morgan

Now I know some of you are familiar with the history of my husband and I, but if not I'm going to open myself up a little and let you in. Drew and I actually have known each other since we were kids. Our moms grew up together ( so sweet right)!?!?! Well anyways in 2010 we went on a camping trip together and the rest is history. It was like love at first site for both of us.

We happened to break up a few times between 2010 and 2012, but we always found our way back to each other. On August 18, 2012 we got back together for the very last time and I was not prepared for the rocky freakin rollercoaster ride that got us here. Right now. I look around at how wonderful our life is and the darkness was all worth it.

For those of you who do not know my husband is a recovering addict. He is the typical story you always hear about someone getting surgery and then getting hooked on the meds. He picked up and quit the habit on and off throughout all the years of us dating, but no matter what he did or what anyone said I could not pull myself away.

I didn't know we truly had a problem until I became pregnant with our son, Rex. Drew always knew he was better than what he was doing, but man oh man when he found out he was going to be a dad being the mess he was, he spiraled out of control. Even the people who think they know how we lived do not. We look back now and are amazed that we kept a roof over our heads and our bellies fed. It's a very humbling experience. I would never do it again, but I also would not change it. It made my husband the man he is now. He is the most compassionate and fierce-loving husband. He still writes me love letters after 8 years. He is also the most patient and playful daddy to our perfect babies. Drew has been clean since July 9, 2015. Almost 3 years baby!!!!!

Your past does not make you who you are. It's also not something that you should ever be ashamed of. Everything in life is a lesson. You can either learn from it or fail miserably, but the choice is yours. My husband chose life thank goodness and now we live every single day with zero regrets. I truly married the man of my dreams and I wouldn't change anything. He is my dream come true even on his worst days and I would rather sit in silence all day right next to him when he aggravates me than be away from him for even a second. Find this kind of love my friends. It's worth all the pain and suffering and laughs and cries. Life was never promised to be easy. Take what you are given and work for more every single day.

Being a toddler mom is hard. I dont mean hard like a bit of a struggle. I mean think of the hardest, smelliest, most tiring encounter you've ever had: boom toddler mom life. And even better it doesn't stop there. I also have my daily duties as a sahm and wife. My husband allows me to stay home with my children so in my own honest opinion that means the house work is and should be mine! Being a mom and house wife is literally my job now! (Best job ever btw).

Rambling as always, but what I'm getting at is I have a lot on my plate. Yet here I am, working on myself and my own goals every single day. Unapologetically. It took me a long time, but I realized my own happiness and health has to come first, otherwise I cannot be my very best self for the three people who depend on me most. I'm not sure how it came to be, but sometimes us moms tend to think we should be last on the list of importance considering there are so many other people that matter more. Wrong! We deserve to be number one on that list!

Your spouse and children are going to be a whole lot happier and better taken care of if mama bear is healthy and happy too. Do not ever apologize for taking care of you. I do it every day and my husband and children are beyond thriving!

Sit down and think about your happiness. Are you happy most of the time? Do you feel healthy? Do you love the skin you're in? If you answered no to any of these it's time to make some changes girl! You only get to live once. Dont waste it being miserable! Take charge of your own destiny. Today! Right now. It's never too late!

Peace. Love. Wellness.

I'm sure a lot of people see this as living the dream, ( and it is) but it was actually something that I really struggled with in the beginning. For the first time I think ever, I had to learn how to be alone and enjoy my own company. I mean yeah I'm never technically alone, but being a sahm (stay at home mom) is one of the loneliest and underappreciated jobs on the freakin planet.

I was becoming the worst version of myself. I was super depressed. I didn't feel like even getting out of bed, let alone taking care of two needy toddlers all day... but I did it. After some serious adjustments and through trial and error I have found a routine that works for us and I'm so much happier now.

Find a hobby..

I realized once I started trying to be more positive that it was possible to enjoy my own company..... actually love it. I could hang out with myself all day because I have learned to absolutely love all of the high and low aspects of myself. I realized that I'm actually a pretty great cook! It's become a passion of mine so we always have homemade meals.

I also have found a recent obsession with self care and fitness. This started about a year ago. I've lost a total of 30 pounds, but it wasnt until about a month ago that it became more than just losing weight. It's now something that I cannot go without because it makes me feel good! Fueling my body with the proper nutrition has also made all the difference. Dont get me wrong ya girl still loves a good snack, but I've conquered "everything in moderation." Probably the biggest bitch of changing habits was choosing better food. I'm a junk food junkie for sure.

Make time for yourself.

