#BoyMOM Box Swap

Calling all boy moms! This post is for you!

 Are your days filled with dirt, trucks, super heroes and all things little boy? 

Then this #BoyMomBoxSwap was made with you in mind!

I still remember it like it was yesterday. Seth and I went to the OB for my 12 week ultrasound when the ultrasound tech said "do you guys want to know what you're having?"

I'm sorry, what??

I thought we couldn't find out until the 16 week appointment so I was beyond excited to know. I looked at Seth and before I think he even knew what was going on, I said "YES!" And she said...

"You're having a BOY! Congratulations!"

And BOOM! Just like that, I found out that I was going to be a BOY MOM!

 To be honest, I always envisioned that I would be a girl mom. I'm a girl. I know girl things. It just made sense. But life is funny like that and throws you a curve ball and takes you in a direction that you never thought you would be in. Regardless of the fact that I never imagined that I would be a boy mom, I would not change one little thing. I love my days as Mason's Mama. From trains to planes to reading books about diggers and dirt, my days (and nights) are filled with all things boy.

One thing I never considered as a boy mom was how few mommy and me activities are tailored to moms raising little boys. Girl moms get the luxury of mani/pedi dates, shoe shopping together, sharing each others clothes, visiting the ballet and so much more. Even Dad's get Father/Daughter dances.
But what is there for the boy moms?

Let me tell you.

As many of you are familiar with, I hosted a #BOYMOMS series last year. This series is what prompted Stephanie and I to think about a #BoyMom Box Swap. Nothing against you girl moms (we love you too!) but as you know, our little men hold a special place in our hearts. This Box Swap gives you and your little fella(s) a chance to enjoy a box filled with goodies for each of you to enjoy and share! Whether you are spending the day racin' cars, going on insect hunts or making slime, this box will give you plenty to do with you son(s).

Here are the details on our first annual #BoyMOMBoxSwap.

The value of your box should be $20 BEFORE SHIPPING. Think of things you love doing with your son(s), your favorite snacks and activities and share that fun with your fellow #boyMOM during our box swap.

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.wifemommyme.com/" title="Wife Mommy  Me"><img src="http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh572/sacox65/200%20x%20200%20Button.png" alt="Wife Mommy  Me" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

If you are interested in participating, sign up now by completing this simple questionnaire! Partners will be assigned this coming weekend. Don't forget to grab our button while you are here to add to your post later this month.

You don't have to be a blogger to participate! You can share on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter too so please sign up if you are interested!

[BOY MOMS] #BOYMOMS Series Recap.

What a ride it's been! I can't believe I started this little series a year ago and have been able to feature so many wonderful moms of little boys! When I started this series last year, I really had no goal or expectation of how long it would last. I initially had great interest in it which kept me busy for the first couple months. People would share their posts on their blogs which would lead me to new boy moms. I would discover new blogs and find out that they were boy moms and I would contact them to see if they were interested in sharing their story and the series kept blooming. I was able to keep the series going for a whole year! A whole year - it exceeded my expectations and dreams!

As we begin a new year, I wanted to recap all of the stories I have shared over the past year and make a mention that I have decided to discontinue posting every Monday and just post occasionally. I don't want to fully close that chapter of my blog (so to speak) but I do want to slow it down.

So, if you're new to the series, welcome!

And please enjoy :)

***

First, a little background...

Introduction : How I came up with the #BOYMOMS idea

Guest post on Strawberry Swing and other things introducing #BOYMOMS


Featured Boy Moms

Tara from A Tale of Two Maples
Kate from Sokolewicz Family
Meghan from The Adventure Starts Here

Amy from Happily Hello

Suzie and Niko

Kary from Always Painted, Usually Chipped

Emily from Dear Owen

Andrea from Hand and the Heart

Katie from Little Man in Mittens

Tara from Tanner and Park

[BOY DADS] Special Valentine's Day Edition of BOY MOMS

Heather from Fourth Down and Forever

Paige from New Momma Notes

Colleen from Meet the Sullivans

Natasha from Schue Love

Laureen from Chateau Deveau

Sara from Running from the Law

Jess from Strawberry Swing

Tamara from The Workout Mama
Stephanie from Wife Mommy Me
Katie from Yellow Mango Life


