[DIY] IKEA Hack : LATT Table : The Table is Painted!

You guys! I did it! Well...more accurately, we did it! Or let's be honest, Seth did it :)

We finished Mason's table by the end of the month!

It might have taken all month, but we did it! With the crazy schedule this month during every weekend, I'm actually really proud that we found the time to work on it. Of course it took all month, but hey, we made the goal that I set for us.

Now you might notice that the table is not fully finished. Well not AS finished as I wanted it to be with all the bells and whistles that my inspiration post suggested. But that's ok. I still consider it a win.

We started off by first opening the box of parts and seeing what we had to deal with. I knew I had wanted to paint stripes on the chairs, so I started with that while Seth laid out all of the legs to the table and the chairs outside on a cardboard tarp.

I started sanding the chair bases while Seth started spray painting the parts to the chairs that I wanted blue.

Side note : TIP : Do NOT wear black pants while sanding! I was such a mess!

I finished sanding and Seth finished painting. We waited for the pieces to dry a little (or at least until they wouldn't stick when we flipped them over) and then flipped them over and painted them too.

The whole sanding/painting/drying/painting process took maybe four hours total. After all the pieces dried, we brought them inside to assemble the table. At this point, we paused and took a break for a week before we could fully finish the project.

We re-started the project the following weekend when we both had off Friday. Basically the only thing left was to spray the whole table down with polyurethane (a protective coat). Seth wanted to put three coats on, but we only had enough in one can for two coats. So two it was.

Once it was dry, it was done! It took us a few days to reorganize the townhouse to fit the table, but I was finally able to the other night. We introduced the table to Mason a couple nights ago and he's been eating dinner at his big boy table ever since!

We are no expert painters or DIY-ers. I don't know if you can tell my the pictures, but it's not perfect. But that's ok! I'm SO happy with the way that it turned out! And I can't wait to add the "accessories" to it as well. Look out for more updates in the future once we figure out all the logistics of adding a Lego table top and a roll of paper underneath!

Sources : 

IKEA LATT Table

Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2x Ultra Cover Paint and Primer in Satin Oasis Blue

Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2x Ultra Cover Paint and Primer in Flat Black

Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2x Ultra Cover Paint and Primer in Satin Granite

[One Year and Beyond] When People Share Their Opinions

When people share their opinions....
To be honest, I debated for a while on whether or not I wanted to share on this topic. I wanted to share, but I didn't want to offend anyone. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to share.

For me, when Mason was first born, people's opinions were of utmost importance to me. I was a new mom. I had two days of help in the hospital and then they sent me home with this little being that I knew nothing about. I had just met him! I didn't think I was qualified to take care of him on my own. But sure enough, mother's intuition kicked in and we were all just fine.

 Mason was not an easy baby. Well he was, but he wasn't. I had a rough start. Definitely not as rough as some people, don't get me wrong, and I don't want to take away from anyone, but Mason having been my first baby, it was rough for me.

Shortly after he was born, I found out that I couldn't breastfeed. The whole story is a story for a different day, but basically I didn't produce enough milk to sustain him. I tried pumping, a lactation consultant, taking supplements to increase production, everything. It didn't work. So I supplemented with formula. We chose Enfamil Newborn. Mason liked that for a while and then it seemed to upset his stomach. So we switched to Gerber GoodStart. That was fine for a while and then it seemed to upset his stomach.

Mason would just keep crying and crying when we would feed him and seemed inconsolable. It was heartbreaking. And frustrating. I had no idea what was wrong. I felt like I was doing something wrong because I couldn't make him feel better. I finally called the pediatrician after talking to a few people because I figured either he was sick or maybe his formula was upsetting him. His crying wasn't just crying, it was screaming, like someone was hurting him. I would try to pat him on the back, thinking he had to burp or had gas and that's what was hurting him, and he would climb up my shoulder and dig his nails into my shoulder and neck, like he was in so much pain. It was awful. So, I called and made an appointment with the pediatrician and luckily, they had an opening a couple days later. I told Seth, who was at work, that we were able to get an appointment on Friday (which was his Friday to work) and he said he would be there. At first I was confused because I knew he had to work, but he asked his boss if he could have the day off (thankfully he has an amazing job and an amazing boss and is able to just ask off the day before and his boss lets him). He knew how bad Mason was feeling and how hard it was for me to see him like that, so he took initiative to take the day off. He was a lifesaver. 

