I asked you guys if your husband's bother you too (in that fun loving, pick up your god damn socks kind of way). 90% of you said yes, and well, the other 10 percent of you are liars

While my 32nd year has been one of the most challenging and heart breaking years of my life, it has also been one of the best. 

Because the truth is, none of us have ALL the answers. Nobody has the perfect marriage, or the perfect kids, or the perfect life. 

because guess what, he's pretty damn dependant on me too!

Because lists like these are always fun!

This summer I made the commitment to start reading more. 
So far I've done okay. By that I mean, I've managed to read one book. 
(Hey, when you were doing ZERO reading to begin with, it's pretty easy to make some progress) 

My favourite quote is "change your thoughts and you'll change your world", once again this statement has proven to be true!

With the number of blended families and stepmoms in our Society, the stigma and assumptions often surprise me. Especially because I am connected with so many stepmoms who absolutely adore their stepchildren and treat them as they are their own. 

HOWEVER after I posted the rant, I receive a message from one of my Instagram Followers that brought me back to reality.  

Look, I don't always post nitty gritty details about my own personal struggles, because I am very cognicent about how what I write affects the people in my family. The internet is forever, and I refuse to air my dirty laundry online. But make no mistake, it's not always rainbows & unicorns. From my experiences as a child of divorce all the way to a stepmom, like many of you, I have experienced abandonment, personal attacks, high-conflict situations, heartache and even accusations.

I love this age. My daughter turns three in just under a month and I have to say this is my favourite age yet. Even though it is heart breaking that my baby girl, is no longer a baby girl, watching her to grow into the spunky, kind-hearted, funny girl that she is, makes my heart do things I didn't know were possible.  It's also makes me think... a lot. Specifically about who I am as a parent and what I want to teach this young impressionable little girl.  It's no longer about skin-to-skin and feeding schedules. It's about supporting her in becoming a caring, kind-hearted, successful and ambitious human being.

Well hello, Thursday. All I can say is thank-goodness tomorrow is Good Friday and this week is wrapping itself up. 

Why?

Well, because it's been one of those weeks. Don't worry, nothing monumental or disastrous has happened. There hasn't been a crisis of any sorts. It's just that literally nothing has gone right. 
In fact, as I type this post I'm chuckling to myself at how things have gone down this week. It's been one crazy that random event after another.... 

Most nights I lay awake worrying... and scrolling through my phone.  In the morning, I was so tired my face hurt. I couldn't get organized and despite a never ending to-do list, I couldn't seem to scratch things off.Instead, I caught myself meaninglessly scrolling through my social media feeds, responding to emails that could wait... and like I said, being unproductive!

I normally keep things pretty positive around here. But today, I just need to get some things off my chest. It’s been weighing on me for a while now, and well… something needs to be said.
Today I am writing this post because the internet has been pissing me right off. Yes, that’s right the internet. Specifically, the people on the internet.
More specifically, the topic and issues that are getting so much attention from mothers. 
Day after day I find myself scrolling through my newsfeed asking myself, “why do they even care?”
Let me explain.

I've made it no secret that every now and then, I am blown away by some of the things that come out of people’s mouths! The things that people have said about my role as a stay-at-home-mom/stepmom, working-at-home-mom… however you want to categorize me on any particular day, is no exception. 

Last week my hairdresser and I had a brief conversation about motherhood, and the notion of having it all together.We both agreed, somedays we feel like we've totally rocked this whole motherhood gig and other days, well, not so much. 

Despite waking up to new pearl earrings from my amazing husband (thank-you babe, I promise not to lose this pair) the day was pretty much business as usual. Actually, it was a little more chaotic than usual.

Your comment was a wonderful reminder of why I have chosen to be so open about life as a stepmom in the first place. 

I used to think talking about gratitude was so cheesy! Now, it's how I get by. 

Last night at about 8:30 pm, I made the strategic decision to call it a day. I put the whiney toddler to sleep, made sure the other kids were set up for the next day, crawled into my bed ...

I've been in a "stepmom" role for about four years now. Does it make me a veteran? Hell no! But I think I have a pretty good grasp on things (most days anyway)