Mommy-Life: The Baby Blues

We've all been there. If you are a mom then you've experienced some form of what they call the "baby blues". According to Mayo Clinic, there are more than 3 million cases of postpartum depression reported yearly in the U.S. alone! I didn't think it'd happen to me at all. The honeymoon phase of mommy hood lasted a good 5 months for me. I didn't understand how anyone could dislike being a mommy. Something had to be wrong with these women. 

*cue sleep regression*.. And I suddenly wonder what the hell I was thinking when I thought I was fit enough to become a parent. My child is screaming at the top of his lungs at midnight for the 3rd night in a row and I'm .5 seconds from busting out into tears with him... alone... because his father works overnight. And now I'm wondering if I'm a bad mom cause I just for the love of everything that is holy want him to shut up! And that's not right is it? He's so little. He can't help it. 

Being a mom makes you superhuman but you are still HUMAN. As mommies we become so wrapped up in our child's love that we forget to take a step back and decompress. And we need it.. God knows I need it! We spend all day meeting the needs of our household and it's super important not to forget to take a good step back and think about yourself. Take a moment to do something to make you happy. I am THRILLED when I get to take an uninterrupted, un-rushed shower! LOl big dreams right? But it counts! And frustration doesn't make you any less of a rockstar! It makes you all the more normal! Keep rocking it out mommas! 

*If you think you or someone you know is suffering from severe postpartum depression please seek the medical help of a doctor or other professional.*

photo credit: Growing Better Baby Crying Life Kids Being Kids via photopin (license)

Fathers Day 2016

We're traveling today so our first Father's Day is going to be uneventful. It sucks cause I'm a sucker for holidays even if they are commercial. I love celebrating and I think if you are deserving then fatherhood is something that definitely should be celebrated. 

A salute to the end of the black male stereotype! Happy Fathers Day! 

Blog-Life: 5 Tips to NOT getting overwhelmed with Blogging and SocialMedia.

It is so easy when your blogging to get wrapped up in the chaos of social media. Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, vine, blogger, periscope, on and on and on and on. It truly and honestly feels never-ending and quite often it can become overwhelming. Here are my top 5 reminders for when I start to lose my cool in this crazy blog/social media world.

5. You don't have to do everything.

Sure it's great to give other applications a chance and anything that drives traffic to your blog is great but you can't master everything. Trying to do too much will result in you spreading yourself way too thin and that's no bueno! You definitely want to give your all in whatever you take on. So don't try to take on too many!

4. It's OK to get help!

We live in the age of technology so this crap is FOREVER evolving. If you have any kind of life then you can't keep up with everything all the time. So when you do catch up, it's OK to ask for help learning a new app. Heck, that's what YouTube is for! There's seriously a tutorial for everything. Use it! And don't be shy to ask a friend. I look forward to the days RJ is old enough to teach me about technology and I can peer over my grandma spectacles and mutter something about how kids nowadays have too much time on their hands LOL

3. Schedule your posts.

If you must do everything then stay organized! There's an app for that! Apps such as HootSuite allow you to schedule posts to different networks that way you can just Set it and Forget it! (Remember that infomercial?)

2. Quality not Quantity. Interaction vs. Following 

It's not necessary to upload 50 pictures a day to Instagram or tweet every 5 minutes. No ones paying attention to that! Trust me girl! Your real followers will appreciate when you truly have something to say. And at the end of the day brands often look at engagement so if you post 20x a day to your 5000 followers and only one person tweets back guess what? You're wasting your time bro! So don't stress yourself out with a daily quota!

1. Stick with what works!

Kinda like the first thing I said. We can't all be pros at everything. So stick to what works for you and your blog. If you get a lot of engagement on Twitter, tweet ya heart away. Instagram pics on fleek? Pose for the camera! Don't cheat your supporters by trying to do it all. Once you've mastered it then by all means venture out but if something isn't working for you, it's OK to let it go! Don't force it! 

Mommy-Life: Wubbanub Love!

If you follow me on instagram then you know I gave in to the paci. I swore up and down when I was pregnant that I did not want RJ to use a pacifier. I swore up and down when he was first born that he would get nipple confusion and that he wouldn't know the difference and I'd never be able to breastfeed or my nipples would fall off (drama queen much?). ANYWHO, that all pretty much goes out the window when you have a screaming infant who isn't hungry trying to permanently attach themselves to you. So PACI IT IS!

Y'all know the pacifier struggle! You put it in their mouth... kid spits it out... it rolls under the couch somewhere into the unknown abyss of all things kids drop... I don't have time for that! So whoever invented the Wubbanub had me on their heart!