Sarah from Seeing All Sides
Ali from Through the Looking Glass
Caden from The Randomosity of Southern Fried Domestication


Suzanna from One Hoolie Mama
Jess from Adventures in Ginger Mommyhood
Chelsea from East Willow Grove


Crystal from Hall Around Texas
Cynthia from Living in Neverland
Danielle from The Girlfriend Letters


Carolyn from life, love, & puppy prints
Hayley from Memories of May
Nina from The Joni Journey


Desiree from Macke Monologues
Ida from Second Chances Girl
Laura from tiny toes, little nose


Becky from bybmg
Amy from The Story of Us
Julia from The Everyday Momma


Jessica from The Newly
Lori from A Crazy Walk on the Safe Side
Keri from Living in This Season


Tif from Bright on a Budget
Ashley from Everything's Hunky Dorey
Natasha from Epic Mommy Adventures


Chelsea from The Contented Wife Blog
Megan from Latte Everyday
Sydney from Raisin Southern Grace


Paula from Then Comes Marriage and Then Comes Babies
Annie from Home of the Malones
Rachel from Floral and Fudge


Amber from Belgian and a Half
Jessica from All Because Two People Fell in Love
Bridget from Life as Bridget Knows It


Holly from Holly Atwood Land
Della from Della Devoted
Elizabeth from Chasin' Mason

A HUGE thank you to all the boy moms who guest posted for me! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your stories and sharing them as well. Thank you for being a part of the series!

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!

***

[BOY MOMS] Elizabeth from Chasin' Mason

I can't believe it's here... the last Monday of 2014. I never imagined that when I started this #BOYMOMS series almost a year ago, that I would be able to fill every Monday of the year with a story about a mom and her love for her son(s). The overwhelming desire to share the love stories has been amazing. A huge THANK YOU to all of you who have participated!

To wrap up the year, this week I wanted to share the reasons that I love being a toddler boy mom!

ONE.

Trucks, Cars, Trains, Planes, and anything with wheels!

...have taken over our house and our lives!

TWO.

Destruction and Shenanigans.

Sure my house looks like a tornado hit it e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y. but I wouldn't have it any other way! Mason is a constant whirlwind of energy and is constantly getting into something or doing something he shouldn't be. I am always finding things where they shouldn't be found -- cars in the dryer, sippy cups in the trash can, and airplanes in the dishwasher.

THREE.

Twinning.

I thought I was going to be missing out on dressing like my child when I had a boy instead of a girl. Turns out that shopping for a boy is just as fun as shopping for a girl as is dressing my boy similar to his daddy! Sure he and I might not be twinning but to see Mason and my husband dress the same just melts my heart.

And while we're at it... just seeing my husband and Mason together melts my heart too.

FOUR.
The toys.

Mason got SO many wonderful toys for his birthday back in July that I didn't want to open them all at once. I wanted to save some for a (hypothetical - it barely rains in California) "rainy" day. Well that day just happened to be a couple weeks after his birthday since Mason found where my hiding place was (which wasn't actually very hidden under his Cars table). Well he pulled out his Jake Legos and was SO excited to see them! He brought them over to me, handed them to me, and signed "please" so naturally, I did what any mom would do. I opened them. I started building them (while Mason threw all the pieces that I needed all around the house). I finished building them. Mason lost Jake (and I couldn't find him for hours). Mason took apart my creation. And then Mason took a nap. And then what did I do? I cleaned up the house and... re-built the set we had opened. And I opened the other two sets and built them myself (and totally re-lived my childhood when all I wanted to do was build the Lego sets and then have my brother play with them LOL. Sadly this did not always work out because he enjoyed building as much as I did). And of course then Mason woke up from his nap and promptly destroyed them again.

