I’m sure you’ve all seen by now (on one social network or another) my announcement that we’re moving. Yay! This move has been 2 years in the making and I cannot tell you how thrilled we are that we’re finally moving.

We’ll finally be able to give Handsome the yard he so desperately needs.

We’ll finally be in a financial position to start saving some money for future goals/dreams/family vacations.

We’ll finally have a plethora of people to help support us and be there for us when we need a sitter at the drop of a hat.

Can you believe it? I damn near can’t.

However, with all the excitement and happiness we’re feeling about moving, we’re also anxious and exhausted. Or at least I am. I’m not sure Hubby is as much. He seems so joyous, I wonder if he’s as stressed as I am at times.

The Unknown is Scary

Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled with the new possibilities and the idea of being closer to my family, but I’m also stressed.

With new adventure comes the unknown.

It’s not 100% certain we’ll get the house we’re both in love with. (It could potentially be rented by the time I get out there next week to secure our housing.)

It’s nerve-racking to think about essentially starting over. New town, new home, new friends? Woah.

And then there’s the packing and the actual moving. Don’t even get me started on the energy it takes to pack up a 3 bedroom house and sort through five years of attic clutter. Let’s just say Mama hasn’t had much sleep.

And let’s not forget the 3,000 mile road trip we’ll be taking in a few weeks from Boston to Seattle. I can’t even fathom what that’ll be like with a 2-year-old. Exciting? Yeah. Let’s go with that.

So, have you moved long distance like this before? Do you have any tips you can share with me for how to cope with all this new stress? Maybe you have some advice for how to handle a rambunctious little dude for 4 days on a road trip?

If you have nothing to share, then please I beg you… send chocolate and wine ASAP. I also wouldn’t turn down a margarita if you have one. I’m just saying.

Hugs,

{If you’re looking for what to make for dinner, stop by Mama’s Hungry for some yummy Scallop Tacos in Wonton Wrappers and a delish Margarita recipe from my friends at One Martini at a Time.}

This Mother’s Day, I’m working with Clever Girls in support of Macy’s Heart of Haiti to shine a light on the “trade, not aid” program, which provides sustainable income to Haitian artisans struggling to rebuild their lives and support their families after the 2010 earthquake.

When I think of Mother’s Day, I don’t just think about the amazing woman who gave me life. No. I also think about the amazing women who have helped shape the fabulous person I am today. When I think of Mother’s Day, I think of my sisters.

I have three sisters who are just as much a mother figure to me as our own beautiful Mama is to all four of us. Each of them has helped me, taught me, and inspired me in their own way and for that I am thankful to have them in my life.

Elena

The oldest of our bunch. The voracious reader, constant learner, and lover of music.
She taught me to appreciate the written word and opened my mind to all types of music. She’s my go-to make-up artist when I need help figuring out what shade of lipstick to buy or which concealer actually works. Her laugh is EXACTLY like Mr. Belding on Saved By The Bell, and for that she will always have an invitation to any party I throw!

Antonette

The one I jokingly call my “sister-mom.” She’s a natural nurturer, a big softy, and my in case of emergency contact (aside from Hubby). She the responsible one, always calm even when I’m hysterical. She’s the person who I know will always hug me when I’m scared, lonely, or doubting myself. She was there for me though my difficult pregnancy, held my hand during labor, and cheered me on when I got my Master’s Degree. Total “sister-mom” material. 

Amy

My perpetual BFF. She’s the person I can talk to about anything, everything, or nothing at all. Her sense of humor is contagious and she takes sarcasm to new heights with the best of ‘em! In high school, I’d stay at her house so much so that she gave me my own room. She’d let me stay up late, each tons of junk food, and talk on the phone with boys. She’s always honest, always open-minded, and always available. Her teenage daughter is lucky to have her.

In just two weeks I will get to spend this Mother’s Day with all of three of them, and I cannot express with words how happy that makes me. Not only will I get to spend time with my Mom, but also with my wonderful, annoying, and crazy sisters.

One for me. One for my Mama.

In thinking of how lucky I am, I’m reminded of those who are not so lucky. The people of Haiti have suffered so very much, they need all the help we can offer. I am honored to have a small hand in helping them rebuild what was lost.

What is Macy’s Heart of Haiti?
Heart of Haiti is a “Trade, Not Aid” initiative launched by artist and social entrepreneur, Willa Shalit, The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and Macy’s. Already, Heart of Haiti has led to employment of 750 artists in Haiti, providing financial benefits for an estimated 8,500 people in the country.

Each item is a one-of-a-kind design and handmade by a Haitian master artisan from raw materials such as recycled oil drums, wrought iron, papier-mâché and stone. The collection features more than 40 home decor items including quilts, metalwork, ceramics, jewelry and paintings and is made almost entirely from recycled and sustainable items such as old cement bags, cardboard, oil drums and local gommier wood.