Just because I'm a sahm does not mean that I shouldn't have time for myself. A big misconception about being a homemaker is that you just sit in lala land all day. Psh I wish. Personally I have it harder than my husband sometimes and he works full time. For 8 hours a day I deal with two absolutely wild and rotten toddlers alone. Sure, I have the occasional company, but for the most part I'm alone. That's why I fill my time with cooking, cleaning, exercising, and fulfilling every last one of my children's endlessly repetitive needs all day long.

Even when I'm sick I still get up every single day and cook and clean and make sure everyone is taken care of. My husband does help a lot, but I always feel super guilty because he works his butt off for us. I told him the day I became a sahm that I would take care of every bit of the housework and I do. It's my job. Literally. And I couldn't ask for more 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

Coming from a mother who has two very intelligent children and a clean house every night when I go to bed..... technology is a yes in my household. Now before you get judgy, my children do not sit in front of a television or iPad all day long, but when I'm running around like a crazy woman with house work it does come in handy. You are lying if you disagree.

Luckily there are so many educational outlets for children on YouTube and channels like Disney Junior that we can at least count on them learning something... pray it not be every word to every song of their favorite show (on repeat over and over and over). If anyone is suffering it's me! I'm not sure how many more times I can hear the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song.

With the way our world is constantly growing and adapting with technology, its pretty damn pointless to keep fighting it. Its 2018 and the digital world is doing nothing, but growing and expanding. Get with it or get left behind... literally. Obviously I totally agree that limits need to be set, but my son and daughter light up singing and dancing with their favorite characters.

Summertime is a completely different story. We do not waste sunlight when its warm. Morning til night we are soaking it up! All i am trying to say is technology is not all bad if we pick and choose it wisely. I'm so sick of parents judging one another. If your toddler knows more about your phone than you do.... well welcome to the new world. Kudos also if your kid knows nothing about technology.

We are all out here just trying to do the best we can for these wonderful little humans we created. Cut yourself some slack sometimes. Turn on a movie and go take a hot bath, or read a book, or maybe have a romantic talk with your husband. Cartoons these days are made to steal all your child's attention.... take full freakin advantage of it. Even if it is only 10 minutes until those rascals are doing the next pain in the butt thing. 😉

What I try to do every single day to even it out is make sure to set aside at least an hour for some sort of creative outlet. Sometimes we paint, sometimes we bake, other times we color and practice writing. Just because a child watches cartoons and has an iPad doesn't make their parent any less of an amazing bad ass. We all rock so quit judging.

Just remember when someone is meddling in your business, it's probably because they can't deal with their own..... just some thoughts I was having on this cold Saturday night. Goodnight world.

Tonight I wanted to touch base a little on my number one rule I have always followed with my children. That is to always talk to them like they had the slightest clue what my babbling meant. I have carried on full conversations with my children ever since they were born. I'm not trying to toot my own horn or anything, but my kids are pretty damn articulate and both started using words at an advanced age.

Give your kids some credit!

I will say this a million times over: our children are way smarter than we give them credit for. When they wake up every single day they don't think to themselves, "hmm I wonder what I can possibly do to ruin my parents day today." They never have intentions (at least not when they are toddler size) to upset us or get into endless trouble throughout the day. They wanna know why things do what they do, what those things are used for, where does that come from.... The list goes on and on. They are so insanely curious that they cannot help themselves, but to drive us a little bit crazy.

Sit down and explain to them why that cloud is shaped like that, where the birds go when they fly, or maybe why the sky is blue. We are never going to get these obnoxious, yet so precious moments back with our kids. We need to put the phones down, ignore the text messages and communicate with our kids! That's all they want from us. They want our undivided attention and understanding. They literally want nothing more than for us to worship everything they do and love them no matter what. Seems like a pretty reasonable demand!

The next time you are super frustrated.... Look at your child and remember that you created this perfect little human that is depending on you to help them become the best possible version of themselves. Take parenting for what it is: a freaking absolute honor and privilege that needs to be treated as such. Do not ever take for granted the important task of raising someone. Who they become someday is riding on your shoulders. Don't take this task lightly. You better make for damn sure that you are creating an upstanding young gentleman or lady.

Talk to your kids like they understand you from the very beginning. Be open with them starting from a young age and they will trust you as they get older with the hard stuff. I know that I would much rather feel uncomfortable with something my child tells me, then to have not heard it at all. We were all young once. Always remember that as you move through different stages with your children. They are going to make endless mistakes, but they will always count on us as parents to love them no matter what. Give good advice and allow your children to make mistakes. That is truly the only way we have all ever learned. Always remind them that your love is never ever going to change. They will trust you always. That's all we can really ask for. Love. Trust. Respect.

