Made By Girl: mom

Showing posts with label mom. Show all posts

Hello Again, it's me.

August 6, 2017 6 Comments

Hello everyone!

I remember when I first started this blog and how exciting and new it all was. This is the first time since I started blogging that I haven't written much. But that's ok. Life threw a few curve balls - as some of you may know I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer back in February (2017) & my life has gone through some major changes. Not only did my diet completely change but the food that feeds my soul needed more attention & so I went ahead & tended to it. I had surgery to remove the cancer & thank the Lord I am doing well. It is a day to day thing ....sometimes fearing the unknown and whenever I get a strange pain I think "What if?" But I know I need to always remind myself of the blessings that God has already given me & that is what keeps me moving forward.

As for blogging I'm not sure where it's headed or what direction I will take. But what I do know is that I've learned to be more present in my life. That social media along with blogging takes away from the beauty of 'real life' - as difficult as it may seem sometimes.

So with all that said, thank you for visiting once again & stay tuned photos of my newly decorated apartment!

-post by jen ramos

REAL LIFE: "Our Day" Together

January 14, 2016 1 Comment

Edit

Hey guys! Hope you're having a good end-of-week so far! My day is busy & dealing with some in-law family issues, but mostly all is well. I posted this on my instagram, but also wanted to share it on my blog. Scroll down to read...

One day a week, I am home alone for 10-11 hours straight with my son. It's one day a week because I still work & run my business (from home).. the other 4 days. Every week on "our day" together...I wonder if I can make it through the entire day without collapsing. Maybe because I'm an older mom & don't have as much energy or maybe because my mind wants to do MadeByGirl work or maybe just because being a MOM is hard stuff! 10-11 hours straight devoted completely to someone else... when it used to be "just me", is definitely something new Moms have to get used to. I'm still getting used to it. There isn't much freedom on the day I spend with him because my time is his. I like freedom, but it is a sacrifice I've made to raise this beautiful boy.

I'm not going to sugar-coat it and tell you BS......It's exhausting being a mom! On the day we spend together (all day).... I wish I could just sit down uninterrupted for 20 minutes straight ....doing nothing. But I can't. I don't know how other moms who have more than 1 child do it... Props to you, really. I am TRULY grateful that I have a (p/t) nanny 4 days a week..(while I work), because at my age (42), it's def challenging. But, I'm ready. Exhausted, but ready for the challenge. Today on our day together I took him out in his stroller... Getting an 11 month old ready to go out into the cold, is a job in itself. Moms, you know what I mean. He doesn't like to put on his coat... So... a little bit of crying & resistance happens. Once his coat is on & he knows we are headed out, I know I have like 4 minutes to hurry & put all my layers on before he starts getting agitated again!!

As I sit here... Going thru all these "mom-moments" I can't help but love him & still be grateful for him. Being a mom is hard. So, YES....I appreciate Moms with more than one child & nannies MORE THAN EVER now.......you are all HEROES.

-post & photo by jen ramos

Holiday gift ideas for Moms

December 11, 2015 3 Comments

Edit

I am not posting many GIFT guides this year, but I will do a few.

For starters, I wanted to put together one for moms. You see, this year, I became a first-time mother....so, I know just how challenging motherhood can be. Every so often it's nice to receive a little something new ....ya know.........like a gift! What better place to-go for gifting to mom than Sur La Table ? Below are some of my favorite items over at Sur La Table for moms.

Heck, or for anyone that loves to entertain or enjoy a nice hot chocolate at home. Which gift would you buy your mama friend or your own mother?

Have a great weekend!!!

P.S. on another note, I am currently working on a blog re-design, stay tuned!

-post by jen ramos

REAL LIFE: Iced COFFEE, dirty looks & spit up.

September 24, 2015 11 Comments

Edit

I used to love sitting quietly at Starbucks sipping on a soy cafe mocha & reading a book. Watching the people shuffling in & out with their coffee cups, listening to the annoyingly long names for coffee and everything else that happens in a big-city Starbucks. Yesterday, I walked into Starbucks with my son Noah, who is now 7 months old. We were alone and he was in his stroller. We stopped because I was hungry & figured it would be a quick way to get a breakfast sandwich & iced coffee.