Heart of Haiti products are available online at Macy’s.com.

Thank you to Macy’s Heart of Haiti for sponsoring my participation in this “Share Your Heart” promotion. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Hugs,

You guys already know that I love me some Scary Mommy, aka Jill Smokler. She’s that rare breed of mom who’s actually honest about the way she feels about her kids at any given moment. I just adore her brutal honesty, which is why I could not pass up a chance to meet her when the Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood: The Good, The Bad, and the Scary  book tour brought her to my neck of the woods.

Despite the fact that I didn’t have another mom to go with, (my non-mommy friend bailed on me at the last-minute) I drove 45 minutes in rush hour traffic all the way to Burlington, MA. If you live in Boston, you know that driving anywhere in rush hour traffic is straight up committment, yo.

I’m a Scary Mommy Groupie

When I arrived I was a little intimidated. Not because of Jill and her fabulousness, but because I was one of the few people who didn’t already know her. A lot of her old classmates came out to show their support. Some of them driving hours to see her. Super cool!

But honestly? I felt kind of left out. Like they were in this special club of women who knew her. Yes, I’ll admit it. I was jealous. Here I was just some small-time mommy blogger who drove out all alone to see her favorite writer. I totally felt like a lame ass groupie. But I walked in nonetheless.

 And you know what? I’m SO glad I went. I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and attended the book signing sans friends and without knowing a single person there. And it was awesome.

We started out just talking about motherhood and the blogging community and how diverse it is, and quickly moved onto the reading part, where Jill read the chapter on other people’s kids. In a word? Hilarious. It’s one thing to read it in your head and it’s another thing to actually hear her read the words she wrote herself.

Cheesy Photo Opp

At the end of the reading, she signed our books and posed for pictures. Wait, I don’t exactly know if she posed for pics with anyone else. But I got one. I just had to. How could I blog about meeting her without photographic proof? I couldn’t! Again, I felt like a psycho weirdo, but I asked for a pic and got it.

I don’t know what Jill was thinking, but I was thinking, “OMG I’m getting a pic with Scary Mommy!….I hope the chick taking the picture doesn’t make me look fat.”

If you have the opportunity, I highly HIGHLY suggest you step outside of your comfort zone, meet Jill Smokler and get your book signed. If nothing else, you’ll be the envy of all your mommy and/or blogging friends. I know I am!

Virtual hugs,

Have you seen Caine’s Arcade? You simply MUST see Caine’s Arcade.

Isn’t he just adorable? My pal Willie from RGD Designs posted this on Facebook yesterday and I just had to share it with you guys. Caine is such an amazing little dude! There is a fund to help send him to college and you can learn more about it at the Caine’s Arcade website. Because you know what? It would be a terrible shame not to nurture this child’s amazing intellect and creativity.

He deserves to go college and I hope you’ll consider joining me in lending a hand at getting him there.

Also? I totally wish I lived in California just so I could visit Caine’s Arcade.

Seriously.

If you’re friends with me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, then you know I’ve been eluding to the fact that I have MAJOR news to share. But I haven’t shared it just yet. I’ve been teasing pretty much everyone who knows me.

Yup, I’m Pretty Much a 12-Year-Old Kid

At first I thought it would just be fun to put a teaser status on Facebook. But then I got an ovewhelming response from friends and family, who were all just dying to know what I had to say. So logically I did what any 12-year-old would do.

I kept teasing them.

To share, or not to share. That is the question.

Don’t get me wrong, I am dying, DYING to share my news with all of you. But really, what fun would it be to just announce it and be done with it? Not fun at all, duh. That’s why I’m keeping this secret to myself for a little while longer.

I’ll share it soon, don’t worry. I’m just having SO MUCH fun teasing everyone. The funny thing is that everyone thought I was pregnant, but I don’t think I could hold news like that in for very long. When I first got pregnant with Handsome, I only kept it a secret for about week before I announced it with the world. I seriously don’t know how people keep that secret for months on end. I don’t think I could do that. Could you?

Did you ever have big news that you didn’t want to announce right away? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Yours in Secret,

I’m sure most of you know that the blogging badass known as Jill Smokler, aka Scary Mommy recently published a book aptly titled, Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood: The Good, The Bad, and the Scary.

And I’m sure you all know that like any published author, Jill has to go on tour. Awesome! I’m lucky enough that I live near a town she’ll be visiting next week. Even more awesome!

You know what isn’t awesome? That at one of her first book tour stops, she had very few peeps come out to show their support for all things Scary Mommy. That seriously made me both sad and mad.

