK" the entire ride home...in traffic. Music to my ears.

|4:45pm|

Home - check the mail, let our dog out, start dinner & throw on some glorious yoga pants

|5:30pm|

Mike gets home & we eat dinner as a family. So thankful Sofia eats what we eat, makes things much easier!

|6:00pm|

Clean-up dinner & take a family walk

|6:45pm|

Sofia's bath (if it's bath night), jammies & milk

|7:15pm|

Brush Sofia's teeth, read books and chill in the rocker

|7:30pm|

Tuck Sofia in then I'm off to blog, work on getting orders out, clean the house & prep for the next day

|10:30pm|

Lights out & an episode of House Hunters International before zzz'ing

Everyday feels so rushed, by time the weekend hits we're all ready to relax. I'm sure many of you can relate. SAHM or working Mom, time is just a tough commodity to find these days. It won't be like this for long, so I try to embrace the chaos!

In honor of Mother's Day & all that each of you ladies do for your little ones, I'm giving away one necklace of the winner's choice. Enter using the Rafflecopter below, winner will be chosen 5/20.

Good luck & thanks for having me over to chat today, Natasha! xo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This Mother's Day

This Mother's Day seems a bit different the second time around.  Last year, it was my first.  And I felt like I deserved it.  I had birthed this beautiful baby boy into the world and had the battle scars to prove it.  I had survived my first year and I was finally starting to really feel like a mom.

I've always thought of Mother's Day as a time to celebrate our moms.  To thank them for all of their love and support through the years.  To spoil and pamper them, rightfully so.  But I can't help but think about what this is all really about.  It's about that beautiful baby.  Without him, I would just be a girl, living a pretty ordinary life.  Without him, I would not be a mother.

Last night, I was putting Ethan to bed and he was playing a game that he has come to know, very well.  He gets super cuddly and kissy...asking me to read just one more book, or give him one last back rub.  We say our goodnights, and then I shut the door.  That's when the crying starts.  He will wail away for us...calling for mama.  Then calling for dada.  It breaks my heart.  We'll go in to soothe him several time, but he's learned by now that it's all part of the game.  I guess, what I'm trying to say, is that bedtime is tough!

And I would normally be here, ranting and raving about how tough motherhood is.  But this year, I just can't.

One week ago, a son was taken from his parents in the blink of an eye.  One minute he was running around, laughing and playing, and the next minute he was just...gone.  Running out to grab his frisbee...just at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

I can't even begin to imagine what that loss is like.  How empty the house must seem.  How unbearable walking past his room will be.  That awful silence.  I just can't even bear to think about it.

And I know that mother would give anything in the world to hear those wails.  To come to her son's rescue and soothe him once more at bedtime.

I am grateful, and yet so sad.  Death is so permanent.  There are no second chances.  There is no reset button.  There are only memories.  Beautiful memories.  But there is also a giant, gaping hole too.  

Everyone, through the help of social media, is mourning the loss of that sweet red-headed boy, Ryan.  Many of us are also mourning over the recent passing of sweet SUPER TEDDY too.  I will be thinking of both mothers this Sunday.  I will be hugging Ethan just a little bit tighter...and showing more patience and compassion in light of these tragedies.  I hate to say it, but it's in these moments that we truly realize how much we have and how tragic loss really is.  

I know this Sunday is about moms, but I will be thanking my lucky stars that I have my sweet little boy in my arms.

Happy Mother's Day

xo natasha

Ethan's Face Book

Ethan has gotten really good at recognizing faces and calling out whoever he sees.  As a little treat, I put together a book for him with all of his family and their faces.  It's hands down, Ethan's favorite book and we are required to "read" it to him every night.  Some nights he'll point to one of us and I'll say our names, other nights, I'll point and he'll say the names.  Either way, it's provided hours of entertainment.  Here's a little peek inside:

I used Shutterfly to create the book...they always seem to have some sort of sale going on, so I would suggest waiting for one.  We also used them for my pregnancy book.

Of course, we have plenty of pictures of Mama and Dada...those are two of his favorite words!  ;)

We have family that is nearby...

And family that is far away...mainly my family.

We also included the pets!  Ethan loves pointing and barking or meowing!  Too cute.

Super easy concept, but the it's easily one of Ethan's favorite things right now.  Totally recommend taking the time to make one for your own family.  It will be great to look back on years down the road too!

Now, if only I could take the time to make his baby book!!

xo natasha

2nd Birthday Inspiration: Going Camping

I can hardly believe Ethan's 2nd birthday is next month.  I swear we were just celebrating his first birthday.  Having a summer birthday makes things super fun for planning purposes {my birthday is in December} and it pretty much ensures that we will always be outside.  

This year, I thought a camping theme birthday would be super fun!  I'm thinking make-shift tents, BBQ, s'more favors, camping lanterns, sleeping bags, a fireside cake, and lots of squirmy bugs.  You can find all of my inspiration on my Pinterest board and I happened to see that Minted carries some cute camp party decor.  Now to see how easy or hard making those a-frame tents are.  Luckily, I have a handy husband!

I hope your Monday is off to a great start!!

xo natasha