The forbidden c-word

I'm not sure if any other parents struggle with the horrible woe of a plugged toddler, but we encounter this problem frequently. To be quite frank: I want to rip my hair out when this happens. My poor Rex gets constipated about twice a month and it can sometimes last for up to a week at a time. He will then have accidents all throughout the day, and this tired mama is washing endless amounts of Paw Patrol underwear.

Not only do I find this to be super humiliating for him, it's downright exhausting for me also. I finally gave in and took my son to see his pediatrician where I was given the advice to start him on a 6 month regimen of 1 teaspoon of Miralax every single day. Now I'm not saying that this is a bad product, (it did totally clean him out) but I just couldn't see myself giving him this for 6 months! Would anything else possibly work for my poor child!?

Truthfully, we still constantly battle constipation with my son. Although I have found that introducing a daily probiotic into his diet has worked wonders for him. We use Nature's Truth Probiotics for kids. After just a short week we have seen mountains of change!!! This mama is praising this product with five stars and a sincere thanks. Rex is finally gaining some weight and eating better. His overall health has changed for the better. We also use a daily multivitamin. Any of these are typically good to use, but mister picky-pants prefers Paw Patrol over the other enticing characters. I know that as a mother of a terrible eater, I feel much more at ease knowing that my child is still getting what he needs with vitamins.

Consistency Consistency Consistency....

Very recently I have noticed an increase in concern from some of those annoying "outside opinions" we love so much. And it's directed toward my three-year-old son wearing makeup, loving the color pink, and playing in dress up clothes. All of which I allow him to do because I do not ever want to make him feel like he is doing something wrong.

I'm sure some people may argue that I'm giving him too much freedom or add in the annoying "millennial" remark, but its really quite simple: children have the purest of hearts. They don't see things in black and white, right or wrong. It's us as parents that instill prejudiced opinions and place unkindness in their hearts.

My son and my daughter will always be raised in an open home with freedom to blossom in whatever creative way they see fit. I want them to question the old used up ways of the world and keep pushing towards growth. Who said boys couldn't play with baby dolls and girls with G.I. Joe's? That little boy will be a respectable gentleman and father. A warrior attitude to the little girl with the freedom to get a little dirt under her nails!

Kudos to all the parents out there lifting your children up. Its those kids that will shine the brightest 🤟

The dreaded day has come

Technically this day has already passed for me, but surprisingly this intimidating milestone was very easy for the Williams family. My 3 year old son has always been very stubborn. I have known from the beginning that things were going to have to be done his way and on his terms. That's the thing about teaching your child something new: you need to understand that they are much smarter than you think. They may mentally be ready to take on the challenge, but if they don't feel like doing it, they just plain and simple aren't going to. Oh the joys of parenting a toddler right!?

First and foremost give yourself a pat on the back. The fact that you are even looking up tips to help yourself out proves that you are aware you aren't perfect and you can admit it's okay to ask for help. I don't know how many things would have been so much easier with my first child had I just admitted that I needed a little encouragement and knowledge from other parents. In this day and age, with all this crazy technology, we would be crazy not to utilize our own knowledge AND seek advice when we need it ourselves.

Our best how-to on potty training...

Rex is a July baby so we knew when we started talking about the P word that we would wait until thesummer before his 3rd birthday. Why this timing you ask? First, the summer allows for less clothing... This may seem strange, but the first few days of potty training we let Rex roam around the living room naked, with his toilet in the room with us. Every 45 minutes or so, we would set him on the potty and sing a song or read a book. This allowed him to get acquainted with the potty itself. We had quite a few accidents during this time. He peed on the floor a few times and even pooped once!

Honestly though, this was our foolproof method that within a week had him 100% going to the bathroom on his own. This includes sleeping in big-boy underwear at night. Another trick we had up our sleeve was the art of bribery. Everytime my son went in his potty he got a prize. A few pieces of M&M's or a new hot wheels car. The prize itself can be anything as long as it tickles the fancy of your kid enough to make them go on the potty. Lastly, I always say to talk to your child like they are a human-being and not a baby. If you get level with them and explain things like you would anyone else they will listen! I'm telling you, children get a sense of self-worth when we treat them like the smart little beings they are. You will be surprised at what a little positive conversation will accomplish.

My final tidbit on potty training..

Remember that all good things come to those who wait. Laugh about the accidents, no seriously. If you ever put shame on your child for making a mistake while potty training you are going to have more problems than just poopy underwear. If you want success go into it with a sense of humor and willingness to learn together. There are absolutely going to be a few accidents, but with your continuing support, your family will be saying goodbye to diapers for good! Hallelujah!!!! 