I felt bad for Jill. Not, “oh poor little Jill” kind of sad, but more like “WTF that’s messed up,” kind of sad. I mean, if I had written a book, I’d be seriously bummed out if none of you bothered to show up. Seriously, that’s effed up.

It also made me kind of mad. Jill has given us so much of herself via her blog, her social interactions, and yes, this kick ass book. The least we can do is take one day/night/hour of our lives, swap our yoga pants out for jeans, and head out to support our fellow woman, blogger, and mother.

I Support Scary Mommy, Because I Am a Scary Mommy

I am making it a point to get a sitter so the hubby and I can head out to meet the woman who inspired me to start blogging. You see, when I was still a newbie mama and Handsome was about 4 months old, I stumbled upon a link to Scary Mommy and it changed my life. It may sound totally dramatic, but it did. You wouldn’t be reading this blog right now if it weren’t for Jill.

That night I must have read a year’s worth of Jill’s writing in between breastfeeding and fake mom sleeping. (You know the kind where you convince yourself you’re sleeping, when you’re actually laying there listening to the baby breathe.)

She made me feel like maybe I could do this. Maybe I wasn’t gonna accidentally kill my newborn because I had no idea what the hell I was doing. You mean there were other women who weren’t born knowing exactly what to do? Other women who didn’t get out of bed until noon, didn’t comb their hair, and who didn’t bother to shower unless some was coming over? Hallelujah!

It was eye-opening to say the least. At a time when I was feeling like a failure, Jill made me feel like I wasn’t. And for that? I’m utterly thankful. I plan to tell her this next week when I meet her.

In case you didn’t know, Jill will be at the following locations next week:

• April 9, Pint Size and Up Boutique, 41 Atlantic Avenue Marblehead, MA at 10:00AM
• April 9, BOOKS-A-MILLION,  76 Fort Eddy Rd. Concord, NH at 7:00PM
• April 10, BARNES & NOBLE, 1350B Bald Hill Road Warwick, RI at 7:00PM
• April 11, BARNES AND NOBLE,  98 Middlesex Turnpike Burlington, MA at 7:00PM

I’ll be the first in line at the B&N in Burlington. (woo hoo!) If Jill has helped you in any way shape or form, I hope to see you there too. And if you haven’t bought the book yet, get it on Amazon today. Seriously, go. NOW.

Virtual Hugs,

In January I vowed to not be fat, or rather not feel fat on my upcoming 30th birthday in October. I stuck to it until around Valentine’s Day, when I gorged on fancy chocolates and a gourmet dinner. I wish I could blame my husband, but I can’t. It was all me. Despite that fact, I am happy to report I’ve lost a total of 11 lbs as of April 1. (Yay!)

However, I must admit that I should be celebrating a 13 lb loss instead. But I’m not. I am disappointed in myself for gaining back 2 lbs in March. Damn. I hate myself for allowing it to happen. I hate it because I know better. I know how to eat properly, cook healthy and all that jazz.

My problem? Me. Duh. I lose focus. I know that now. I see it. It’s clear as day.

I lose focus on the goal at hand: to lose at least 35 lbs by the time I celebrate my 30th birthday.

The funny thing is that I hit so many other goals in my life, why the hell can’t I do this?

I wanted to finish high school in three years instead of four because I was THAT anxious to go to college. Not only did I graduate in three years, but I did so in the top 10% of my class, and as student body president.

I wanted to go to college, despite my family having no money to send me. Not only did I go to college, but I did so strictly on scholarships and hard ass work. I busted my ass working three part-time jobs for five years straight, but dammit I got that Bachelor’s degree.

I wanted to finish my Master’s degree, despite being 8 months pregnant and in the hospital on bed rest. Not only did I finish my graduate program on time before Handsome was born, but I did so right from my hospital bed. I completed my final exam via webcam and a “do not disturb” sign on my hospital room door.

I KNOW I CAN DO THIS

I need to stay on track in order to lose this fat that weighs me down in more ways than one.

Yesterday while out for coffee with my guys, I saw something that spoke to me.
A giant, brand-spanking new building only 1 mile from my house. Its grand opening is soon and I will be there.

I still don’t know yet how I’m going to squeeze working out into my already jam-packed schedule, but I will. I will because I have to.

For those of you who actually do make time for the gym, when do you do it? How do you do it? HELP a sista out!

As most of you know, I recently launched a second blog called Mama’s Hungry. The decision to start a second blog wasn’t easy, but I’m so glad I did it. I know many of you might be thinking of starting a second blog, which is why I am guest posting today over at Melissa’s place, MomComm.

I’m sharing 4 reasons you’ll want to consider when starting a second blog. Stop by and check it out. Comments are closed today, but please leave one over at MomComm!

Virtual Hugs,