Motherhood from Every Angle.

Originally posted on Beauty and the Binky on June 22, 2015. 

Back in September of 2014, Jaclyn started a series called "Motherhood from Every Angle". She wanted to show the real side of motherhood - the unfiltered, non-Pinterest, non-picture perfect Instagram photo side of motherhood. She wanted to let moms know that they aren't alone. Sometimes their houses are dirty - and that's ok! Sometimes they wear yoga pants and a tank top all day - and that's ok! And sometimes they don't wash their hair for a couple days - and that's ok too!
She first shared her story and has had various guest posters since then. I was lucky enough to be featured last month and since Mason's birthday is coming up (which will mark my third year being a mother), I wanted to share my story with you all. In case you didnt catch it on her blog in it's original format, I wanted to share it here. The only thing that is different is that I cut out the introduction part (since you're here, I assume you already know a little bit about me, but in case you don't, you can find out more here).

So! Let's get started...

Describe your mommy uniform :

My mommy uniform differs depending on the day. I work full time outside of the home from Monday - Friday so I can typically be found wearing some sort of black or gray slacks/dress pants and a nice blouse or sweater and more often than not, a scarf also! (I'm obsessed!) This is my go-to outfit and I really don't have to think much about what I'm wearing in the morning which is good since I don't really have much time. I typically set my alarm for 5am, hit snooze twice, get up, take a shower, throw on some pants and whatever shirt I feel like, put my hair in a ponytail, add a headband, and I'm off to get my lunch, my breakfast, and Mason's breakfast ready for the day so we can be out of the house by 6:55am. It's quite the race in the mornings. (This has since changed since I got a new job, but when I wrote this, I still dressed business casual for work.)

Saturday and Sunday outfits can differ as well. If we have plans, then I most often will just wear jeans, a t-shirt, my go-to mom hair style, and flip flops. Since we live in sunny Southern California, this outfit is more than acceptable about 90% of the year. If it's a little cold, I'll throw on a sweatshirt. But if we don't have plans, then you can usually find me wearing a more comfortable outfit including some sort of sweatpants/capris and a tank top or t-shirt. And of course, my hair in a bun. I rarely, if ever, actually "do" my hair (aka straighten it). I love how it looks, but I love sleeping for those 10 extra minutes more! In fact, I do it so infrequently that when I do and I go to work, people comment on how nice I look that day (umm, thanks, did I look bad yesterday?? LOL).

What is your strategy when getting dressed for the day?

I touched on it a little bit above, but basically comfort. Depending upon what activity we are doing determines my outfit. If I'm going to work, then business casual with slacks, a sweater, a scarf, and flats (since I'm on my feet all day). If we're going to the park to play or rent bikes, then I usually dress more in work out clothes to be comfy. And if we're going to meet friends for a play date, then jeans, a t-shirt, and flip flops are my go-to. I don't like to spend a lot of money on clothes and mainly shop good sales. My go-to stores are Old Navy, Loft, Gap, Target, and recently ThredUp. In fact I just got a pair of 7 for All Mankind jeans for a steal of $35.99 just the other day!

What is your favorite clothing item?

Is a scarf a clothing item? Because if it is, then scarves for sure! I wear one almost everyday. I have a small obsession!

Describe your cleaning/organizing routine :

My house is far from clean. In fact, I just stuck my arm in leftover banana from my son's lunch right before I typed that. Now, don't get me wrong, my house is not a pig sty either. It is very livable and clean... enough. That being said, on any given day, you can more than likely find some crumbs under the table, toys all over the living room, all the books from my son's book shelves knocked onto the floor, my bed unmade, unopened mail in a pile on the kitchen counter, and my son's Cars "train" table completely demolished. As a working mom who is gone from the house between 9-10 hours a day, depending upon traffic, I just don't have time to clean everything. I have to set priorities. And my priorities include making sure everyone is fed and dressed and out the door for school and work on time. That my lunch is packed. That we are all happy and healthy. And if that means that toy clean up waits until a few days later or heck, even the weekend, so be it. That's just how I roll. Now if I know someone is coming over, I will definitely try to tidy up a bit. So, I'm really not sure if I even answered the question, but I think you get the gist. I've been meaning to make a cleaning schedule since oh... January (it was one of my goals this year) but I just haven't gotten around to it. It's not high enough for me on my list of things to do. So, I clean when I need to, and I do other things when I don't.

What is the household chore you wish you were better about?

Vacuuming/swiffering. For some reason I just hate getting the vacuum out. It's nearly impossible to clean with a toddler running around, dropping crumbs of his snack on the floor as you are cleaning (so frustrating!), and the times when I do think about it, he is napping and I'm afraid to wake him up. I know there is a better way. I just haven't found it yet.

What gives you the most "mommy guilt"?

To be honest, this has gotten better as Mason has gotten older. Or maybe I've just come to the realization that it is a necessary evil. I used to have MAJOR mommy guilt when I would want to go to lunch with a friend on the weekends. Like the weekends were our only real family time since my husband and I both work all week and then I wanted to go out and spend time with friends. It's a never ending battle though really. I didn't want to neglect my friends but I didn't want to neglect my family either. And my husband was amazing about the whole thing. He never made me feel bad for wanting to go out and never told me I had to stay home. But I just felt bad myself. I've come to the realization though that even mom's need a little break and spending an hour or two away with a friend is good for everyone.



What gives you the most "mommy pride"?

Mason. Hands down. Just watching my learn, grow, and thrive gives me the biggest smile on my face. Somebody somewhere knew what they were doing when they let me be his mommy because I am just head over heels for this boy!

Again, a huge thank you to Jaclyn for letting me share my Motherhood from Every Angle on her blog! If you love her series and would like to participate, head on over to her blog, Beauty and the Binky, to contact her!