You're Doing A Good Job

My uncle passed away last year so my aunt is having an estate sale and moving back to Scotland, where she is from. My mom and her friend were at the house organizing the sale with my aunt. Because I was working this morning, my daughter Ella was with them as well.

After working a couple of hours, my sister and I met up at the house and we all went to grab lunch. Little did I know what was about to happen on the car ride over. Ella was quiet on the quick drive, a normal thing. But when I got out of the car and went around to open Ella's door, she had managed to take Aunties (my sister's) lipstick with her and got it EVERYWHERE. Of course it was a red tube of lipstick, so it was almost terrifying to see when I opened her door. I may have screamed. (definitely screamed).

We laughed about it, cleaned her up as best as we could and went inside the restaurant.

Towards the end of the meal Ella was getting fussy, as she needed a nap after playing with two Scottish Terriers all morning. She threw some chips, a water cup, chucked her fork, which landed under a guy's shoe. She then proceeded to start screaming. As any mom does, you try a few different things to flip the mood but she was definitely in her cranky state as long as we stayed in the restaurant. All normal almost 2 year old stuff of course, I am not even phased by it anymore. Best option at this point was to take her outside for some fresh air.

So on my way out there was an older mom (older than me, I mean. Around 30 perhaps) looking at me sympathetically and I told her what happened with the lipstick. She responded, "You're doing a good job."

You're doing a good job.

Those words resonated in my head as I walked out the door and around outside with my daughter. I wish more moms were verbally supportive of each other. Especially being the young and single parenting mom that I am. As a single parent, having confidence every day on how well you are doing with your parenting is a challenge. Especially when people around you say to 'do this and this and this.' To have another more 'experienced' mom, who is a total stranger, tell me I was doing a good job meant the world to me. I encourage all moms to let others know when you notice that they are doing a good job. We all know the words of encouragement help, as it is an emotionally and physically exhausting job, that is 100% worth it.

With that said, any time I doubt myself, I take one look at my amazing daughter and know I am doing a good job. Generally speaking I am very confident in my parenting and my relationship with my daughter, she's literally my best friend. We do everything together and I can't even imagine a world without her because she is my world. She isn't on a perfect sleep schedule, sometimes I give her French fries, and she might go bonkers in restaurants or in public because I refuse to give her my phone. I am not too worried about that because at the end of the day we always have each other and I can always put a smile on her face.

P.S. I didn't forget about all the dads out there! Dads need encouragement too! Especially the young and single dads that make an effort in raising their kid(s). So when you see it, let them know.

Saftey Hazards Aren't Always A Bad Thing

As much as I’d love for the house to be pristine at all hours of the day, it isn’t. And recently, I’ve learned that this is perfectly OK. Just five years ago, I refused to go to sleep unless the house looked flawless and the sink was completely empty. Every surface had to be wiped down, every toy put away, every last dish cleaned. Now, we go to sleep most nights with a sink full of dishes and at least one part of the house in total disarray. Sometimes it’s a carefully arranged doll village set up in my room. Other times it’s glitter and tiny cut-up pieces of paper scattered across the playroom floor, a fort taking over the living room, or some wildly elaborate animal-and-blanket fortress creeping up the stairs. And honestly? That’s okay. On the bright side, the sink is full of dishes because we ate good food together. The doll village exists because my daughters are creating stories, imagining family dynamics, and bonding as sisters. The glitter and scraps of paper mean they’re experim...

The Perfect Man

I’m pretty sure I just saw the man of my dreams… And now he’s gone… Forever. I was at the post office getting money orders when a handsome cowboy walks in right behind me. He had a nice brown cowboy hat, blue button up shirt, some rather nice fitting jeans and boots, of course. At that moment I realized something….. I should probably start dressing better. I was wearing a Lion King sweatshirt with black cutoff shorts and sandals. Not even cute sandals, they were basically slides but for a boat. If that makes sense. I stood there in line, trying to look as confident and pretty as possible, but you can only be so pretty with your hair in a bun wearing a sweatshirt and grungy shorts. I made attempts to steal glances at him, but he didn’t notice. It wasn’t long until I was called up to the cashier and was then having to socialize with the cashier while he printed my money orders. The cowboy was right beside me with the other teller and all I could do was try to s...

Hair Dying Experience Gone Wrong

What...a..day... I turn my car on to leave to drop my daughter off at school and of course the light signaling a flat tire comes on. I get out and check the tires, they looked good enough to keep driving, so I did. Fingers crossed it's just the cooler weather causing the air to contract. My oil change notification has also been on my dash for the last week, which I've been utterly in denial of - you don't want to know how little money I have in my bank account and after all of this, for SOME REASON I thought it would be a good idea to buy some hair dye - it wasn't. I dyed my hair this morning and mistakenly used two times the correct amount of developer than I should have. After wondering how I had so much leftover dye AND why my scalp was BURNING, it all came full circle when I discovered the 1:1 ratio I should have used, was in fact 1:2. Thirty minutes in and about to wash this stuff out, I realize I've made a huge mistake....

Look At This Madness

Search This Blog