You never know if someone is hurting. Sometimes they don’t even know. . This is pretty well out in the open these days in terms of depression and such, but yet it obviously needs to be said and recognized and acknowledged in different forms. My anxiety has probably been around for quite some time, I’d say at least 10 years, if not 20. (And I don’t want to dive into its origin, childhood and crap like that.) It was only until about 5 years ago or so that I noticed it. About 4 years ago when my brother really pin-pointed my moments of anxiety and shed light on them from an honest, loving, and intuitive outsider’s perspective. He politely and delicately suggested medication and/or therapy, which is something I shy away from due to my “I can fix anything” attitude. I didn’t consider medicine as a fix, but instead, a […]
I chose to have children and I choose to educate them at home, in the world, online, everywhere and anywhere they need and want. This is why: . . I was sitting on the couch trying to sleep (third trimester problems) and I came to a somewhat profound realization – I am almost incapable of living in the moment. There is a song by Alabama called “I’m In A Hurry” that I relate to so terribly, I almost cry listening to it. The lines that resonate the most with me are: “I’m in a hurry to get things done, Oh I rush and rush until life’s no fun” “Can’t be late I leave plenty of time, Shaking hands with the clock I can’t stop” “I hear a voice That say’s I’m running behind, I better pick up my pace” . I am a very type A person, and I am […]
As I enter my third trimester for the 4th and final time (yes, I mean it this time!), I feel an odd sense of peace. Not only because every week that goes by gets me closer to a healthy baby and the end of just another miserable pregnancy, but also because I know this will be my last. It reminds me of high school and the weeks leading up to the big end of the year test which required countless practice tests, memorizing totally useless facts, and so much stress from parents and teachers. The second I handed in the test was total peace for me. I instantly forgot the bullshit I will never need to know and all the stress was lifted. That feeling is what I desperately look forward to once my boy is born. Don’t get me wrong, there will be weeks of very little sleep to […]
BLAH! I’m so damn fed up right now. Stress and anxiety is through the roof. There is no amount of meditation that can help me now, so I will take to writing as that tends to calm me and result in good revelations. I want to wake up and go to bed worrying about my children and my family…not the condo association deactivating our paying tenants access to the building in the middle of the night. I don’t want to be fearful of a court hearing threatened against us for something we did not do. I don’t want to worry about a leak at the condo we are trying to sell, that does not actually exist. I don’t want to have to drive an hour (without traffic, if that’s even possible) to address a burglary that was actually the fire department breaking down our door and […]
Postpartum depression is a roller coaster of emotions following giving birth. It can happen to fathers and mothers, and can manifest immediately or months after birth. For me, it came around 4 weeks postpartum with my third child. It is different for everyone who goes through it, but this is my version. My newest little lady is immensely beautiful and I could stare at her and snuggle with her all day long if I could. I try, but the other two littles running around preclude that fantasy! Thankfully I have an amazingly experiences baby-snuggler in the house who wants nothing more than to love on my newest bundle (Thanks Gg)! The only time I do not feel totally head over heels in love with Gabi, is the 5 minutes or so two times per night when she stirs me from my not actual sleep with her crying of hunger. […]
Amelia, Lili, Gg, and I were outside enjoying the first Fall weather day of the year. Just relaxing on the patio, dressing and feeding baby dolls and chatting about travel plans. Lili went inside for a bit and came back out about 10 minutes later holding an ice cream cone in her hand. It was packed full of mango sorbet and a long spoon stuck in the top. “Gg, I got you ice cream!” After she brought out Gg’s, she went back inside and got the cone she made for Amelia. Now, you might think to yourself, “Why was a 3-year-old allowed to get food on her own?” But the better question is, where exactly were those items located and how did she get them? That was my question! The mango sorbet was in the middle shelf of the freezer, which Lil can reach on her own. The spoon, […]
He Completes Me Growing up, I was very headstrong, independent, and never of the mentality that I would ever need a man in my life to feel complete. Obviously, I was young and naïve, and it was not until I met my husband over eight years ago that I really came to understand that quote, “You complete me.” I have two children and one on the way, none of whom would be possible without my husband. It is interesting, because it seems like every struggle we encounter truly brings us even closer. Each year that goes by, we fight less and less and we enjoy our time together even more. Not sure if that has to do with our children, monetary success, friends and family, or simply just time and maturity. Nevertheless, he truly completes me. He is gone for a week at an industry trade show in Las […]
7 Secrets to Airbnb Success But first a bit of background… My eldest brother and I started on the Airbnb journey several years ago. Our first property was a condominium in Arlington, Virginia, right outside Washington, D.C. It happened coincidentally as he was living there, I renovated the entire place into a modern thing of beauty with American made furnishings and beautiful hardwoods. His job took him away from the area and we wondered how to handle this gem. Selling was not a wise choice, as property values in the area are on the rise, so we looked into Airbnb. I loved the platform and concept but was a bit hesitant, we plunged in anyway. I managed everything from the turnover and cleaning, to listing, pricing and booking. I fell in love. Not only was I in love with the property, but I enjoyed bringing its beauty to […]
The Austlen Entourage…where do I even begin? The Back Story: A little over three years ago, while pregnant with my first child, I was looking into the perfect stroller for a growing family. I had been working in the baby industry for several years prior and had ample exposure to all types of strollers and was purely unimpressed. Price point was never an issue, but I did not want to overpay for a name brand that lacked functionality and longevity. I’m the kind of person who wants one really nice purse to last me years, not a different one for each season…same with strollers and other baby products. The best stroller I could find at the time was the Britax b-ready with the second seat and car seat adapter coupled with the Britax b-safe car seat. This set-up came to about $800 all-in-all. My b-ready has been […]
Many months ago, I had the marvelous idea of driving across the country, 1600 miles, from Maryland to Colorado. There were a few reasons behind this idea, the main being that my parents needed their final car driven out at some point as they were unable to get it transported with the others in January when they moved. Also, I thought it would be a fun adventure (this was before I was pregnant, so I was probably drunk when this brilliant idea popped into my head). The moving company would reimburse us, so it would be an almost free trip which would be far cheaper than a senior, lap infant, child, and adult ticket plus parking and rental car. So, this myriad of factors led me to believe that this would be the right move. Fast forward to a week before the trip and major anxiety set in. What was […]