At the same time, THANKFULLY, I had been talking to my friend Brooke and she gave me some insight. It started with me asking about something completely different, her answering that question and then just randomly asking about the symptoms that Mason had. Her son, Carter, had had the same problem. He had silent reflux.

So we went to the pediatrician on Friday, and I had printed an article that Brooke had sent me and highlighted his symptoms - gulping with a painful look on his face, wet sounding burps, coughing, frequent hiccups, sudden bursts of painful crying, poor sleep habits, poor eating habits, arching of the back and neck after eating, excessive fussiness and crying, wants to be held all the time. I was afraid the pediatrician wouldn't believe me since it's silent and he wasn't spitting up a lot, but once I mentioned the arching of the back, he immediately agreed and prescribed Zantac. Thank goodness! 
Turns out Mason had silent reflux also. (Side note : if you click that link, please remember that was from when I first started blogging :) The blog has come a long way since then!). Silent reflux is extremely painful. It was where he would spit up, but instead of spitting it out, he swallowed it. So it hurt going up...and back down. Poor boy. I can only imagine. I know how painful it is when you just throw up, let alone it being acid reflux. 
The pediatrician also suggested that we just add Zantac and not change his formula (Gerber GoodStart) but after a few days of the same (seeming to be in pain), I couldn't handle it and changed his formula to Similac Alimentum aka liquid gold. While I'm sure my pediatrician knows what he's doing and what he's talking about (that's why he's the doctor, right?), I'm so glad we decided to switch his formula when we did and not wait. Mason was instantly happier and things were back to normal. When we found out about his silent reflux, to be honest, I was happy. I FINALLY knew what was wrong with my baby and how to HELP him. Without the advice of a friend, I would have never even know what silent reflux was or that I should mention it to Mason's pediatrician.

Even way back when he was born and we were having the formula/silent reflux issues, I did what I thought was right for my son. And while maybe I ended up spending more money than I needed to on the special formula, my son was HAPPY and HEALTHY and that was what mattered to me. 

(trying out the big boy seat at Babies R Us)

When we wanted to transition Mason to a big boy car seat, people said it was too early. He was probably 6-7 months old. Mason HATED his infant seat and I knew I needed to do something. He would CRY and SCREAM when we put him in the car. Every. Time. We found something that was right for us and was safe for how old he was/how much he weighed, and we transitioned (and he sat backwards). Mason could not have been happier. I no longer dreaded going in the car with him.

And there have been other times. I've asked for advice on...

types of diapers

how to help transition from sleeping in the pack n play in our room to his crib alone in his room

when to start and what to start with when introducing solids

types of bottles

how and when to transition to cow's milk and sippy cups

and tons more.

There have been lots of times that I asked for advice, got it, and then did or didn't take it. And there have been times when I didn't ask for advice and was given it. But, after all the opinions are said and done, to me, the only opinions that matter are mine and my husbands. We are Mason's parents and we know what is best for him. Don't get me wrong, I totally appreciate the opinions that are given by others, so if I don't/didn't take them, please don't be offended. I asked because I care and wanted to know and then I took all things in to account and did what I thought was best.

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Linking up with Sara from Running from the Law, Ashley from Words About Waverly, Courtney from From Here to Eternity and the other lovely co-hostesses of the One Year and Beyond series.

