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.
butterflygrooves
member
Re: Hey Seattleites...
We should definitely do a meetup while you guys are here!!! You'll have to let us know when your plans come together so we can plan to see you all!
As Mommiebear said, plan for any kind of weather, layers, layers, layers.:)
The Space Needle is at Seattle Center which has one of the kids museums that MB mentioned (it's great and E has loved it every time we've been). They usually have a special exhibit that rotates along with their standard exhibits. Also at Seattle Center is the Pacific Science Museum which is awesome. There is also an IMAX theater there and they usually have special features playing. You could probably spend at least a day or possibly two exploring all of these places in that area.
Woodland Park Zoo (the Seattle one) is big and really great (we have a membership there, we like it that much and we live over an hour away!). When I take E we don't usually see all of it, it's that big. But with a full day and a stroller or wagon (I think they rent these) you guys could probably see a lot. The zoo also has an area called zoomazium which is an indoor play area where they have a stage and do some exhibits with bugs, snakes, etc. Their website is very user friendly in terms of helping to plan your day there and find out when special talks are being given, when they are doing special feedings with the zookeepers talking, etc. They have a fair amount of indoor exhibits too, so if the weather is cool or rainy you can still enjoy it. E and I were there in early January on a warmer day and had a great time!
There is also a company called Ride the Ducks located near Seattle Center that does tours of Seattle in an amphibious vehicle that's a boat and drives on land. The drivers narrate the tour and every time I've seen one driving around everyone seems to be having a great time. It looks crazy fun. I haven't taken E yet, but I'm hoping we'll get a chance to do it sometime this spring/summer.
In downtown Seattle (not far from Pike Place) is the Seattle Aquarium. We love this place too. It's also great for days that are iffy on weather as they have a fair amount of indoor exhibits to see.
The Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is in Tacoma. It's a smaller zoo, but it's located right near the waterfront and there is a huge park area adjacent with great spots for picnics if you have a warmer day.
A little further out of the city is Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (in Eatonville). It would be a good day trip to take the kids on and if you go on a clear day the views of Mt. Rainier from that area are spectacular. They have some animals in a zoo-like setting but they also have many animals "free" in a huge area that they take you on a guided tram ride tour through to see. It's a pretty great experience for kids to see the animals "in the wild" like that.
Taking a ferry ride is always fun for kids. There are ferries from Seattle/nearby cities to areas around the sound, my favorite is to Whidbey Island. The ferry ride is fairly short and the island itself is great. At the north end of Whidbey is Deception Pass State Park which has several beach/park areas, a jetboat tour on the water under the huge bridge and really some of the most beautiful scenery within a daytrip of the city.
I think that's all I can come up with for now, but hopefully that gives you a start!
All the places that PP are nice to take the kids. I would recommend getting a city pass, you save a good amount of money at get to visit about 7 places. Google Seattle WA and on the Seattle website they have the city pass.
We will be in Seattle in March also
pack warm clothes cause its still pretty chilly.
The Northwest Trek place is closed until they finish their repairs from our snow/wind storm.
I'm in the Port Townsend area, what SeattleK said about ferries - we love these! There is also a children meusum on Brainbridge Island. I know a few places also have indoor pools or recreations. If you get a chance - grab the city ticket! It will save quite a bunch for a family of 4 (or more!)
Yes as MommieBear said Northwest Trek is presently closed for repairs, but their website says they will be open again on February 17th, which is before you guys are due here.
PLEEEEEASE??? Seriously. All of you should come visit Seattle some day. It really is a great place...not that I'm biased or anything.
another website that can help you guys plan your visit to Seattle area that focus on children is:
https://www.seattleschild.com/going-places/indoor-fun
Thought this might help out a little bit.
Looking forward to seeing you guys when you come out in March! (Just don't come on the 31st! That's LB's 2nd birthday!)
So excited that you're coming up! I'd love to join in any meet-up plans.
You got lots of great suggestions for things to do. If you want suggestions for transportation, food, etc. just let us know and I'd be happy to add those.
Thank you Joy
I do have a question about 2 hotels The Grove West Seattle and Warwick Hotel Seattle. They both look nice but the price being low scares me a little. We always stay at La Quinta but came across this 2 hotels. Would you if they are ok hotels?
Thanks