Am I Enough?

As an ultra-busy working mom of two, I often wonder if I am giving enough of myself to my kids and if I am making a positive impact on them.  Are they learning from me? Do they remember the moments when I am not yelling or barking orders? Am I fun?  The mom-guilt can be overwhelming. Continue reading

Strut your stuff, mama!!

I just have to share this in case you haven't seen it.  Today (Feb. 16th) at 3 p.m. EST will be the first ever Strut Fashionable Mom Show! As a mom in Kentucky who absolutely loves seeing the gorgeous pieces on the runways of New York Fashion Week (check out my NYFW Pinterest board), I am thrilled that a few fabulous moms in New York are creating a show specifically for moms.

I think we'd all agree that not all high-fashion pieces on the runway are something we'd dare wear around town with a baby in tow (or ever, for that matter!)  You can watch the show online (see below), which I will be doing given that New York is a little far from the Bluegrass State.  Here's a video to give you a sneek peak:  Strut The Fashionable Mom Show Continue reading

Find Your Mother Ship! Mama Needs to Reboot.

This week I had intentions of writing a fun, sparkly post about mom-friendly spring fashions since the weather is so inspiring.  But guess what? As I started to write, I realized that I am stressed, tired and not at all sparkly nor inspired this week.  So, rather than pretending to be something I am not, I’m embracing my emotional rut and am bringing this week’s story from my mother ship: Starbucks.  Why Starbucks?  Because it is on my short-list of must-haves when I need to get the heck out of my house and reboot.  And here’s why…

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Are You Ready For Some Football?? (Bingo for little fans!)

 

Given that that the Super Bowl is right around the corner, it seems like a great time to share a little secret to enjoying some or all of the big game!  We call it Football Bingo and it works like magic if you have young kiddos in the house (or older ones for that matter!).  Here’s what you need to do:

 

 

 

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3 Reasons Why Moms Should Join Pinterest

Haven’t heard of it?  Been curious about the red “P” logo that keeps popping up around the web?  Pinterest is the newest social network to hit the scene and it has done so in a BIG way.  Pinterest is a social sharing site that allows you to create virtual boards (see the photo below) to “pin” images from all over the web and organize by categories that you create.  For example, I have boards for “Great Quotes”, “My Style”, “Products I love”, “Future Home Ideas”, and more.  (You can see them all at http://pinterest.com/thesassymama/)  The fun continues as you “re-pin” images from other Pinterest members and begin to develop a following.  Why should moms jump on board? (No pun intended.)

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Top 3 Reasons Moms Should Avoid Letting Themselves Go (and Tips!)

Whether you are guilty of throwing sweats on every day, gaining a few pounds, tying your hair back constantly or, (GULP!) wearing “mom jeans”, I can absolutely guarantee that you are not alone.  I, myself, have done all of those things since becoming mom.  These things happen because we are tired. We want to be comfortable.  We find it pointless to wear cute clothes if someone is going to projectile vomit on us.  And the worst reason- we don’t give ourselves a second thought.  Here’s a few reasons why you should take the time to keep yourself together (and trust me- I know it’s not always easy, so I’m including some tips, too.) Continue reading

THE NOTEBOOK: WHERE DREAMS BEGIN

For a busy mom (or most women in general, for that matter), epiphanies come at the most random times and are often brushed aside after the “in-the-clouds” moment passes and reality smacks you in the face again.  How many times have you had the most amazing business idea at 3:25 a.m., or while you are stuffing snacks in the face of your rambunctious kids in the car after grocery shopping?  Or you are staring out the window of your own planet as you wash dishes after dinner and a great book idea or other life-altering revelation hits you?  I cannot even begin to list the countless times this has happened to me, particularly after I had children.

As someone who believes that your life and goals don’t end just because you give birth, I revel in these random moments of inspiration and take them as signs of the awesomeness that I have yet to achieve.  Sure, I may never actually be an actress and I’m pretty certain my childhood aspirations of being a gymnast are off the table, but it is quite possible probable that the best of me is yet to come. Continue reading

Cold-weather Parenting

What do you get when you mix a tired mom, below freezing weather and two kids who have not run off their energy in days? OH, yeah… a freakin’ disaster!  Enter some crazy, creative parenting. I’d like to thank the giant rock that hit my windshield requiring the repair that left my car sitting in the driveway, versus being in the garage. Seeing that big empty space sparked a moment from Despicable Me….”light bulb.”  Tonight we turned our garage into a scooter rink and my kids were able to burn off some energy for a good 15 minutes.  And may I tell you how awesome this was??  I’d love to hear YOUR best cold-weather parenting tips because I have a long way to go until we are filling the water-table and throwing ourselves down the slip-n-slide!  Sigh.

NOTE: In full disclosure, the kids were wearing helmets. I made them take them off for the photo because they looked like lollipops on wheels while wearing them.

Teach style…Say “Thank you!”

Thank you note assembly line

Gratitude is one of the most becoming attributes of every stylish, magnetic person I know, or wish to know. So saying “thank you” is one of the most important things we can teach our kids. I don’t care how many years pass or how digital the world becomes: writing a thank-you note is never out of style.  Once we get past the grumbling, my kids actually enjoy signing their name and adding smiley faces or “xo”.  Here’s how we do it in our house:

1) Mama starts it:  I write the body of the note and am sure to include at least one gift name so the recipient feels the connection, versus just a generic “thanks for the gifts”.  If you are going to be cool enough to write a note, add that special something!
2) Give the kid a pencil: I give each kid a pencil and clearly point out their real estate on the card. I say this step specifically because I once gave them each a marker and told them to go for it….not a good idea. The thank-you note to Grandma become a Pokemon artwork masterpiece that neither included my son’s name nor anything that Grandma would understand (and couldn’t be erased!).
3) Mail them quickly: If your counters look anything like mine, a piece of paper can be lost in the mayhem of crap that has taken residence in my kitchen. So spare your beautiful, hand-written piece of gratitude from the vortex of paperwork hell and put it in the mailbox pronto! Plus, your recipient will appreciate getting the Christmas thank-you some time before the Easter bunny arrives.
xoxo, Brandi