[It's the Little Things] Triple Dipping

Friday night we went shopping with Seth's grandma (Mason's great grandma, Bubbie). She had been wanting to get Mason a new pair of shoes for a while and it just so happened that Mason was out growing the ones that he had. I had the day off and so did Seth, so we asked her if she wanted to go shopping and to dinner. She say yes, of course. She never turns down a dinner date with her great grandson. So off to the mall we went. Mason was in rare form and was squirmy and cried the whole time we tried to try on shoes. The Nordstrom shoe lady was so sweet but not even a balloon would help. Luckily we knew what we wanted (his same shoes but one size bigger) and so we bought them and left. I figured he was getting hungry so off to dinner we went.

We ended up going to dinner at Mimi's (my favorite place to go when going out with Bubbie since it is close to her house and has the most AMAZING corn chowder!).  I ordered a sandwich with fries, Seth got a burger, Mason got a grilled cheese and fries and Bubbie just got some soup. I'm eating my dinner, minding my own business, when I see Mason reach over to my plate out of the corner of my eye. 

He picks up a fry from my plate. Dips it in the ranch. Licks all the ranch off. Dips it again. Licks it again. and then dips it AGAIN (triple dipper!!) and then licks it off and eats the fry.

I just stare at him in disbelief and amazement. 1. I like that he took a fry from my plate when he had tons for himself. And 2. Where did he learn to dip?? He's never had any dip with anything until now. My dipping habits must be rubbing off on him!

I immediately wish I had gotten that on camera so I grab my phone and hope he does it again. For those of your that follow me on Instagram {@lizbir} might have already seen this, but I just had to share. He did it again but this time he only (haha!) double dipped.

We all finish our dinner and drop Bubbie off at home. All of a sudden, I had the idea of getting frozen yogurt. Yogurtland is one of our favorite places and it did not disappoint. Mason is definitely my son and has a sweet tooth. He enjoyed every last lick of the spoon and didn't waste any frozen yogurt. I foresee many more fro yo dates in our future!

It was the perfect evening with my little family.

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Linking up with Jess from Sadie Sky Boutique and Ashley from Words About Waverly

Memorial Day Weekend

Hope you all had a very happy Memorial Day weekend! We thoroughly enjoyed our extra day off and thank all the men and women who serve and fight for our country.

We had the BEST weekend. I wish it could have never ended.

Friday started off pretty amazing when Seth and I woke up, realized it was 8:20am (!!!!!!) and that Mason was still sleeping. This is an extreme rarity so my first thought was "is he ok??". I checked the monitor and sure enough, he was ok, just sleeping. Seth and I got up and Mason woke up at 8:45am bright eyed and ready to go. We all had breakfast, hung out around the house, and took some selfies.

This kid kills me.

He normally hates the camera but has gotten much better when I ask him to smile. He LOVES it when I turn the camera around and he gets to see himself so I snapped some pictures and loved the results. Such a ham.

Mason napped, Seth finished working on the Ikea hacked table (it's finished!!!), I went to the eye doctor, and we got ready to go to dinner with Seth's grandma (Mason's great grandma, Bubbie). She had been wanting to go to buy Mason some new shoes so we took the opportunity that we were both off to ask her if she wanted to go to dinner and shopping with us. She, of course, never turns down an opportunity to see her great grandson so she said yes. Mason woke up, we picked her up, went shopping, and went to dinner. After dinner we dropped her off and I had the great idea to get some frozen yogurt so we headed to our favorite spot, Yogurtland. Mason is totally my son and has developed a sweet tooth recently so he gobbled up all the ice cream we put in his little bowl.

Saturday I had to work (which is why I had Friday off) so Mason and Seth got to spend the late morning and early afternoon together. Saturday night I made the sangria that I posted about on Friday and I'll be honest... I like my go-to sangria recipe better. My friends said it was good, but to me, it just wasn't sangria.

We spent the night at home just hanging out and watching a movie because the teething monster had arrived and the only cure was snuggles and chocolate chip cookies.
#wehatemolars

Sunday morning started off amazing as well when Seth and I woke up to Mason making noise and realized that it was 8am (!!!!!). I don't know what I did to get so lucky this weekend, but whatever it is, I hope I get that lucky every weekend. The sleep was much needed and amazing. Seth made us a delicious breakfast of challah french toast and we enjoyed a lazy morning before we headed out to Gymboree and the Angels game.