Ordered & then sat down while Noah sipped on some pedialyte next to me. He is now holding his own bottle at 7 months, not perfectly coordinated.... but pretty darn good! He started at 6 months, so I let him try when he wants to. Anyway, all of a sudden his 3 ounces were finished & I was still eating my sandwich. He needed to BURP, so I got him onto my lap. My meal was now on hold...NORMAL occurrence when I'm with baby. As I'm burping him, he spits up onto his pant legs, then all of a sudden throws up the pedialyte & it lands on the bench we're sitting!

My thought was "ugh, where is the napkin I had?" I scrambled to find a napkin, and noticed one under my sandwich! Ummm, I realized I couldn't reach MY DIAPER BAG within the tight quarters we were in to get a washcloth, so I had to make due with one napkin! The girl a seat away from me SAW EVERYTHING. She even had 5 napkins or so on the bench next to her. She looked at Noah & gave me a "not-so-nice look" then turned away.

Of course, for 2 seconds I wanted to tell her how "crappy" that was! I mean, would it have killed her to offer one or two napkins? BUT, I kept my cool. After that, I also had to change his pants in the middle of all the commotion around us......THANKFULLY, I managed to reach my bag and take out his emergency outfit. So, there you have it. That is what my Starbucks experience looks like as a mother.

It used to be me, my book & my cappuccino - now, it's me trying to juggle several things in my hands. Every day that passes and I fall more & more into my role as a mom... & I realize why mothers are so tired by the end of the day. Zzzzzz.

Oh, Starbucks. I kinda miss our quiet time.

-post by jen ramos
-please excuse my punctuation, I am obviously not an English major.

5 awesome baby carriers

July 15, 2015 Add Comment

Edit

Hello moms! If you're the type of mom who runs errands or just likes to take walks on nice days (like me) - you're going to need a good baby carrier to hold your baby in and keep you comfy as well! So, today, I've rounded up 5 baby carriers you need to check out.

I have a few friends with kids & according to most of them, here are the carriers they are currently using. As for me, I use the Mia Mily Hipster, but I'm also going to be getting the Stokke soon.

So, what do you think? Which is your fave on-the-go baby carrier?

1. stokke 2. ergo baby 3. babybjorn 4. mia mily 5. honest carrier

-post by jen ramos

STORKSAK Changing Bag

June 25, 2015 2 Comments

Edit

Everyone knows that a must-have item for every new mom is a diaper bag.

As cliche as that is....it is a must. Last week I wrote about cool diaper bags here, and with that said, I decided on a StorkSak changing bag. Luckily for me, they sent me one!

To be honest, like I mentioned in my previous post, there are some really UGLY diaper bags out there – functional, sure, but without a lot of style.

So before my StorkSak arrived, I was using an over-sized purse but it was tough because nothing was organized. I literally had to just throw everything in it & good luck trying to find anything!

So when I received my StorkSak diaper bag, I was really excited – a really well designed bag with a lot of features that looked more like an upscale purse than a zoo on my shoulder. They also run quite a bit cheaper than designer bags, as I mentioned in this post. For myself, I decided on the Bobby bag in black, but also comes in cappuccino. It’s made from a quilted nylon (surprisingly I did not choose leather) and has a nice clean look.

Inside, the cubbies & pockets are all easily accessible. And guess what?!? It comes with a padded changing mat (a must have in NYC), a pacifier case, and a matching insulated bottle bag that has a Velcro handle so it can be attached to the stroller. It also has a removable, adjustable cross-body strap with built in stroller straps - perfect for a hands-free outing!

Check out their full collection of changing bags here.

-post by jen ramos

Removable, adjustable cross-body strap with built in strollerstraps - See more at: http://www.storksak.com/product.php?shopprodid=16&variantid=39#sthash.3QodkVnm.dpuf

Your Weekend

May 12, 2013 2 Comments

Edit

-image by jen ramos