Hello, let me introduce myself first..
For the first 30 years of my life, everything was smooth and worry-free. I was my parents’ most beloved child, found my true love in college, and happily married him after graduation.
At work, I was my boss’s most valued employee. Whenever I was in charge of a project, colleagues would inevitably say, “Oh, then I’m totally at ease.” I was constantly named “Employee of the Year,” with generous bonuses every year.
Later, I started my own business. Within just three months, I had broken into the market and started making money. By the fifth month, I was earning twice my previous salary. Growth was steady month after month. Right when the business needed more hands, I serendipitously met an amazing partner, and the company reached a whole new level.
Really, it seemed like at every step, whatever I needed, a pair of hands would always place it right in front of me, just in time.
My Two Girls: Ellie & Mia
Meet Ellie, My Firstborn
In 2020, my husband and I decided to have a child. After trying for over a year, we finally got the news in 2021 that a little one was on the way. In 2022, we welcomed our first child, Ellie. She made me a mother.
She is utterly adorable—big eyes, rosy skin, chubby little hands. Every time I look at her, I can’t help but give her a kiss. She is pure joy, and I love her more each day.
But as a first-time mom, I faced unprecedented difficulties. The postpartum tearing wouldn’t heal, and the pain was excruciating. Clogged milk ducts made my breasts hard as rocks. The severe sleep deprivation… And what was even more crushing was that, with zero parenting experience, I was clueless when faced with her unexplained wailing, night terrors, refusal to nurse, constipation, diarrhea, fevers… I desperately searched online, longing for one accurate, truly useful answer!
It was during this time that I thought, once I make it through this “dark” path, I must leave a light on for other new moms.
And Then Came Mia
Ellie had just turned one when I got pregnant again. In 2024, we welcomed our second daughter, Mia.
Completely different from Ellie, Mia is a great eater and sleeper. Although she had her fussy moments in the first two months, starting almost from month three, she became super easygoing. She feeds on schedule, gradually sleeps through the night, loves her solid foods, and adapted quickly when I had to stop breastfeeding due to mastitis.
This made me realize just how vastly different babies can be! It made me even more determined to write about my experiences.
Why I Had to Start This Blog
The Catalyst: A Life Pivoted
After Mia was born, my business also began to decline sharply. I had no choice but to close it and become a full-time mom. My work no longer involves Excel and Word, but instead revolves around changing diapers, washing bottles, making baby food, and managing household chores…
This has been a monumental challenge for me. All my past achievements seem irrelevant now. Managing two young children has brought me a sense of frustration I’ve never known before.
The Daily Reality
They are always fighting over things. When one is in my arms, the other immediately demands to be held too. When I try to cook, Ellie wants me to read her a book. When I attempt to load the washing machine, Mia has a diaper blowout, and I must drop everything to change her…
By the time I finish all that, I see the cup of hot coffee on the table has gone cold again. And it’s not until evening that I remember, “Oh my goodness, the clothes are still in the hamper, unwashed!”
Of course, being a mom is filled with happiness, but that doesn’t negate how hard it is.
My Promise to You
Because I’ve walked this path myself, I won’t just tell you how joyful motherhood is, like many websites do. I want to share my real, unfiltered experiences so every new mom can find a “companion” here.
I want to tell you: you are not alone. What you’re going through, I’ve been there too. Your breakdowns, your helplessness, your moments of losing control—I’ve had them all. You don’t need to feel guilty. This is just a small, necessary stretch of the journey for every mom.
My Hope for This Space
I really want to share my parenting experiences—not just the warm, glowing moments, but to honestly document the pitfalls I’ve stumbled into, the tears I’ve shed, and the “survival wisdom” I’ve scraped together in utter exhaustion.
The Goal: A Mom’s Toolkit
I hope this blog becomes a “mom’s toolkit,” filled not with vague theories, but with:
- Practical Tips: Like how to quickly figure out why a baby is crying, tried-and-true methods for dealing with clogged ducts, or how to efficiently manage the daily grind with twins (or two under two) solo.
- Pitfall Avoidance Guides: Sharing the baby products I regret buying the most, and those “game-changer” parenting hacks. Letting you know which parenting anxieties you can let go of, and which principles are worth holding onto.
- A Community for Moms: I hope my stories connect me with more moms like you. We can cheer each other on in the comments, share our own tricks, turning the storms we face alone into a journey we walk together.
The Bigger Vision
My previous career taught me to analyze data, solve problems, and optimize processes. Now, I’m applying all those skills to this new “position” of Mom. I want to prove that a mom’s value is absolutely not confined to the home. The mindset, resilience, and creativity we built in our careers can shine just as brightly—perhaps even brighter—in this more complex, long-term “project” of raising humans, and can even be transformed into a force that helps others.