FIVE.

Love for his mama.

When I first found out I was having a boy, I thought I was going to be missing out on so much. I'm a girl... I only know about girl things! But to hear my boy say "mama!" just melts my heart and makes me come running. I couldn't imagine my life any other way. Can't wait for what the rest of the toddler years have in store for us (except the tantrums... I could do without those for sure!). I have big plans of being a soccer/baseball mom in the near future!



SIX.
The Little Things.

There are so many little things that he does (that little girls probably do too, but I have nothing to compare it to) that I just love.

The way he sits so politely and crosses his legs...

...the way he wants whatever I have...

 ...the way he runs up to me when I get home from work, has a huge smile on his face, and gives me the biggest hug.

Just to name a few.

SEVEN.

His love of sports.

...or so we think. We've taken him to quite a few Angels games so far and he always seems to enjoy himself. Sure he doesn't sit still the whole time and we often have to leave early and I'm sure his favorite part is actually the ice cream and not the baseball, but I have high hopes for the future!

EIGHT.

No fear.

This is both a love and a hate for me. I'm sure this will be getting him into much more trouble than he's already gotten himself into as his grows up, but I love how adventurous he is right now. His dad throws him in the air (and I have a heart attack) but Mason LOVES it. He has no fear at Gymboree, at the park, or at home and loves to climb on everything.

Needless to say, I love being a boy mom. It's not how I envisioned my life when I imagined having kids since I always thought I would be a girl mom, but now I wouldn't change a thing in the world.

[BOY MOMS] Della from Della Devoted

Hi Everyone, I'm Della and I blog over at Della Devoted. I left the working world to be a stay at home mom. Best decision I have ever made! I'm a Christian, a wife and a #boymom to a 10 month old. I love to bake, read and a good DIY project. On my blog you can find anything from devotionals to DIY projects as well as recipes and of course baby posts.

After going through such a hard time getting pregnant, then getting pregnant with twins that ended with a terrible miscarriage, my husband and I were finally going to have a baby...We were having a precious baby! I just couldn't believe the miracle that was taking place in our lives.

I had secretly hoped that I was having a boy. I grew up around all boys and I just knew more of what to expect from them. In my head I had it planned out that I should have a little boy first, that way he could protect his little sister.  Justin thought for sure that we were having a girl, but i just knew in my heart that our baby was a boy. We found out early at 16 weeks, that in fact, we were having a boy--Raylan

After waiting through 38 weeks and 2 days of my pregnancy, 22 hours in labor and a C-section, Raylan was finally here...

It was the happiest day of my life. I knew right then and there that I was always meant to be a mom. I would spend the rest of my life being a protector to Raylan and being the best mom that I could possibly be.

If you find out that you are having a boy, here are a few things that you can expect:

• Little boys are always momma's boys. I can't get out of Raylan's sight for 5 minutes without him wanting his mom mom

Photo credit of Precious Moments Photography

• They will be your best friend
• They give the best hugs and kisses
• They are mischievous and are always into everything but what boy isn't
• They love to make messes and get dirty
• You will need to take extra precautions anytime you have that diaper off!
• You can still dress little  boys just as adorable as little girls

Photo credit of Precious Moments Photography

• There are so many things that you can do with little boys. For instance, my husband races so naturally he will want to take Raylan to the races when he gets a little bigger
• You can guess that his nursery is done in cars as well....

So If you are having a little boy, don't think that it will be boring. I have not had a dull moment since the day Raylan has been born. Raylan keeps me on my toes but I truly wouldn't have it any other way. I'm so thankful that God chose me to be his mom.

Photo credit of Precious Moments Photography

I'm the one who is blessed! Raylan has taught me the true meaning of love and what it truly means to be happy. Every morning when Raylan wakes up, he is always smiling at me. He is such a happy baby. I love to hear him laugh. It melts my heart. This little boy is my whole world. He is my miracle. I couldn't thank God enough for him. So I may be biased, but I think little boys are the best.

*************

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!