My experience as a SAHM.

I'll start off by saying this: I am SO blessed, you guys. I have only had to spend a few short months of my motherhood going to school and working. My oldest son is 4 and my youngest just turned 1. And I have not missed very much of their lives because I have had to work, and I am very happy to be able to say that. BUT! Let's get real for a minute, mamas. We all know that being a Stay At Home Mom is a job.

It's a full-time, 24-7, no holidays, no breaks, no sick days, up-all-night, abusive, stressful, tiring, and wonderful job. 

Now, before I go on to tell you about some of my "driving the struggle bus" moments, I want to say that working moms are amazing, too. You guys have TWO jobs, and you don't always get to be with your kids as much as you like, and I know you beat yourselves up so badly over it. Please, stop doing that. You should all be proud and know that anyone with any sense doesn't look down on you, but they respect you. I can't tell you how many times I have said, "I HAVE TO GET A JOB! I need to do something! I'm losing it!" And then about an hour or so passes and I realize how selfish and awful I sound because I know there are working moms who wish they could be in my shoes, and that I take so much for granted. Cheers to you, working mommies!! You da bomb!

Okay, now that I've gotten all of my disclaimers out of the way...let's get down to business. Here are my top ten "Precautions of Being A Stay-At-Home-Mom": 

1. Your house will NEVER be clean enough. I'm going to blame this on Pinterest, and all of the silly, UNREALISTIC ideas that they flood our minds with. No, ma'am it's not possible to "Keep your house spotless in 10 minutes a day or less!" Get out of here with that! And stop showing me pictures of your house that you took when your kids were gone to their grandparents for the weekend, because I KNOW you did not do all that with those kids there. These are the chores that I am realistically able to get done daily: dishes and laundry. Wiping, swiping, sweeping, dusting, mopping...none of that will get done and then last long enough to prove that you actually did it. I mean, don't get me wrong, you have to do those things to keep a clean house, but just don't expect it to stay spotless for more than about 2 minutes. This alone is enough to drive a woman mad! And also...you will pick up the SAME mess more times that you will be able to recall within about 4 hours. 
2. You lose the ability to speak. Have you ever gotten tongue tied and mixed up your words or forgotten someones name? That happens to me about 200 times a day. In my house, I have a husband, 2 sons, and a puppy (and a fish but for the purpose of this article, he can be left out). At any point in time, if I get upset at any of them, I start to say ONE of their names and it comes out like this, "Ke...Jac...ugh..Stit...LIAM!!!" It is the most frustrating thing ever when you know who you mean to yell at, but your brain can't catch up. This is a phenomenon caused by motherhood, and it is irreversible. 
3. You WILL be judged. I don't care if you are that mom who gives their kid a bath every night (I don't, I shoot for every other night..ha!) and your kid knows how to multiply by the age of 4 (mine doesn't.) Someone will always be better than you. Yes, even you strict, serious, "perfect" moms...there's still someone out there who is crazier than you. Stop beating yourself up over what they're "supposed" to be doing or the things that they "need" to know before Kindergarten in accordance to Google. It will come. Your hair will be lost, but their education will happen. All in due time, my dear.
4. You will feel lonely. Sure, you are surrounded by chaos and noise, dirt and demands at all times, but when it's coming from a toddler, it doesn't count as communication. We NEED adult time. We need to be talked to in a normal voice. We need to be able to sit down from time to time without having to get up and retrieve an item that is perfectly within their reach. We need to complete a task without someone yelling at us about how "mean" or imperfect we are. We need to be able to have a conversation. Like, a real one. With sentences and stuff. And we need to feel like we are part of the world outside of our mommy job. ARE YOU LISTENING, DADS? 
5. You will not be able to control your emotions. I'm not sure if it is the hormonal imbalance or just the pure, sickening love that you have for your child, but it really screws with your head. At one moment, you are sure that you could absolutely kill your husband (simply for putting the baby's diaper on differently that you do). And then the next you are filled with so much love, joy, and thankfulness that you're not quite sure you'll be able to go on. You will. And this will probably happen for the next 20+ years. 
6. You will learn the words to EVERY Disney song ever made and sing them in public..."M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!!" And if you do not learn these words, you will be frowned upon. And some may believe that being banished is a blessing in disguise, but what it really means is watching this "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" show on repeat for 3 hours. Even after you've learned the song. Not fair. What's worse? You will make up songs to the tune of this beat during your daily routine. "O-M-G Please stop this. N-O-W. Now! that's NOW!" Something along those lines. What's even better is when your husband makes up words to the Disney songs and they are highly inappropriate. Ha! Brilliant. 
7. You will make up curse words to cover up what you really want to say. "Horse-feathers!!" "What the Max and Ruby??" "Why the push-pop did you do that??" I mean, you can really fill in the blank with whatever you want. It never feels as good as saying the real thing. Even though sometimes the real things slip. We're not perfect!! 
8. You will partake in a scavenger hunt every day. I never cease to be amazed by the random items I can uncover throughout the house. Your kids may also decide to mess with your head and hide items and then act like they have NO idea where they are and then scream and cry like they cannot live without this item. That's a real cute game, kid. Touché.   
9. You will depend on your kids. I'm a type 1 diabetic, and I have all kinds of problems. BUT...I have two beautiful, healthy boys to look after every day, even though sometimes I need some help myself. Sure, I hate that Liam needs to know how to dial "911" before the age of five, but that is my life (he's never had to do this though, for the record). The fact that he knows how makes me feel better, in some way. But it also makes me proud to know that when I say "Mama's sugar is low.." he knows to go and get the chocolate milk or juice. He understands how to help me. I hope that compassion stays with both of them forever, even when they don't have to worry about helping their mother anymore. But that is just my example. Some moms need their kids to help them pick up because they have pains and can't always do everything they need to. Some moms have to work overnight, and can't always remember to throw an ice container in the lunch box to keep the yogurt cold. Some moms have husbands halfway around the world and just need their kids to cuddle and love them at bed time, before they turn out the lights. We need them, even if its just for something simple or for something major, we need them. 
10. You will never have any greater responsibility. You're allowed to mess up. You're allowed to yell and get frustrated. You're allowed to lose it on this job. You're not allowed to ever un-love your children. It honestly cannot happen. I've seen parents go through absolute hell with their kids and come out loving them with every fiber of their being in the end. A parent's love is like God's love: unconditional. So, sure...you had a child that was unexpected, or you had a child who is defiant, or you had a child who has a mental issue, or who cannot hear, or a child who cannot walk...it doesn't matter. You had a child. And they are yours and you are theirs. You are all they need, want, and know from the very beginning. Take pride in that, because you will never be loved like that again as long as you live. But they will grow older, and they will not always be your baby. You are who they will model their lives by in the future. Ultimately, we are sculpting everything we complain about. So we need to choose our words wisely and our actions even wiser. Because even when we don't realize it, our kids are watching and listening to us, and we need to be sure that what they're taking in is positive.

