Hot Mess Mommy Express

It's taken me years to finally get the courage to address several areas of my own well-being. It all started with a trip to the doctor during the first week of January. I received so much insight into issues I've been experiencing and problems that I had been choosing to ignore. I've been on medications for over a month and I truly feel like a brand new version of me.  Growing up, medication was something that was frowned upon and feared in our household. Once I became a parent, my entire perspective shifted. I knew that I would do anything in my power to give my children relief from whatever they may be experiencing. From everyday colds, to the flu, ear infections and even a journey into Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis , we've overcome a lot....thanks to modern medicine. However, there is one particular person who was left behind in this journey.  Me.  How often have we kept ourselves on the back burner as moms? How many times have we made appointments for our kids, tak

When it comes to Valentine's Day, we typically think of long stem roses, date nights with your significant other and cheesy love stories! While those are all great aspects of February 14th, I think it's so important for us to recognize the other loves of our life. Our kids!  You spend the holiday season doing all of the holiday things and then suddenly the dreary winter season is upon us with not much to look forward to until spring. Why not add in an extra reason to celebrate as a family? And that my friends is how our Zehnle Family Annual Valentimes Day came into existence. Every year our kids look forward to it and every year, it brings me joy to do it for them. Why "valentimes" and not valentines you may ask?  When our kids were little, they would always say "Valentimes Day." I think it's literally the cutest thing and I never had the heart to correct them. So it has remained the official title of our family celebration. We celebrate the growth of o

This is the part of motherhood that I feel no one prepared me for. Perhaps you can't really be prepared at all. I didn't think it would happen as quickly as it did.  I'm talking about the day you wake up and your firstborn child is looking you in the eye and well on the way to surpassing your height. Can we not?  Seriously!  Sending Rhylan to middle school last year was a very tough concept to grasp. I've come to terms with being the mother of a middle schooler. I mean...what choice do I have? In doing so, I've had a front row seat to extraordinary growth (and I'm not just talking about physically). I've watched him overcome so much. Whether it was constant encounters with a bully (no one prepares you for that either), watching him navigate tough decisions, strengthening his sportsmanship or taking accountability... I'm constantly amazed by him. Last year was fifth grade. He seemed like a baby walking into that giant middle school. We're currently im