I packed some food for Mason in our new GoodByn Hero lunch box. To say that I love it is an under statement. It holds so much stuff and was so handy to take with us to the game.

edamame and olives // green beans // apple sauce

turkey and cheese // grapes

Gymboree was at 11am and the game started at 12:35pm so we headed straight there after Gymboree was over. We got to the front gates just as the National Anthem was being sung so we had perfect timing. We opted again for this game to ditch our seats and find higher ground (aka the shade) and I'm so glad we did. We ended up leaving slightly before the game was over since Mason only napped on me for an hour during the game and was getting antsy. But overall, we had the best time and the Angels WON! 4-3. 

We came home, Seth went grocery shopping, and I was grateful to have some one on one time with my boy. We chose to spend it outside on this beautiful day, playing in the water table.

Monday was spent enjoying our extra day together in the morning and then with our friends for a BBQ in the afternoon. I barely took any pictures, but did try to keep it a little bit patriotic with Mason's attire (not pictured, but he wore this shirt) and with his snacks. I recently discovered that he likes Craisins when I had some left over in my salad bowl the other night and he took it upon himself to eat every last one of them so I put them, some Cheerios, and some blueberries in a bowl to make a patriotic snack.

Around 1pm, we headed over to our friends house for some drinks, BBQ ribs, swimming, and toilet paper unraveling. I was too busy enjoying myself to take any pictures, but I am happy to report that Mason's love for the pool has returned. THANK YOU Auntie Vickie!! I was a little scared for what the summer would hold but now I am excited to get him in swim lessons and to swim, swim, swim all summer!

The evening ended like this...

...half naked and passed out on the way home.

All in all, I think it was a great night and an even better weekend!

Can we have 3-day weekends every weekend? :)

Hope you all had the BEST weekend as well!

[BOY MOMS] Jess from Adventures in Ginger Mommyhood

Hi! I'm Jess and I blog over at Adventures in Ginger Mommyhood about life, crafting, occasionally running, and raising my son Clay in a non-traditional way. When I first found Elizabeth's series through Katie's blog, I was ecstatic. I kid you not. Finally something for the boy moms! I was even more excited when Elizabeth asked if I wanted to share. Umm. Yes, please.

When I found out I was pregnant (you know, after the "oh my gosh I'm pregnant how am I going to tell my family" shock), I just knew that I was having a girl. I had grand visions of big bows and cute dresses and tea parties dancing in my head, you know, two single gals just livin' the life. I went into my ultrasound with a firm boy's name (Clay Lucas) and a girl's name (Piper Ellie). I felt certain that I would walk out of the office shooting off texts saying "it's a girl!"

Before the ultrasound tech started, she asked Mike his birth order (second child, older sister) and immediately said, "I bet it's a boy." Nooooooo! I'm not having a boy! I'm having a girl. All the old wives' tales say girl and the are never ever wrong. I've got news for you, those old wives need to lay off the juice because it was (very obviously) a boy.

I was sad. I won't lie about that. I had plans to go shopping right after with Amy for the baby's first outfit (and let's be honest, probably the first ten outfits). Guys, I found one outfit I liked. Over the next few days (and weeks), I tried to adjust myself to the fact that I was going to have a boy. A stinky sweaty boy that would no doubt pee on the wall one day and leave the toilet seat up and fart at the table. Ugh. But slowly (with the help of amazing friends), I came to realize that there are so many advantages to being a boy mom and now I can't imagine life any other way!