All my love,

Paige xo

Better Snacking - for Kids.

I don't know about you and your family, but mine LOVES to snack. My four-year-old will ask for something to snack on about every hour or hour and a half. It's nuts! But here's the catch: He is so picky! I kid you not, this child would eat macaroni and cheese for every meal (including breakfast) if I would let him. And he has a serious sweet tooth. Do you see where I'm going, mommies? FRUSTRATING.

Exhibit A: Eating brownie batter. 

Now, my one-year-old will eat anything placed in front of him. And that includes the cat food, inanimate objects, and chalk. So, I am very blessed that in his case, I don't have to fix specific foods or cater to him the way that I do with my older son, because he eats whatever we eat. Phew!

Exhibit B: Eating chalk.

I got lazy for a time. I was letting my older son eat junk and have pretty much whatever he wanted! After a less-than-perfect dental visit, I decided to get serious and cut back majorly on sugar and on the processed junk he was eating. I got on Pinterest (surprise, surprise) and looked up healthy recipes. Some worked, some failed! Maybe I'll do a post on some of the successful recipes later. But this is about snacks! A lot of the organic, healthy snacks I have tried with my son have been a colossal waste of money. i.e. Whole wheat waffles - yeah right! But I took a picture of my tried and true snack favorites and I'll give a few tips on how and when I use them as well.

I'll start with the most important one (to my son): Annie's Mac & Cheese

• I love Annie's because of the ingredients they use AND because of all the different options they have with snack foods and quick meals. They have vegan, grass fed, organic, and a million different types of cheese flavors and added flavors. So it's easy to change things up. I usually buy the box with 6 individual packets to microwave, because my son WILL NOT eat reheated mac & cheese. He loves them, I love them, and there are no processed ingredients at all. Score!

Next up, Stonyfield yoKids Yogurt

• These things taste SO good. I eat them sometimes (shh, don't tell the kids!) They're a bit pricey, but when you can go on their website and view the source where they got the fruit, I'm in. Again, they have a ton of different flavors and different sorts of packaging (squeeze, "go-gurt", and cups). We also like to throw one in the freezer overnight and then the next day he has it as a popsicle! They have a yoBaby version as well, and my one-year-old loves them. 