My hope is simple: that every mom who opens this blog can let out a sigh of relief and say, “So it’s not just me.” Then, she can find a bit of practical info, a dose of comforting solidarity, and return to her sweet, chaotic mom-life with a little more confidence and a little less weight on her shoulders.
This road? Let’s walk it together.
preppynewlywed
member
Re: my neighbor is having an affair.
What a sleeze. And if the woman he is with knows he is married, she is even worse.
Oh well that's nice.
Take pictures as proof and then tell her. I know some people would say to stay out of it, but in this case if you can get proof to back you up I'd say she deserves to know.
Yes it does.
DH said I need to stay out of it. Which of course I will. We aren't close enough for me to just bring it up.
*sigh*
ETA: Wait. You think it is okay for me to show her pictures? I took some with my iPhone the other day, because I was so mad...so I technically do have some. They aren't great, but I took pictures of her car and them walking in the hallway.
Smugmug
I completely agree. Stay out of it. But when you can do it anon. and get away with it...well sometimes everyone needs a devil on their shoulder. Since she is FBI, scribbling a note with the license plate of the other woman's car might be in order as well, or a picture of it.....
You never said a word that way.
yikes. That is NOT a good situation and there is nothing you can do to make it any less icky.
You could print them out and mail them to her. That way she know but you stay out of it and avoid him pounding on your door.
Hmm....
I would just feel so guilty if I did nothing. You know?
When my ExBF was cheating on me, and people knew about it for almost a year before someone told me I was LIVID. I was really shocked no one said a word to me.
It is a terrible situation. I wish I hadn't seen anything.
I'll probably do it this way.
If you think it would be better to tell her anonymously (mailing her pictures) then do so. I just think that somehow, if you have proof to back you up, she needs to know. It would suck if you found out a year from now that she got some kind of STD or something because her husband is a douchebag.
If you do decide to tell her anonymously, maybe mailing the pics isn't the best way. It would be easy for her H to get the pics first and destroy them. Then he'd just go deeper underground.
I have to disagree here. I am firmly in the mind your own business camp unless it is someone you are close to. You never know who you are dealing with or what their issues are...I wouldn't get involved.
If you absolutely want to do something, I think Buck's original suggestion of snapping pics and anonymously delivering them is the way to go.
"This ribbon has been reported." - lovesnina
I would leave a note for him. Something along the lines of: I would suggest you tell your wife about your guest while she was gone, or I will. With pictures.
Put the ball in his court.
I like this
I hate this situation.
*sigh*
I like this too.
This.
I mainly think preppy should stay out of it because these situations can get dangerous. People kill people over things like affairs. She does not want to get involved in it. This guy could confront her, etc. Even though I know it is infuriating she needs to look out for herself.
I agree with Becky. If it were a close friend I would feel different, but I'm not an advocate of making myself vulnerable for what amounts to a casual acquaintance, even if she is married to a schmuck.
"This ribbon has been reported." - lovesnina
I think wife deserves to know. Ditto PP that said it could end up being dangerous for her (STD's, etc).
See if you can get better pictures, but then call or knock on her door with them. Chances are with any other approach she'd know it was you anyways (angle of the pictures, etc).
She should get out before they have kids.
Also, if your H were having an affair, you would want SOMEONE to tell you, right? Because I'm in the "sooner the better" camp.
::gigglesnort::
HA.
So she should leave pics on the car and a golf club on the doorstep.
"This ribbon has been reported." - lovesnina
I just died laughing.
For the record, I have a friend who told a co-worker that her husband was cheating on her because she randomly saw the husband with another woman. The husband followed the friend home from work and confronted her in front of her house, blocking her entrance to her home, scaring the living daylights out of her. He was extremely pissed. People on the defensive do irrational things to undeserving people.
Further, while it doesn't justify the husband's affair, it turns out the co-worker was also having an affair. Had my friend known all the facts, she may have stayed out of it. Here, Preppy only knows what she saw, which may or may not be the whole story.
Where is the official record anyway?
I think that some safe suggestions were offered as to how to inform the wife as to her cheating husband's ways. It does not need to turn into Jerry Springer.
I totally have a mental image of Stewie Griffin in my head chanting "Jerry! Jerry Jerry!"
Sorry, I'm a lawyer, so I find myself saying "for the record" all too often. I say it while arguing with my husband too and he likes to remind me "there is no record."
And yes, I agree, the situation I described is a bit outlandish and hopefully would not happen to Preppy. It just made me paranoid.
This is most likely what I would do. I'd be sure to take the pictures carefully, so he doesn't see me, and from areas that are not inside the apt. You don't want her crazy DH coming at you.
read my mind.