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.
Re: Home poll
1. 3.5 years
2. At least til DH is done with school and has a job, so likely another 2.5-3 years.
3. We are quickly outgrowing our home, so definitely more space! I'd also love a fireplace, and a functional garage (ours is good for storage but we were advised by our inspector not to park a car in it). Of course I have my fantasy wish list too, but it's really easy to get ahead of myself there.
1. 6yrs.
2. Hopefully not to much longer, max 2 years, kinda dependent on the housing market.
3. Basement, big kitchen, lots of closet space, big bedrooms, not in a neighborhood with a HOA.
BFP #2 11/4/12 EDD 7/20/12 missed M/C 12/13/12 @8w5d D&C 12/21/12
DX 2/7/13 with an alloimmunity + for anti-paternal antibodies started Lovenox daily & BA
BFP 2/16/13 EDD 10/28/13
1. How long have you lived in your current home? 3 1/2 years (since June 2007)
2. How much longer do you anticipate living there? At least another 2-3 but I could totally see us staying 10 more years or more.
3. What's at the top of your "must have" list for your next home? A larger master suite. Hardwood (or at least laminate) floors. A fenced yard. I'd *love* a fireplace.1. About 15 months we moved in a month before DS was born. We will be in it for at least 3 years so we dont have to pay back the 8K tax credit. But unless my job changes we will be in it for at least 5-7. And if DH gets a different job we may sell to get a bigger home.
2. Answered in 1. - sowwy.
3. 3 car garage just for storage reasons or at least a bump out if it's a 2 car garage. Better spare bedroom closets - they are small and almost already full. I would love one more living space. We have a living room downstairs and a loft upstairs which is great but one other nice area would be nice.
1) We've lived in our home since April 2005. So, over 5 years.
2) Truthfully, we could live in our home for the rest of our lives and be happy. We both love it. We've put so much work into it, it's so entirely us, and it's just the right size for a family of four (I'm pretty sure we're done after this one). A home is something that both of us really value and see as so much more than a house. I lived in the same house my entire childhood (my parents still live there), and DH lived in one house for the majority of his childhood. And we love our neighborhood so much - it's the perfect mix of young families and older couples, and is just beautiful. I know that all the financial people say not to get emotionally attached to a house, but I don't know how I couldn't. So, we'd both be happy to never move.
3) Must-haves... the only thing that I don't love about our house is that one of the bathrooms is pretty small. Everything else is perfect. :-) ETA: an attached 2-car garage would be nice - ours is a 1-car detached... but I get to park my car inside of it, so it doesn't bother me that much!
1. Just hit our 3 year mark last month.
2. I have no idea. I would like to get a 4 BR. Especially if we plan on having more kids.
3. A basement!
1. OMG almost 6 years. i didn't realize it though until now
2. Depends on the market but we'd like to move before L starts school
3. A playroom...just for L's crap! I dont want a basement because working in insurance-I've seen too many sump pump claims!
1. Almost 2 months, previous home almost 4 years.
2. Depends on the housing market. We got a great deal on this one, so if it rebounds, then maybe 3-5 years. If not, 10 years?
3. A woodburning fireplace. I'm trying to talk DH into paying to have our electric fp (our home is all electric) turned into a woodburner, if that's the case, I'd stay in it forever. If we move our next will have a woodburner and a basement!
1. It was 4 years in October.
2. forever
okay but seriously we have no plans to move until maybe after the kids move out unless it's not by choice.
3. Things we have now I won't give up: basement, screened in porch, double sink in master bath, fairly open floor plan. Things I wish we had that I would add to the list: Awesome laundry room. And in my dream house I love the little getaway room like Andrea has in her house off the master bedroom
1. How long have you lived in your current home?
Just over 4 years.
2. How much longer do you anticipate living there?
When we bought it, we thought it would be a 5-7 year house for us, but I'm guessing we'll be here a bit longer. If we move, it will likely be before Tyson starts kindergarten, so in 3.5-4.5 years.
3. What's at the top of your "must have" list for your next home?
3 car garage, open concept family room and kitchen, finished basement with storage, gas fireplace.
2. How much longer do you anticipate living there? I don't know. If we could find land to build on, I'd sell it tomorrow. It's so difficult to find land in our county and school district and we're not willing to compromise on either. I'm not attached to this house at all so if we found a good deal on a bigger house with some land, I would move. We may eventually wind up adding on to this house, though, in which case it could become our forever home. I'm not completely sold on the idea of a forever home though.