Horizon Snack Grahams

• This is one of those "treats" that I have tried many times to find healthy versions, and have failed. Finally, I found these Horizon "snack grahams" aka Teddy Grahams. They have a great chocolate flavor, they don't really taste healthy, but again, the ingredients are great! These particular snacks are made with organic wheat and natural cocoa powder. They are part of an organization which prohibits GMOs, so you never have to worry about that either. I'll give him a few of these after dinner or lunch if he eats all of his meal. 

Fairlife Whole Milk

• I cannot say enough good things about this product! I love it so much. It's relatively new to stores, but now that I've tried it, I'll never buy anything else, even though it is costly. It's "ultra filtered" milk. So their concept was to create a filter that separated the ingredients of all-natural, straight from the cow milk. Those things are: lactose, protein, fat, vitamins & minerals, and water. With this method, they can add or take away whatever they like. So, they take out the lactose and add more protein and vitamins! That way, you're still drinking whole organic milk, but don't have to worry about lactose intolerance and you're getting double the protein of soy or regular milk. Plus, it tastes SO good. And I don't even like milk. I poured my husband a glass of it one morning and he came back to me and said, "What kind of milk is that? It's awesome whatever it is." So, need I say more?  

Silk Chocolate Soy Milk

• I felt like I should place this after the Fairlife milk because this is one of those things that I only give my son once every now and then, whereas he can drink the regular milk daily. I like that it's "plant based" protein, but that's really all that stands out about it other than the taste, it is delicious. It's nice for a treat! However, now that we have tried (and fallen in love with) Fairlife, we will probably buy their chocolate milk version from now on. 

Justin's Almond Butter

• I have a confession...I probably added this to the list because I love it so much, and I eat it regularly. But, I add it to my sons smoothies and oatmeal, and he loves it too, he just doesn't really know it! This stuff is definitely expensive ($11.25 per jar) but there are only four ALL NATURAL ingredients: Almonds, maple sugar, palm fruit oil, and sea salt. Wonderful! Now, most peanut butter doesn't have a ton of ingredients, but the key here is that Justin's ingredients are all natural-organic. 

Greek Gods Honey-Vanilla Yogurt

• This stuff has been GREAT! And the biggest reason why I bought it was because my son loves to eat cereal (yuck!) But as you know, cereal doesn't really fill you up. So he would eat a bowl, then 30 minutes later he was starving. I decided to try this: a parfait with cereal. I layer the yogurt and a bit of cereal, then yogurt, then cereal and give it to him with a spoon. It's way more filling and the yogurt has some good components as well. Granted, this is a sugary meal, but I figure it's better to give it to him this way than for him to be eating 3 bowls of cereal a day and still feel hungry.
• I also want to add Stoneyfield Organic French Vanilla yogurt.  This one has a few less carbs and sugar, so I try to use it when I feel like my son has had a little too much of the Greek Gods yogurt. 

Quest Bars

• These are a new thing I am trying. And so far, I really like them. I started eating them because of their low net carb value, but then I researched the ingredients and saw that it's actually a really good set up. I don't give my son a whole bar, ever. While most of the ingredients are wonderful, it's still an artificial sugar. But, when he is dying for some candy or for a cookie or ice cream, I break him off one of these and it tends to satisfy him. I buy the cookie dough, cookies and creme, and s'mores usually. They're all really tasty! And its better than M&Ms or a Snickers. So, WINNING. 

GoGo squeeZ

• I saved this one for last, because this company has been getting a bit of bad press lately. I'd like to say that I have never had any issues with this product, my kids love it, it has never made them sick. But apparently they have had to do some recalls in the past due to some customers finding mold in their packages. Most people look at this as awful and disgusting, I look at it as unfortunate, but also a good thing because it proves there are no insane chemical preservatives in the applesauce, so it does what food naturally does, it molds. Your responsibility (and really, the responsibility of the stores you are purchasing from) is to check expiration dates! 
• Now that we got that out of the way, these things are so convenient! They also have plenty of different flavors, they are all natural, and they taste great. This is another thing that I like to give my son for a sweet treat. I pack them on road trips, to the pool, and doctor visits. 

My little chef. Who doesn't actually like many foods. 

So, there you have it! These are my staples to keep on hand at all times for my picky 4 year old little monster! We also add plenty of cheese, nuts, and whole fruits, some meats (and when he will have it, veggies too). I'd love to hear your favorites or opinions on any of these products, too!

All my love,

Paige xo