Monday's About Me

So last week I did a Guest Post over at Crayon Freckles and just wanted to reshare it in case you missed it...plus, I am without hydro today and needed a scheduled post..haha! This past week has been super busy and I've barely had time to pee, let alone get any time to blog about something for tomorrow. I didn't even get any Scavenger Hunt Photos taken (well, I did take a couple!-I'll have to share them later!) I'll be back tomorrow though with my new fangled Breaker box all sizzlin' with electricity! Yes, we are updating our old fuse box to breakers,YAY, that's why I am without hydro...

Oh, and you need to go enter my giveaway over at Then Along Came a Boy, cause you know you wanna win Custom Photocard in time for the holidays!

Anyway, my post was about me and was part of a series titled "In Her Shoes', if you find my About Me a little too 'clean' and crave more, here is where you will find all the 'good' stuff!LOL!

In Her Shoes

....My story definitely pales in comparison to some of the ones you’ve read, but equally so, this is my story…

About 7 years ago, I quit my job as a Fashion Merchandiser and my hubby, Mike, put in a transfer request to a smaller town about 2 hours from where we lived. We were leaving our crazy, busy, big city life to enjoy what a smaller town had to offer. Cheaper housing costs, a safer place to raise a family and somewhere we could settle down. We didn’t start trying for a baby right away, and had a ‘if it happens, it happens’ kind of outlook on the whole idea. Life went on and I soon found a job as a Retail Store Manager. Life was great, we both had jobs we loved, our house was getting cuter every time I whipped out my MasterCard and my closet grew and grew until it filled up our 2nd bedroom! Four years soon flew by and I realized that although our life was just grand…there was still something missing…oh, right…a baby! During those years of trying, but not really trying, there was a tiny part in my mind that thought…mmm…something’s wrong, but I brushed it aside.

Fast forward a year and we are sitting in the Dr.s office, scheduling blood tests, ultrasounds…etc. The next 6 months of waiting and wondering were awful and every time I heard that someone was pregnant or I saw a pregnant woman in the street, I wanted to cry. Anyone that has had any kind of fertility issues knows that this is a very nerve wrecking experience. During all those tests, we kept trying anyway. Low and behold, we got pregnant! Apparently, I had a small blockage in one of my tubes and during one of the tests it was cleared. Who would’ve thought!? We definitely got off very easy. My pregnancy went smoothly, labour was looong, but in the end, our handsome little man, Grayson was born. He’s now 2 years old and very much into everything…he’s a bucketful of energy! Since Gray turned out so well, haha, we thought we would give it another shot and got pregnant right away! Westyn blessed our lives and hearts about 5 months ago. His charming smile is so captivating and he is quite content to just sit and watch the world go by. They both bring so much joy into our lives!

 Currently, I am on maternity leave (in Canada you get 12 months!). I had originally planned on returning to my job, but 4 months ago, the clothing store that I managed, closed down. So now, I guess you could say I am an unemployed mother to two, with lots of self employed hopes and dreams. Or in fancy terms, I am a WAHM, blogger and Etsy shop owner who dabbles in photography and graphic design. The most challenging part of being in my shoes is finding the balance. Which I write about often on my blog and I know that I am not alone in this quest. It’s not easy to juggle 2 kids and get a good chunk of time to come up with new card designs and publish blog posts. Especially with a two year old who loves the computer just as much as I do (Like mother like son?!) Guilt and frustration often arise when things don’t go as planned. On the flip side being a WAHM is the most rewarding experience. I get to watch my little ones grow and see first hand how they change day to day. Seeing their ruffled hair and bright smiles in the morning is amazing! And I secretly get a little rush when I know I am the only one who understands the mumbles that come from my two year old, like how a ‘phush’ means a ‘fish.’ Plus, I am there to tickle, dance and giggle all day long, camera in hand! I can appreciate life a bit more when I see it through the eyes of a two year old.  

Hopefully my little munchkins enjoy having their momma home with them as much as I love being home with them. If they were to describe me in three words I think they would say I am Creative-I’ve always got some crafty idea floating around in my head, Goofy- because I always make time for impromptu dance parties in the living room, tents under a sheet and hide and seek with imaginary friends, and also Expressive- I hug and kiss them every chance I get!

Some days are good, and some days are bad. In the grand scheme of things I can only hope that I raise my sons the same way that my parents raised me and that they in turn raise their kids the same way. To think that my parents were once in the exact same stage of life that I am in; living through these very same crazy days. The sleep loss, diapers and crying, although very aggravating, they are nothing in comparison to the first smiles, the first walks, the first words, the hugs and sloppy kisses. My parents made it through, and I am going to be ok too. I wouldn’t trade this for anything…the best shoes are the ones I wear when I’m around my kids!