The Wubbanub is a cute little stuffed animal with a soothie type pacifier sewn onto it. It is machine washable (perfect for when 'Frogger' needed a spa day) which has me a little skeptical but we've only had to wash it once. Very very practical for moms who aren't into those pacifier clips and they are super stinkin' cute! The recommended age on the packaging is 0-6 months but RJ just turned 7 months and I'm not ready to fight that battle yet.



We always get compliments on how cute they are and he loves both versions that he has. They come in a HUGE variety of different animals. Get on it yall! Make those bebes happy!!! =)

*this is not a sponsored post... he just really loves that thing and I thought I'd share =)*

She's Baaaaaaack! : Why Return to Blogging

Almost like seeing a ghost huh?
LOL

Long time no blog friends! If any of you have stuck around then I've missed you!
If you are new here then welcome!

Life is a whirlwind and I feel like I say that every time I slack off or disappear from my blog but yall know how life goes.

I honestly haven't felt the motivation to write anything at all. I had pretty much given up on blogging and I think that was largely due to unrealistic expectations. Blogging is PRESSURE (if u let it be)! I know I'm not the only one who wants to be great at this thing and I had unrealistic expectations for how soon I'd see the results I wanted. I pressure myself like that.

This time around I've redirected my goals and I know what I need to do to get my focus right. Consistency is key yall! I'm using all avenues and I'm not gonna give up or judge myself too hard. See you at the top! 

Tanay.

Video Girl!

I wonder really often how much people actually read blogs anymore. 

I watch YouTube videos DAILY without fail!

I forget to check bloglovin' sometimes. 

No one appreciates the written word anymore.

I love to read... and I love to write... but I cant help but feel like I would reach a bigger audience through video.

pondering....

xoxo,

Tanay

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

It is so easy to get stuck in a routine nowadays. One or two days pass and then you find months have passed and you have a whole list of things you wanted to do/wish you should have done. That's how it usually is for me anyway. 

One of my goals this year is to make sure I step out of my routine. I literally hold myself back from doing things in fear of the unknown. And it's a slew of unknowns. How is it going to turn out? What are people going to think? What if it doesn't go the way I imagined? It is super easy for me to get caught up in myself and just let life pass me by out of comfort. 

I don't want to miss out on new experiences or opportunity because I am comfortable with the way life is now. Complacency is not a word I'm embracing in the new year! Time to do big things! 

What helps you step out of your comfort zone? What plans do you have for trying something new this year? 

xoxo,

Tanay

A Breastfeeding Mom's Inner Monologue....

Before Feeding....

"I wonder when he's gonna wake up..
he's been asleep for pretty long...
It's not time for him to wake up?
Hope he isn't hungry.
What if he doesn't know he's hungry?
God I hope he wakes up if he's hungry.
He has to be hungry my boobs feel like rocks.
Is that a lump? *feels boobs*. I hope that's a milk lump.
How would I ever know if I'm abnormally lumpy?
Gosh my boobs are full... "

During Feeding....

"At least I don't feel like my boobs are gonna explode anymore *sigh of relief*
Is he sleeping? Nope... Just taking a break.
He looks so peaceful... sweet baby.
OK kid... it's not playtime. Stop trying to look around with my boob still in your mouth.
OUCH! Why are baby gums so sharp?
You better hope you don't get teeth any time soon!
I have to pee.... I always have to pee *crosses legs*
Are you done?... No don't scream... Shhhh shhhhhh
Why is this taking so long? How big could his little stomach be?
Why was that so quick? He couldn't have eaten enough!
It's fine.. take your time..."

After Feeding....

"Phew! Finally! My arm was going numb!
Awwww! Look at the cute little sleeping face. #milkdrunk
Now if I could just lay him right........ CRAP... hes up!
I'm not re-latching you kid you aren't hungry.
You can't be hungry it's impossible!
Shhhhh SHHHHHHHH it's OK sleep baby!
Here you go... take the paci... shhhhhh
Why isn't it working?
Oh good he isn't crying anymore he's just staring at me wide-freakin-eyed!
*re-latches*
I'm gonna be housebound the rest of my life. "

*This post was intended for humor. I love breastfeeding and wouldn't trade that opportunity for anything at all! But we all have our moments and if you don't then pat your perfect self on the back and know that I DEFINITELY have mine! LOL*

The Inevitable....

And by that I mean the New Year, New Blog blah blah blah post.

Is there any point to it? Why should you change your whole blog just for the new year? I mean granted it looks a little different around here... But my blog header had a whole bunch of stuff in it that I never write about so it had to go LOL.

I'm just happy to find my footing again in blogland. I promise it won't get away from me.

xoxo,
Tanay