3. What's at the top of your "must have" list for your next home? Basement, fireplace, 4 bedrooms, master bathroom making at least two full baths.
1. How long have you lived in your current home?
Just over 3 years. WOW, it doesn't feel like that long.
2. How much longer do you anticipate living there?
1.5-2 more years. Once Jake graduates we'll either move to another city or buy a house here in Btown.
3. What's at the top of your "must have" list for your next home?
More than 2 BRs!!!!!
1. 4.5 months
2. Forever! We have moved every 2-3 years since 2003 so we bought this as our "forever" home.
3. We aren't wanting to move again, but we are definitely wanting to upgrade our counter tops and stove/dishwasher in the kitchen. Beyond that, maybe a man room in the one unfinished room in the basement. Past that, there is really nothing I don't like or feel like we need!
1. just over 2 years. We moved in on Christmas Day 2008
2. who knows...maybe forever, but I anticipate that we will get swallowed up by development eventually. We live on 30 acres 15 minutes from Indianapolis, so I expect some day it will be full of houses or a distribution center (kind of sad)
3. BASEMENT!!!!! If we could go back and "rebuild" the house we are in...it would be a 1 story with a basement!
1. How long have you lived in your current home? 9 months
2. How much longer do you anticipate living there? Unless DH or I get a job that relocates us, could be in it until our kids are out of the house... plenty of space.
3. What's at the top of your "must have" list for your next home? The only things we're missing with this home is a big backyard (fenced) and some character. It's a pretty cookie cutter house and I'd like something a little more unique in the future.
1. We've been in our new house in Chicago since August, so 5 ish months.
2. It is so hard to know...I feel like we could stay there forever if we finished the basement, but we've both always wanted to build so if economics allowed us to do that, I think we would. I don't think that will be possible for a while, 5-7 years.
3. Definitely a finished basement with storage. And a 3 car garage. If we are able to have another child, a 5th bedroom would be nice in a future home. We have this now, but a bathroom attached to the guest room is really nice since our families vist pretty regularly.
1. How long have you lived in your current home? 4mos
2. How much longer do you anticipate living there? 7 years? That's the number we're using financially. We truly don't know. Really until we outgrow it.
3. What's at the top of your "must have" list for your next home?I would imagine more space than this one (inside and out). ..and the same must haves that we had for this home: good layout, good (same) location, 2 full baths, 2 car garage, a good feel (character)
1. How long have you lived in your current home?
It will be 4yrs in April.
2. How much longer do you anticipate living there?
No more than 3yrs.
3. What's at the top of your "must have" list for your next home?
Master bath, at least 3bedrooms, bigger kitchen and a front porch big enough for a few chairs(maybe a swing).
~GRACIE JEAN 7-5-08~
1. 4 years
2. we plan to move in the next 6 months
3. 4bed/3 baths I'd prefer a master bedroom on the main, a basement (finished), large backyard, and 3 car garage.
1. DH since August, me since October.
2. Until December, then in Japan for 8 months, then back. We're hoping to be in the same style, but not the same apartment. We'd like a center unit so that it's not as drafty. Being a end unit is not all that fun!
3. Not being an end unit.
1. A little over 2 years.
2. At least one more year. Hopefully we can start looking for a bigger place next summer.
3. More than 2 bedrooms (was totally fine before we had a kid + one on the way) and a finished basement. Oh yeah, at least a two car garage as well. This whole one car garage thing doesn't work too well when it snows.
1. Almost 3 years.
2. We could sell this year or we could be here forever. I have no clue! When we moved here, I thought it could be our forever house, but now that we've been here for a little while, I think we're realizing some things we would like to have that just aren't here. I love that our house is beautiful (to me) on the outside; has great landscaping, an end lot in a great neighborhood, a huge backyard with nobody behind us. The downsides to our house are: not a great kitchen layout, living room is too small, master bathroom is too small and almost unusable (shower is tiny and there is an opening at the top, separating the bath and bedroom, that makes it VERY unprivate). The master closet is too small. Basement is finished but too narrow.
3. I would want a better kitchen and a large living room with a fireplace. DH would say he wants a one-story instead of a two-story. We would definitely need a finished basement. I would want a great master bedroom with a big closet and a big bathroom. We would also not be able to give up our somewhat privacy in a subdivision.
1. 2.5 years--our first home bought a year after we graduated from college...definitely a starter house
2. probably another 3 years or so
3. mud room or easier entry, seperate laundry room, larger kitchen (preferably open concept), and attached garage