Here are my top 6 advantages to be a boy mom:

1. I don't have to teach someone to use a tampon. Wahoooo! Seriously, I understand that we'll still go through puberty but that is all Mike's area right there. I'll pull the "I gave birth to him, it's your turn to suffer" card for sure on that one.
2. I don't have to teach him to squat in the woods/on public toilets. I'm quite sure this is my least favorite part of being a girl. I spent three weeks in Kenya a few years ago. The airport didn't even have a toilet. Just a hole in the ground. I wanted to die. So high five, Clay! You get to pee standing up!
3. It's much cheaper. For sure. While I have found tons of cute boy clothes (thanks Target and Baby Gap), I'm quite certain my wallet would be much lighter if I had a girl. The clothes, bows, shoes, and jewelry. Oh, my. It's all so cute.
4. I'll get to spend a lot of time at ball fields/courts. I love watching sports (I was a sport management major) so the idea of getting to watch my son play is pretty dang exciting!
5. Less drama. Amen.
6. Summers on the farm will be way more fun. My family lives on a farm in Tennessee, and while I'm sure a girl would have loved it, the look on Clay's face when he sees the tractors or slides down a slide with a goat are priceless.

Any big advantages I forgot, boy moms? Don't forget to stop by and visit us for our latest shenanigans!

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If you would like to share a post about you and your son, email me at chasinmasonblog@gmail.com .

I would love to feature you! You don't have to have a blog to participate!

Five on Friday

I, for one, am SUPER glad it's Friday! It's been a long week and I've been looking forward to Friday all week because I have it off and plan to spend the WHOLE day with my boys! Sure it means I have to work Saturday, but for right now I've livin' in the moment and loving Friday.

Here's my extra random five's for Friday.

ONE.

Weekend plans.

Speaking of the long weekend, we have lots of fun things planned! Actually Friday we don't really have anything planned except I have an eye doctor appointment (exciting, I know). Even though we don't have official plans, the main plans are to hang out as a family all day. Then Saturday I have to work. Sunday we have tickets to the Angels game. And Monday we got invited over to our friend's house for a BBQ for Memorial Day. I never turn down a BBQ or an extra day to spend with my family!

TWO.

Memorial Day inspired recipes.

I know I talk about sangria a lot (it's one of my favorites!). But I found this recipe on Pinterest and had to share. I pinned it probably a year ago and forgot that I had pinned it for 4th of July last year so I thought I would take advantage of remembering and making it for our little get together on Monday. Sounds simple and delicious!

Red, White, and Blue Sangria

Ingredients:

Strawberries, sliced

Blueberries

Pineapple, cut into star shapes

2 bottles dry white wine

1 cup Triple Sec

1/2 Cup berry-flavored vodka

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup simple syrup

Combine the ingredients in a large pitcher and stir. Chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours.

THREE.

Citrus Lane box.

Our May Citrus Lane box came a week or so ago and we were really surprised to see how much stuff was in it! I opened the box thinking that there would be a smaller box inside, but instead I was surprised by goodies! This month's box included :

Hape Toys sand toys : Parthenon and Track Roller. These are going to be PERFECT for summer! And perfect for our sand/water table. The Goodbyn Hero. Not even on the market yet and we got it in our box! This will be the perfect on the go lunch container for outings this summer. This Melissa and Doug instead chunky wooden puzzle looks like it will be so fun for Mason. Probably just to take apart, but hopefully to put back together as well. We also got some fresh feet wipes to help keep Mason's cute little feet from being so stinky. But my personal favorite part : the cookies. We got some Back to Nature chocolate chip cookies and I cannot wait to try them!

FOUR.

Gymboree.

It's so awesome to watch your kids grow. And Mason's progression at Gymboree is no different. For the past couple weeks, Seth has been taking Mason to Gymboree by himself. For various reasons, I was busy. But this past Saturday and Sunday we both took him. We actually moved him up to the 22 month (level 5) class this past weekend also. Everything was new to Mason but he did REALLY well. It was a real joy to watch him now vs when he was littler. He climbs up slide without hesitation and with confidence. He gets excited for parachute time and actually sits in the middle and doesn't cling to us. He tries to rock himself on the teeter totter and so much more. I can see that his development has come a long way and I think he will do just great in this class with the older kids.

