Hot Mess Mommy Express

Okay call me crazy here would you? Am I the only one who finds it completely annoying for another mom to invite the entire class to a birthday party? I'm barely getting my feet wet in the world of birthday parties, but I've always been a big believer in surrounding my kids with their closest friends and family to celebrate each birthday. Plus, inviting 16 preschoolers to my daughters' birthday party sounds miserable if you ask me! I'm laughing as I type this! I mean don't get me wrong. I absolutely love kids. I do. But there is a certain level of chaos that comes with that many kiddos crammed into one place. You have the kids whose parents will let them run wild. You have the kids who feel left out. You have the kids who try to steal the attention. And let's be honest...you also have the other moms, some of which aren't always relatable. Did I say that in a kind enough fashion? I'm torn on the latest birthday invite, because this particular mothe...

Disclaimer: This my friends is a momma rant, so if that's not your thing, then I'd suggest you stop reading now.  Do you ever feel like our kids are getting in trouble for the most random of things anymore? A fellow mom friend of mine once asked me what type of school my son attended, because I was constantly sharing with her the latest escapades that I was dealing with. My phone would ring a couple times a week and the principal would be on the line to fill me on what my son "did" and why he was in trouble yet again.  Looking back on my childhood, I can remember myself and my friends, being silly, talking too much, doing things that weren't the smartest and even the boys just being "boys" throughout the day. We may have been reprimanded a time or two, but it seems like kids can barely even blink without being sent to the office or given a referral for doing so incorrectly. Do you know what I mean?  Not only do I feel fed up with the constan...

I said I wouldn't do it. Heck I even cracked a joke or two about it while sarcastically saying "Does that bring you joy?" The truth of the matter is, the KonMarie way actually makes a lot of sense! I hadn't heard of Marie Kondo and I scrolled right past her show multiple times on Netflix. The next thing I knew "Marie Kondo" became a commonly used verb and the KonMarie way exploded all over social media. Therefore, I was intrigued. In a way, I've always been a lot like Marie Kondo, just not as extreme. I get a lot of my cleanliness, organization and hatred for excessive clutter from my Dad. I am very thankful for those values instilled in me by our own personal "Mr. Clean," because growing up, he always made sure we had a clean and organized place to call home. From my college dorm room, to our first home, to the home we have now, I have always strived to keep it clean, organized and "tidy." Here's the thing though. The man I mar...

We've all been there. We've all been "that mom" in a public place where one of those famous epic meltdowns takes place. A few days ago, that was me and it happened at one of my all-time favorite places to escape. A place where no meltdown should ever happen, because it is the ultimate mom escape. You guessed it...TJ Maxx. What started out as fun one-on-one time for me and my little girl, suddenly spiraled into us at the front of the store, Everly having a fit and me taking on the role of "that mom" while trying to remain 100% calm as I felt the watchful eyes of my fellow maxxinistas. Let me just start by saying DAMN YOU TOY SECTION. I feel like I've gotten pretty good at finding alternative routes around stores in order to avoid the toys. However in this instance, Everly's favorite section, the dress section, happens to be located right across from the dreaded toy section. There we stood, looking through the dresses, picking out a sparkly unicorn d...

"Life is tough my darling, but so are you." 2018 was a year of incredible self-growth for me for a huge variety of reasons. I had my highs and my lows. There were events in the last year that lit a fire inside of me and I decided going into 2019; that I would go into the new year with my best and strongest foot forward. I found my voice. I've learned that despite what you may see on social media, we are all often fighting different inner battles, myself included. Kindness is so important for this reason. We should be lifting each other up instead of breaking each other down. A compliment or a simple "hello" can go a very long way. So if you take anything out of this blog, I want it to be that. At the same time, I want to share with you what self-growth has done for me as we are embarking upon 2019. Self-care. I don't know if it's because I actually make this a priority now, but I am all of a sudden seeing "self-care" content everywhe...

"What if you simply devoted this year to loving yourself more?" I've always been a believer in sitting down at the end of each year and making a few resolutions to kick-start a new year. When I think back to some of my previous resolutions, I realize just how completely unrealistic they were. Over this last year, I have gone through an incredible amount of personal growth and change. Without getting into all of that craziness, I have really thought these resolutions out to represent the new me. Instead of writing them down, I'm going to share them! I hope you find the inspiration to make a few of your own. It's always beneficial to have goals! Join me and take a fresh new approach on the year to come.  1. Stick to the budget.  This seems to be the most obvious for many resolution makers. I am proud that I have planned my entire 2019 budget all the way to December 31st, 2019. I have big goals and I've learned over the last few years that taking a li...

What day is it? I swear that this is the week where time just doesn't exist. Yes the day after Christmas, this momma was back at her desk, but this week has felt completely off. Also, leaving my kiddos the day after Christmas sucked! I am extremely thankful for the three weeks vacation my job will offer me next year though and I don't plan to be working during the holiday week.  I keep reflecting on Christmas 2018 and I feel like it was our best one yet! This year we cut down on many different aspects of the holidays including quantity of gifts. I admit, I LOVE to go over the top and give mind blowing Christmases to my kids. This year we focused more on the real reason for the season and I scaled back to fewer, but very well-thought out gifts for the kids. I felt like this year they were so much more excited and overall grateful for what they received.  I tell myself every year that I'll start prepping earlier in the next. Do I think that will happen? Probably not! Li...