22 Things I Want to Teach My Daughter

1. The only person that can ensure your own success is you.

2. The only thing that will ever make you ugly is how you treat other people.

3. Respect isn’t always easily earned, but it is always easily lost.

4. There is nothing you could do that would make me love you any less than I already do.

5. Being rich has nothing to do with money.

6. Don’t accept every apology you receive.

7. Smiling at strangers is a good habit to have.

8. You’ll never wish you ate less ice cream.

9. Don’t let people make you feel bad for dealing with your feelings in a way that helps you heal.

10. Your mental health is more important than any job.

11. You can change any situation by simply changing your mindset of it.

12. It’s okay to get frustrated. It’s not okay to take your frustration out on others.

13. Just because something is a rule, doesn’t mean it’s ethically right.

14. Family isn’t always blood.

15. Don’t break yourself in order to fix someone else.

16. Sometimes silence is more effective than action.

17. Never let honesty be an excuse for disrespect.

18. Grass grows where it is watered.

19. Your mistake isn’t as important as what you do to correct it.

20. There is a difference between a man that flatters you and a man that compliments you.

21. It’s OKAY to tell people NO.

22. Don’t let your kindness be mistaken for weakness.

It Will Always Be Her

I love the way my daughter’s face lights up

When I walk into the room

After a long day of being away.

I can see she has missed me

Just as much as I’ve missed her

But then again,

I miss the days of

Being able to drop my things

As I walk into the door.

Oh, how a child can change your life

It’s beautiful and enriching

And I wouldn’t change a thing,

But sometimes I miss all the times

I used to be able to 

Invest into myself.

My happiness matters too,

But somehow I have fallen to the back

I am put on hold,

Because she will always matter more to me

Than even myself

I will give and give and give 

Before I ever allow someone 

The opportunity to question

Who I care about more

Because it will always be her.

It will always be her.

 

The big 5-0

I have finally hit 50 followers! I just wanted to dedicate this to all of you awesome readers that follow my journey, read my story, and leave your comments.

When I started this blog, I had no idea what I’d be getting into. I’ve always had a passion for writing, and I knew exactly what my platform was going to be. Writing has always been a great outlet for me, and it’s something I love to do!

I started to write a book back when I was in high school, but kind of just let it go to the way side. I’ve decided I wanted to get back into creative writing and work on publishing chapters of a new book! I already published a prologue for it, if you are interested in reading it I have left the link at the bottom of this article. I think it will be a fun journey and a great way to challenge myself while also pursuing a long-standing dream of mine.

Anyway, THANK YOU for your follow, your friendship, and your support! 50 followers may not sound like much, but this blog has turned into way more than I ever could have dreamed!

-Xoxoxo, Chrissy-

❤️

Read Prologue here.

Della is three months old today!

It has been awhile since I’ve given an update on my beautiful Bebe girl, but since today she turns THREE MONTHS old, I thought it would be a great time for an update on my new life in motherhood!

Ever since we brought her home, Della has been one of the most content and well-behaves babies I’ve ever seen! For the most part, she does not fuss unless she’s hungry, wants attention, or needs changed. She sleeps through the night pretty well- only waking about two times a night to eat. Once fed, she goes right back to sleep. 🙂 We are so lucky! However, it makes those nights when she’s up more than a couple times even more frustrating because we’re not used to it! Haha, but I truly can’t complain!

She’s such a happy, smiley girl. I’ve had quite a few moms tell me she should be a Gerber baby! I think her beauty is rooted in the fact that she has these long, beautiful lashes and curly hair. Ahhh, she makes my heart swoon!

She hasn’t yet let out a hard giggle, but she’s smiling and trying to get one out!

I can have bad days, but it’s amazing how those frustrating times no longer matter once I get her in my arms. Motherhood is truly one of the best things in the world!

Hope you all enjoy the photos of our beautiful girl. I’ll try to give more updates on here. What can I say? I’ve been pretty busy! 🥰

Breastfeeding: Is it worth it?

I am not writing this blog as a guru. Matter-of-fact, I’m about to become a mom for the first time myself. WHICH is why I thought it would be beneficial to look up some information about breastfeeding. I’m writing in hopes that while informing myself, I can also inform someone else.