FIVE.

Thankful.

This quote is very applicable right now. Last night something scary happened. Not specifically to me or anyone I know, but scary nonetheless. It was about 7:30pm and I was walking out to my car with some co-workers. We parted ways and went to our separate cars. I started to get into my car and put my lunch box and purse on the seat when I heard a loud BOOM. I literally thought there was an explosion it was so loud. I look outside and see a car had crashed into the light pole across the street. SO HARD that the front end of the car is torn in half. IN HALF. There is smoke coming from the car.  I swear I see someone come running around to the other side of the car and wonder if it is the passenger. I'm still in shock as to what I'm seeing. Thoughts are going through my mind like a million miles an hour.

Do I call 911?

Do I go see if they are ok?

Do I just go home?

I call 911. That's what I should do. Then I hear people literally hundreds of feet away from me yelling "call 911!!!!!!! call 911!!!!!!". So I call. I explain what happen, explain I didn't know how hurt they were because they were far away. Tell them to send help. At this point, I look outside again and someone has taken the man who was driving out of the car. I think back to when people tell you not to move people in an accident and think they probably shouldn't have done that but it's too late now. Tons of people have stopped their cars and gotten out to see if they can help/if everyone is ok. Almost immediately the police arrive. Then what seemed like forever later but was probably like 2 minutes, the fire fighters arrive. I stayed to make sure everything was ok for a few minutes and then I left. I was physically fine but a little in shock and shaken up. I definitely drove home a little slower and more carefully. I finally got home and hugged and kissed my boys a little longer than normal. And just thought about how thankful I was.

Thankful I didn't leave 5 minutes earlier.

Thankful the car didn't crash into another car.

Thankful there was nobody in the cross walk.

Thankful the police station is right down the street.

Thankful the fire station is right down the street.

Thankful so many people stopped to see if he was ok.

Thinking of the man in the accident and his family today and hoping he is ok.

Sorry to end on such a sad note but I just had to say something. But to end on a happier note...

Happy (long!) weekend!

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Linking up with the lovely ladies of The Good Life, Carolina Charm, A. Liz Adventures, 

and Hello Happiness

[One Year and Beyond] Mommy Guilt

It's not something people tell you about when you're pregnant.

It's not something they teach in those prepared childbirth classes.

It's not one of those things that gets easier with time. In fact I feel like it's gotten worse since Mason's gotten older and more aware.

Mommy guilt.

It's real. And I have it bad. I wish I had some profound advice on how to overcome or avoid it but I don't. This is me. This is real life. And I felt that it was important for me to write about it to 1. get it off my chest and 2. hope that someone could give me some advice or at least empathize with me.

Disclaimer : this post is not sugar coated. This post is real. This post is true life.

I'm a full time mom. I'm a full time wife, friend, sister, and daughter. I have a full time job. 

That's a lot!

I like my job. I'm good at my job. I don't feel guilty that I have to work. In the very beginning, actually, I did. I felt bad that I had to leave my not even 3 month old baby to go back to work. It felt unfair. I felt like I was going to miss so much. I wanted to be the first one to see all of his firsts.

That guilt passed quickly because this is our reality. I have to work. And to be honest, now, I don't feel bad. I know Mason is in good hands everyday. I know he is getting taken care of. I know he is having fun. 

Is it hard when on Monday mornings he cries and doesn't want me to leave? Yes. 

Is it heartbreaking and do I just want to stay all day and hug him? Yes. It sucks. 

But I calm him down or Luz distracts him and I leave. I have to. I know he will be ok and he often is even before I leave. He's just in weekend mode still and needs to transfer back to weekday mode. Then come Tuesday and the rest of the week, he's fine. Seth even says sometimes on Thursdays he can barely even convince Mason to come back to give him a hug and kiss before he leaves because he is so excited to see his friends and go play. I know he is happy.

The weekdays are not when I feel guilt.

It's the weekends that are killer. And sometimes even the Fridays that Seth has off.