Why do we as parents feel we need to be "perfect"

I never realized the pressure of parenting little humans until I had some of my own. Pretty much everyone has their own opinion (usually more than you would ever like to know) about what you "should" be doing with your children. What grinds my gears even more is that a lot of the time those people don't even have their own children. We need to realize that we don't need to judge one another. This world would be so much more adaptable for growth if everyone lent a helping hand instead of constantly bringing each other down.

I can remember during the time I didn't have children, looking at mothers like they were crazy as their child kicked and screamed throughout the grocery store. Now I give a silent cheers to that mama for keeping her sh** together, followed by an internal thank you to the gods that my children are behaving for once. We are all in this crazy journey together, you know the one where tiny children run our lives while we just try to get by. After all the truly insane things that have been thrown my way during my 26 years here, I've learned to just laugh at myself when something is going wrong because hey, it's going to go wrong sometimes and that's okay.

Why weren't we given a how-to pamphlet for this

I definitely know with my first child that I was completely lost on what being a mother was. Luckily with my daughter, I was a down right know-it-all. At least that's how it felt going through all of her first big milestones with her. Breastfeeding was much easier, she slept a million times better, and I was much more relaxed. I'm not saying that things were always hard with my son, but there were definitely times when I questioned my abilities and decisions.

I don't care if you are a first time parent or you have 10 kids, do not ever doubt yourself. I assure you, your kid thinks you're a super hero. Sometimes I sit down at the end of the evening, when the little pitter patter of feet has subsided and my babies are snuggled soundly in their beds, and I feel like a failure. "Did I yell too much today? I thought I had agreed with myself that I was going to be better at remaining calm." My toddlers push my sanity every single day, and i honestly do my very best with them, but there are days that are a downright challenge. That is okay. We as parents are going to have extraordinary days and days that we aren't sure how we made it til that glorious bedtime hour. Just always remember that our kids are always going to think we are those "super heroes" and they are going to continue to have full faith in our abilities as long as we give them reason to.

Those three special words

My number one thing that I'm going to always do with my kids (all day long even when it annoys them), is tell them how much I love them and how proud they make me. In the end that's all they care about. Aside from giving them a home and a sustainable path for growth, all our children need is our love and our trust. Make sure you tell them how special they are every single day because they are truly the greatest gift we are ever going to be given in life.

You will never again be given such an unconditional love as the one you have with your child. It's a spectacular bond that won't be broken as long as you treat it with the utmost respect. I like to believe that my children chose me to be their parent. It's an absolute honor that I promise to never take lightly. Even on my worst days I know that I do right by my babies over everything else. That alone is enough. We are all enough. Give yourself more credit. We really are rock stars.

I'm Morgan, a 26-year-old mama who has been given the biggest blessing of all: staying home with my children. My husband and I are fortunate enough to make it off of his job alone. This gives me a lot of free time to cook, and DIY, and just be with my children. I have a three-year-old son named Rex and a one-year-old daughter named Lennox. My one and only passion in life is to be the very best mom and wife. Although I've had quite a few tantrums to get through, and a lot of wtf moments, all in all I think I got it going on as a mama and I want to share my knowledge and stories with you!

 Lets just admit now that no parent is perfect

I want all the mama's and papa's out there to know that not a single one of us is perfect. There are days when I sit down at the end of the day and think "wow I totally failed at momming today." I have a mouthy little boy and a nosey baby girl and let me tell you they keep it real in my household. I have endless advice and hilarious moments that I want to share with you! All those times you wanted to cry or rip your hair out, just know that we all have those moments, but to those bright-eyed beautiful children we are lucky enough to call ours, we are perfection. That's the beauty of having children. They are going to love you endlessly and look up to you on your worst days. Parenting is a privilege that we should all truly feel blessed to have been given.

 I will be happy if

I can be a go to for a mom or a dad who needs a little advice or a place to go when they've had one to many wtf moments in the day. I want to share all of my knowledge of parenting with anyone who needs it. I want to give you that delicious cheesecake recipe we made on Sunday because I bake almost every single day with my toddler.

I hope that my stories are a reassurance that parenting is a day by day thing. We are going to have bad days. We are going to not know what to sometimes do, but that's the great thing about life. If you don't know something, someone out there does and they want to help you. I want to help you! I want you to know that you are a rad parent even on the days when you don't feel like it. No one will ever know the indescribable love you are given when you have a child.

All the best,

Morgan