Hot Mess Mommy Express

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis That's the official diagnosis from the specialists at St. Louis Children's Hospital. The first question we had was if our daughter would struggle with this forever. All of these thoughts start to run through your head. Will Everly always struggle to walk? Will she ever be able to play soccer or take dance? Will she always have flare ups? Will this affect her for life? Will she have to be medicated? What are the side effects if so? A million questions begin streaming through your mind as a parent. Well I am thrilled to report that her arthritis diagnosis isn't chronic! Knowing that was the case, the doctor gave us two options. The first option involved a steroid injection in the foot. 50% of patients who receive the injection see relief in 2 days. I liked those odds! Should we choose to forgo injections then our next option was to medicate for up to a year, until the arthritis cleared. The medication of course comes with side effect risks. ...

Never doubt your intuition as a mother. Never. Roughly 12 weeks ago, my little Everly appeared to have injured her foot. I assumed it was a mild sprain. It swelled up and she had a hard time walking. I took her to her pediatrician that next day. We ran x-rays, which came back clear. They just assumed it was a mild sprain. I was referred to an orthopedic doctor who basically informed me that I was a crazy person and that there wasn't a thing wrong with her foot. "Three year olds do this for attention sometimes." I can still hear those words and inside I was screaming, because I knew deep down that there was something wrong. Why would my three year old choose to limp and fake a daily struggle to walk and run with kids on the playground. Something wasn't right. I insisted that she needed a boot or something to alleviate some pain while she healed, which he obliged. What's even more ironic? That doctor is no longer there. Fast forward 8 weeks... Things were ...

This has been weighing on my mind lately. Let's talk baby names. Not that you can copyright a name, but if you are like me, you spent a lot of time and even a sleepless night or two thinking about what to name your new baby to be. You want it to be unique, original and in my case uncommon.  Rhylan, Emersyn and Everly. My babies. The names that I put so much thought into. As a mom, it's not just a name. It's something so special to you, because you put so much thought into that perfect name.  I feel like there should be some kind of mom code. Listen. I know that it's impossible to have the only Rhylan, Emersyn and Everly on the planet. Thanks to Pinterest, many names will take off and start trending. As a matter of fact, I have started to see and hear the name Everly popping up more and more. But what about when someone you know or in my case once knew, names their children the same thing? When I first heard they named the...

I remember when my little Everly first rolled over. Tears streamed down my face as I sat at my desk looking at the video that was sent to me so that I could see it. I remember wishing that she could've held off until momma got home at 5:00 and wondering if going back to work was the best decision for me. That's the thing with kids. They are completely unpredictable. There's just no telling when they are going to take that first step, say that first word or in my recent parenting world, starting to use the potty.  I love following a lot of moms on social media. There's nothing like feeling like you have the support of moms worldwide and of course my local mom squad! Along with that following comes mixed emotions. At times when I see that mom who potty trained her kid long before they turned two, that working mom who took a week off to do just that or even that mom who's on Instagram snuggling her babies over morning coffee, I can't help but g...

You turn 28 and you think to yourself "I still have two more years of my twenties." Then 29 comes and shit gets real. I found myself clinging to my youth years. Time flies so fast, especially once you have kids and it absolutely freaks me out. However when I think about it, I never really had those carefree twenties that I've watched a lot of my friends and family members have. I graduated college at 21, got married at 22 and I had my first child at 23. From there, life went into hyper speed. My focus went from being a carefree college student, to a wife and mother. There were times when my inner 20-someting self really wanted to get out, go out and just be stupid or carefree at times, but I wouldn't trade this life for anything. And don't get me wrong, I had my crazy moments. You can thank my sister for that one. She's always there to bring me out of my bubble. Sometimes that's the best therapy!  I always knew I wanted to have my kids relatively young. ...

I've been struggling with how to put this into words. I know that many moms will be able to relate. I'm talking about the adjustment and transitional phase of your child in school. So let's dive right in... First, let's talk about me. I'm not referring to the "me" that you know as a family member, friend or co-worker. I'm talking about me as a mom. Being a mom brings me the greatest joy. Along with joy, comes times of frustration and moments where you question yourself. Am I doing a good job? Do my kids understand just how much I love them? What else can I do to teach valuable life lessons? In a life full of mom-shamers and a very judgemental society, that tends to hide behind their social media handle or think they can say whatever they want from behind their computer screen, we are often held to the highest of standards. That can be a major pill to swallow.  As a mom, I've always just "done my own thing" and I try not to let society...

I'm taking you way back in this moment....to 1998. It was 3rd grade. I was a new student in a new school. Looking back at age eight, I can still remember how difficult the transition was. Difficult until I met...you. We were inseparable with everything in common. The very best of friends. No one could come between us. We were always in our own little world. We liked it that way.  A friendship of that magnitude could never be broken. We grew up together, making memories, with endless laughter, endless conversation and an incredible bond. We were soul mates. It came as no surprise when we were voted "Longest Friendship" by our Senior class. And even less surprising that we decided to go to the same college. We were there for each other's milestones and firsts, highs and lows and when I looked ahead at life ahead, I always saw you by my side. It's been almost 7 years since our friendship came crashing down. I was devastated. Broken. And couldn't understan...