Snow White came to visit this morning. She’s a lot more sassy than Belle is. In fact, she demands that I am Prince Charming, my husband is Dopey. And Colton? Well, that’s the best part. She insists that we call him The Queen. Poor guy. I wonder if he’ll pay her back when he’s older and demand that she plays trucks, trains and automobiles with him.
The things we do for our kids. I’m at a Marketing Conference when I see Disney characters in the hallway. Without hesitation I bolt to meet Minnie Mouse. For Kelsey, clearly. And then I spy Captain Hook and do the same. I immediately send these photos to Ryan to show Kelsey tonight. I can’t wait to hear how she reacts!! And yes, I’m aware of how silly I look.
Yep. It’s official. Dressing up like Belle while playing outside is just as fun as it sounds. While Daddy got ready to plant some flowers, we marched around in our Disney Princess clothes. And when I say ‘we’ I really mean Kelsey and her dolls. I took a back seat. That’s not to say that if I found a Disney outfit in my size, I wouldn’t try it on.
Ashley Richardson is someone I admire for many reasons. She’s smart, beautiful, loves God, owns her own event planning business and seems to have it all figured out. I would say, Ashley is a Magnificent Mom.
As a new mommy to a beautiful baby boy – and owner of the premier wedding planning company, Ashley Gain Weddings & Events, I just had to ask, “Do you have any advice for working moms?” She does and she was kind enough to share them with me. Here’s what Ashley has to say.
Name: Ashley Richardson
Occupation: Owner, Ashley Gain Wedding & Events
Mother to: Baby boy, Roman
Let me start by saying I have yet to master the whole “working mom” balance and I don’t believe I ever will. I’m not a family counselor, not a doctor, not a pastor. I don’t have the right answers to everything but I do know this … I am a mom. A working mom. A business owning working mom.
Most days are filled with successes and triumphs while the others aren’t. It would be completely unrealistic for me to say that if you follow my points of advice below you will become a master of leading the life as a working mommy. My hope is that it makes you feel “normal”, that no two moms are alike and there is never going to be a one-size-fits-all when it comes to parenting.
Malance:: Mommy Balance. Start everyday by writing out the top 10 things you want to get accomplished, both personally and professionally. I do it everyday. This helps you stay focused on that day’s “action” items and pulls you back in when the chaos of life starts spinning. My personal list rarely changes. It starts a little something like this::
1) Alone time with God
2) Alone time with Brad (my ah-maze-ing hubby)
3) Play time with Roman without distractions
4) Work Out (even if it is for 10 mins)
5) Alone time for myself (again, even if it is for 10 mins)
“I’m sorry Honey, what did you say?”:: It’s 8:30 at night. The little ones are in bed. You put on your pajamas, grab a glass of wine and sit on the couch. Along comes the iPad or iPhone. Out of habit you check your email, Facebook, Instagram or whichever social media app.
Your husband asks “How was your day?” and being so tuned out you didn’t even hear what he said. 5 minutes later you turn “I’m sorry honey, what did you say?” Due to the overwhelming amount of times that this was me I started a new rule that NO electronics came with us to the couch or bed. We don’t get time together like we used to so when we do we need to be focused on each other. Period.
God First, Husband Second, Baby Third:: Starting with a moral foundation assures everything else will fall into place no matter what. With God as my go-to I get to enjoy pouring into my husband. When he and I are happy it reflects into nearly every single thing I do, including our precious little boy Roman. When Roman is happy, mommy is happy, which makes dad happy and we ALL thank God!
You are not the only one who doesn’t have your $hit together:: I know what you are thinking “She mentions God in one paragraph and in the next she is cursing.” YEP. Sure did (well technically it’s a $ not an S). For this I need your attention.
EVERY MOM IS TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT. Staying at home, going to work full-time or part-time, having 2 kids, or 6 kids, volunteering or getting paid. IT DOES NOT MATTER. WHATEVER YOU DO IS HARDER BECAUSE YOU HAVE KIDDOS.
So don’t judge someone doing it different from you. Instead support, encourage, share your heart and admit your struggles because you just might make a new mommy friend or affirm a woman going through the same thing. This is tough work and it’s okay to admit it!
Dump the Mom Guilt:: I mean honestly. I get it. Your CEO is in town and your mom comes in this weekend so you had to drag little Johnnie to the store today instead of playing with him at home. You are running just to keep up. Do you know what kids need the most? Love, security and affirmation.
Quit beating yourself up because you didn’t have the time to sit on the floor for 16 hours playing with blocks and never turning on the TV. Life keeps going and you don’t have to feel guilty about it. For heaven’s sake take that guilt and turn it into extra hugs for your little one.
I am Still Ashley:: One of the reasons I work is because of how I want to raise my children. Let me preface:: I believe the most important job that God ever gave a woman was being a mom. Hands down. They are the priority. It is between you and God on how you raise your children.
For me personally, I have a TON of energy. So much that I can’t even watch a movie without having a pile of laundry to my left and my monthly crafting project to my right. I HAVE to have outlets to release it. Thus, I work and it makes me so happy (remember Happy Mommy, Happy Baby). Staying at home is not the right decision for me but I support my friends who quit their jobs to love on their cuddle bugs. And that is OKAY!
Show and Tell:: You know that feeling when someone tells you your little one is “so beautiful”. Your heart feels so full and you just can’t help but smile. It’s almost embarrassing because you want to just say “thank you” but your smile says, “I know”. Don’t be afraid to let the love of your family show, in and out of the work place.
Fill your desk up with pictures. Ask your nanny to send you photo updates of your little one throughout the day. Make it a point to let the people who work around you know that your family is number one.
Be proud of yourself. YOU are a working mommy.
She’s been 3 for two days now and I still can’t believe it. This time, three years ago, we were recovering in a hospital bed. Now, we’re playing (and having conversations!). It’s all going by so fast. Slow down, miss thing. I need to catch my breath!
Kelsey’s after party starts now. Her cousin, Connor came over bright and early for a little fun on the bounce house. We have it until noon today so why not make the most of it?
I seriously went outside this morning in my robe (without my morning cup of coffee) and bounced around as if I were the three-year old. Ryan’s in there now – bouncing and getting attacked by kids. The best part about all of this? I woke up to left over cupcakes. Breakfast is served!
Life around here has been busy. Great, but busy. Ryan and I are getting this two-kid thing down. Or, at least we think we are. And that’s probably because I’ve been off of work for 10 weeks. Here’s just a few snapshots from the past week. It’s truly amazing the kind of time you have when you […]
Colton was a champ at his two-month wellness visit today. He did great with his shots and even gave mom some snuggle time in the waiting room (that’s the best part). Here are his stats.
Just click the image to enlarge and read easier.
Just to put it into perspective, his sister (who is the tallest in her class) was 95 percentile for height and 75 percentile for weight at this age.
Life with Kelsey has been a bit rough lately. She is two weeks shy of turning three and boy, are we feeling it. The terrible twos never really hit in our household, so I think she is making up for lost time. Here are some things that make my three-year old throw a fit. We […]
Coming through! Kelsey is on a mission: Ride her scooter through the entire neighborhood! In style of course. She insisted on wearing these silly glasses and Ryan made sure she had her Dora helmet and bell. You could hear her a mile away. The scooter was not to be overshadowed by last year’s […]
