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.
KL777
member
Re: 20 year High School Reunion is this month
I didn't go to mine. Most my of friends from HS didn't either.
I ended up going to mine 3 days before my daughter 20 months ago. I had to sit through much of the cocktail hour...but I enjoyed it bc I re-connected with some old friends (acquaintances) who now have become friends on Facebook and we're more friendly now than we were back then.... I grew up in a town where everybody knew everybody from kindergarten through high school.. and we all had siblings who knew each other.. etc..
I didn't have to travel far to go, though. Oh.. my close friends (who I'm still friends with... all went without our hubbies... it was expensive per plate price.. so we decided we would have more fun without them and save $100. was a girls night out for us.
I think it totally depends on your personal experience. Personally, I'd go!
I've gone to most of mine over the years, including my 25th last summer. But I come from a tiny town in Iowa where my graduating class was actually very large for our school... 63! Most of the classes now are 30-40 students.
At that size, you're not just reconnecting with classmates, but pretty much everyone in town. They also hold the reunion weekend at the same time as our town's annual festival, so there's always beer tents, a big parade, etc. I think about half of our classmates showed up at some point. It's all very Norman Rockwell.
I did most of the legwork to find my classmates as well, so I was in touch with all but three who are still MIA. That even includes a few who moved away before graduation but we still invited to come. (Including the guy in prison who now is my penpal.. joy.)
My Blog
My 20th was this past weekend, and I had no real desire to go.
P.S. I have that same Bible quote you have in your siggy (James 1:17) above Caleb's bedroom door!
Mine was when I was 35 weeks pregnant and there was no way I was going to fly for four hours just for that.
I was crazy thin in high school and I wasn't about to let people see me looking like a whale.
I went to mine. I went to a very small school - we graduated 100 so everyone knew everyone all the way through. It was nice to reconnect with some and see how people had or had not changed. Those that didn't get out of town were pretty much the same as they were 20 years ago and those of us that did escape were changed.
The men seemed to have swelled in size and a lot of the bigger girls from high school had lost a lot of weight, which was really nice to see.
I had a nice experience in high school in that I didn't really belog to any one click so got along with most people so I looked forward to going and seeing everyone. I helped plan it and we did have some folks who we contacted and they said no, and don't call me for the 30 year either. So, not everyone enjoyed their high school years. I think whether you attend or not depends on how you felt about the folks. Although, it was really interesting to see how everyone ended up (we even had one grandma at the reunion!)
I went but a lot of people did not. WAY less turn out then the 10, but lives change and with the economy, I'm sure some couldn't afford it. (I lived in town). I didn't know too many people but I had made arrangements to meet someone there. I have a few ppl on FB now that I wasn't even close friends with in HS. It's nice but I felt pretty out of the loop. So many ppl knew each other since elementary school and I only went to this HS for jr/sr years.