During this pregnancy one of the most frequent questions I’ve been asked is whether I’m going to breastfeed or not. To be honest, I am SICK AND TIRED of that question!

I haven’t decided if breastfeeding is what I want to do or not, but I want to be clear:

As long as your baby is being fed, WHO CARES?!

I’ve never understood why some feel the need to put down a woman because she decides against breastfeeding. Some women, like myself, just don’t feel comfortable with the idea of breastfeeding. I’ve struggled with this a lot because even people I’ve consulted with in the medical field had a way of talking about breastfeeding as if I didn’t do it, I’d be doing what wasn’t the best for my baby. But let’s be real… as long as your baby is being fed, it doesn’t reaaallllyy matter. Sure, breastfeeding has some really awesome benefits for your baby, but c’mon. A baby fed with formula is still a fed baby! And that’s all that matters.

I’m a pretty conservative and modest person when it comes to my body, so I just can’t see myself being comfortable with having someone try to teach me how to breastfeed or the idea that a child will be sucking on me. At this point, I think I’d like to try, but if it’s not for me, it’s not for me. There is always the option to pump breast milk for your baby, and evade the whole “sucking” experience. (Don’t get wrong, I totally support all breastfeeding mothers and respect the experience it brings to some mother-baby relationships, I just don’t know if it will be for me)

Here are some really great benefits from breastfeeding:

• Breast milk helps defend against infections, prevents allergies, and can help protect against some chronic conditions
• Germ-fighting antibodies pass from the mother’s milk into the baby to enhance their immune system
• Less ear infections and diarrhea
• Lower chance of meningitis, asthma, diabetes, and obesity
• Breast milk is more easily digested than formula
• Breast milk’s flavor changes depending on what the mother eats, so the baby will get to experience many different tastes
• It’s convenient!
• Breastfeeding burns calories and helps shrink the uterus, helping the mother return to her pre-pregnancy size

I want to open this blog up to some chatter from other moms out there! Did you breastfeed? What was your reasoning behind your decision? Any tips?

An ENGAGING update!!

Hi, guys!! I know it’s been a long time since I’ve been on WordPress. Pregnancy comes along with a lot of things to do! I’ve been keeping myself plenty busy at work, planning my baby girl’s entrance into the world, and moving into a new house!

Readers and followers, we are less than THREE MONTHS away from the arrival of our little girl!! This pregnancy has gone by sooo fast. I apologize for not being so active. I plan to catch up on my writing here within the next few weeks. As delivery gets closer and I am home more, I will be able to sit in front of the laptop a bit more.

But this blog is special.

My significant other and I decided we needed a getaway from everything, so we planned a trip to Nashville. On that trip, HE PROPOSED! It was totally unexpected and in front of the Parthenon.

Here is the photo we got right after:

(I was still crying)

I won’t say much about Nashville here, but it was a beautiful city. I’m most excited that the father of my child has made the promise to love me forever. I have so much to look forward to, and I can’t wait for all the excitement 2019 is going to bring!

“Prenatal Yoga” from Mama in Training

An excerpt from the article "Prenatal Yoga" by Mama in Training:

Like a lot of expecting women, my activity level when I became pregnant wasn’t where it probably should have been. I mean, I didn’t really make the time during my day to go out for a jog or anything like that. So when I found out about my pregnancy, I was concerned that I needed to workout more.

I began doing research on good prenatal workout apps, acceptable exercises I could do at home, and what activities could possibly get me into trouble. A lot of what I found stated that if you weren’t very active before your pregnancy, that you should ease into it so that the baby won’t be put into distress, but more importantly, so that you don’t hurt yourself. With any prenatal workout, you want to make sure that you don’t push yourself to injury.

I pondered about what “beginner” workouts I could start doing that would allow me to choose what I was comfortable with and what was pushing it too far. This being my first pregnancy, I’m always on edge about nearly everything wondering, “What if this could hurt my baby?” …

Read the rest of the article here.

Hi guys! Still my new blog doesn’t have much traffic, but I’m super excited for where it’s headed! If you’re a mom yourself or going to be a mom in the future, I think we could have a lot of fun together! Go check it out at https://mamaintraining722.wordpress.com/.