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.
oregontrailmom
member
Re: Random GTKY
Favorite movie- That Thing You Do
Honeymoon- not yet, but we want to go to Europe
Computer- Mac
Mac and cheese- with a fork, and pepper. Now I want some!!!
2. Rome
3. PC
4. fork, and I'll only eat homemade baked Mac and cheese. I can't stand kraft!
Baby F.......02/02/2016
2) Two glorious (albeit consistently buzzed) weeks at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in Walt Disney World.
3) PC
4) Always a fork! That way you have to option to scoop OR stab.
Man, I'm cracking myself up over here.
Edit typo
2. We went to Victoria, Canada
3. MacBook Pro, yo. Apple for life.
4. Fork for sure. Mmmm homemade mac and cheese...
2. Italy. We did an REI adventures hiking tour of Umbria and Rome. It was perfect!
3. Mac. Although for phones, I really hate the iphone. Siri and I just don't get along...
4. Fork and definitely home-made only.
2. We did a pre-wedding trip to Iceland and Copenhagen and a honeymoon in Kauai
3. PC
4. Spoon for maximum dipping - now I want some!
2. We went to st. Lucia and stayed at a resort between the two pitons. It was gorgeous!
3. PC for computer, Apple phone.
4. Fork! My baked bacon mac and cheese stands like firm lasagna!
2. Jamaica at a Sandals resort. Best vacation ever.
3. PC
4. A fork. With a spoon is a thing?
2. Where did you go on your honeymoon (or where do you want to go if you aren't yet married?) Nashville
3. Mac or PC? I have a pc
4. Do you eat macaroni and cheese with a fork or a spoon? Spoon
2. Lake Lure, NC
3. PC, but I love my iPhone too!
4. Definitely a fork
2. We went on a cruise to Jamaica, Cozumel, & the Cauman Islands
3. Mac! Got one for college and I'm never going back!
4. Fork
Fave Movie: A Christmas Story, Alice in Wonderland, Wreck It Ralph, Fried Green Tomatoes
Honeymoon: We were gifted a few days in a cabin in Pigeon Forge TN for our honeymoon and it was so much fun. Sometimes I get jealous of all the beach places that one could go but we really had a memorable time in our cabin in the mountains.
MacBook Pro! (fist bump @AdventureMama )
We love the Velvetta cheesy Mac n cheese with a FORK. I also use a fork for cake N Ice cream.
(Thanks for posting. I think everyone is saying the board is boring bc no one feels they can truly express their opinion without being reported, warning'd by the BG and banned)
2. Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic
3. Pc
4. I actually don't like Mac n cheese, lol. So neither.
2. We did our honeymoon about 9 months after we got married, but it was worth it because we went to Jamaica. It was so fun.
3. Pc
4. Ick, not at all! Had it way too much as a kid. I will make it for ds and make myself something else.
2. Maui
3. Mac
4. Fork
2. St. Lucia
3. PC
4. Fork
2. The Swag Mountain Inn
3. Mac
4. A fork if served as a side, a spoon if served alone, my hands if necessary.
Mom to Benjamin 6/2011 and Lena 5/2013; baby 3 on the way
I also like Christmas classics like It's a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph, etc.
2. We had just finished grad school and weren't going to go anywhere due to save money. Last minute we went to Disney World and had a great time. (I always wanted to go to Hawaii or something tropical though.)
3. PC, but iPhones
4. I love mac n cheese! I could eat it with either, not fussy. My son however, insists on using a spork. Best of both worlds?
2. Not yet, but he has never been to a beach so i imagine we will go to florida.
3. PC. I could never understand the apple computers...
4. Depends on the day lol spoon or fork, and i always add pepper
2. We didn't do a honeymoon but plan to next year for our 10th anniversary. I'd love to go tour Europe or go to Greece.
3. Mac
4. With a fork in a bowl… and now I know what I'm having for lunch!
2. Paris
3. PC- I've never really used a Mac
4. Fork
2. We won't end up having one I'm sure, we will more than likely go to the casino and just spend time there.
3. I prefer PC because I don't understand Mac.
4. Fork.
I think maybe it didn't get a ton of attention because it doesn't have nudity or anything inappropriate but that's another reason I love it because you can watch the movie with anyone, even your MIL when you first met her, and it won't be awkward.
Now I want to watch it again.
2. Where did you go on your honeymoon (or where do you want to go if you aren't yet married?) St.Lucia
3. Mac or PC? Mac
4. Do you eat macaroni and cheese with a fork or a spoon? Fork!
Honeymoon- Riviera Maya,Mexico
Computer- Mac
Mac and cheese- whatever's clean
2. We went on a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean
3. Mac
4. Fork
Honeymoon- Prague, Turkey, Paris, Maldives
Computer-Mac
Mac and cheese- absolutely fork
Baby F.......02/02/2016
Expecting Saulie O 2.12.2016
Honeymoon: We didn't really take a big one, but we went to the Poconos for a few days.
100% PC, I hate Macs.
Mac & Cheese: Spoon if it's Kraft, fork for all other kinds.
BFP 12/31/14, EDD 9/08/14 ~ Natural M/C 2/21/14 at 11.5 weeks
BFP 5/24/15 - EDD 2/4/16
2. Paris & Copenhagen (plus Iowa and DC--ha. Oh, the cornfields!)
3. Mac. (Turned my life around when I made the switch, I tell ya.)
4. Haven't gone for mac & cheese since I was an adolescent, but holy cow have I been hankering for it lately... I would definitely go with a fork. I like to have strong manual control over my bites. Spoons make bites too willy-nilly.
Expecting Saulie O 2.12.2016
2. Where did you go on your honeymoon (or where do you want to go if you aren't yet married?) Kauai, Hawaii
3. Mac or PC? Mac
4. Do you eat macaroni and cheese with a fork or a spoon? Fork! People eat it with a spoon? Never heard of that.