Let's start with Friday. Seth works every other Friday and has the other Friday off. Mason only goes to daycare on the Fridays that Seth works (or for a couple hours if Seth has a dentist appointment or something). Almost all Fridays that Seth is off, he has Mason. And I feel guilty. It's crazy (believe me, I know) that I feel guilty. Seth is Mason's dad. He LOVES spending time with Mason. And I love that they get one on one daddy/son time. I do. But I feel guilty. I feel guilty that I am at work and I am "leaving Seth to take care of Mason alone". Seth by no means feels this way. No way, no how. He has never ever and would never ever say anything like this to me. This is all me. He doesn't think I am "abandoning" them and choosing to work. My job is just more conventional Monday-Friday than his is. To be honest, this has gotten better. But a couple months ago, when I would leave for work on Fridays, I would feel guilty, especially if Mason was being cranky or whiny. I felt guilty that I left him alone to deal with a cranky toddler. 

But the weekends are the worst. I find it so hard to find balance. I want to spend time with my family. I want to spend time with my friends. I want to do something for me. I need to clean the house. I need to do laundry. I need to go grocery shopping...and to Costco...and to Target...and to... 

There's only 48 hours in the weekend to do all of this AND I'd like to sleep sometime in there.

How do I find time to do everything? I don't. 

Most often, my home is neglected. Bathrooms need cleaning. Floors need wiping. Carpets need vacuuming. But I just don't. Now don't get me wrong, we don't live in filth. Please don't call CPS. It's clean, it's just not spotless every week. Most often it looks like this :

Receipts and Mother's Day cards out on the table.

DVDs on the ground and toys pushed to the corner.

Mother's Day bear, toys, Easter candy, wipes, cheetos, bubbles on the counter.

I'll be honest. I'd just rather spend time with my family than clean up. And it will get cleaned. But when I have a late shift and have time in the morning alone or if I have an early shift and have a few minutes in the afternoon alone. Or one Sunday I asked Seth to take Mason to Gymboree by himself so I could clean while they were gone. It's SO hard to clean with a toddler who just wants to be wherever you are and playing with whatever you're using! 

But my boy doesn't care how clean the counters are or if his toys are nice and neat. 

He wants to play with his mom.

But I do feel that is important to have "me" time as a mom as well (and that Seth should have "me" time as a Dad too). And that's where my guilt comes in. I know it's important, but I still feel guilty. I feel like I see my family so little during the week that I shouldn't want to go do something that doesn't involve them on the weekend. I feel like I should ask permission to go to lunch with my friend. Or go get a pedicure. Or go or do whatever alone. It's so awful. And again, this is ALL me. Seth always always says yes and never makes me feel guilty. But I just feel like I shouldn't be telling him "hey sorry, I'm gonna go do this, this or this. Enjoy yourselves boys! Good luck!". It's hard to explain. Hopefully some of you mama's can relate. I just feel like now that I have the time to be with my family, I should spend it all with them, not doing anything specific to me. 

So, to be honest, I barely do anything for me by myself. I do have the occasional friend lunch date though on the weekends. Like I said. Those are important. I think having friend time/mommy time helps me be a better mom. But I do still feel guilty going.

But, I don't do anything on the weekdays for myself by myself. My sister-in-law goes to cardio barre and I've been wanting to try. But it's at night on a weekday and I feel guilty not being at home at night. I don't go to the gym even though I should because I feel guilty about being gone after work on weekdays or on weekends which are family time. If I need to go shopping, we make it a family trip. Load up on snacks and Mason is good for a little while sitting in the cart. That is a good compromise for us.

I wish I had better advice (or advice at all). But instead, I have a question for you all to hopefully help me. How do you handle mommy guilt? Any advice is welcome and I can't wait to read the rest of the mama's posts in this series!

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Linking up with Sara from Running from the Law, Ashley from Words About Waverly, Courtney from From Here to Eternity and the other lovely co-hostesses of the One Year and Beyond series.