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Why should kids have all the fun? Come join the mamas of the Mother Like a Boss Playground Facebook group. Why a playground? Well, aside from the obvious link to motherhood and kids, I find playgrounds to be some of the most enjoyable places on earth. You can swing, climb, run, jump, dig, chase, balance and slide, just like all moms do everyday. You can make friends, bring the ones you have or do both. You can feel free and unjudged, because everyone around you is enjoying the same place at the same time.

If you're looking for a fun, supportive and encouraging group of mothers helping one another and asking great questions, come to the playground. Plus, you'll receive tons of homemakerish help from yours truly.

Oh, and unlike most other playgrounds, a little adult conversation isn't frowned upon.

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Let’s be Insta-friends. Follow me over on Instagram for encouraging mom posts and stories that don’t take themselves too seriously.

I call this photo “Toys in my bed where they don’t belong.” . . Notice the composure and contrast, the abrupt shadow cast by the LEGO train and how the subject looks away from the camera. Let the white background made possible by my bed sheets lure you in with its purity. Listen closely as it speaks to you and says “GET YOUR TOYS OFF MY BED BECAUSE IF I ROLL OVER ON A LEGO IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT SO HELP ME GOD.” .
This sassy little sack of sunshine is 6 today. 6 years old. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, 6 years my our life have wizzed by, leaving me a little shellshocked, a little nostalgic and a little panicked at how quickly time comes and goes. . . 6 years ago, things weren’t going well for us as a family. We had it all from the outside, but financially, we were broken. I spent the days leading up to and after the birth of my son in a constant state of anxiety and worry, then guilt, like a sick cycle carousel. . . In 6 years, our lives have completely changed. This little boy has given us joy, love, exhaustion and lessons I couldn’t have imagined learning without him. His birth prompted us to make changes to problems we weren’t willing to see before. In a way, Everett was the catalyst for every single thing I do now. . . Everett wasn’t always an “easy” child. He had health issues, skin issues, sleep issues and food issues. He tested my patience. There were many a nights of me locking myself in my bedroom and sobbing, convinced it would never get better or easier. . . But then it did. . . And it will for you too. . . There is another side of the fence. Things aren’t perfect here, just different. We’ve traded in sleepless nights for dozens of classmate birthday parties. We’ve traded hopeful prayers that things would get easier for nostalgic tears for baby moments we’ll never get back. . . Even if no one in your home is celebrating a birthday today, celebrate something. Knowing my baby, my youngest is SIX today has me all sorts of nostalgic and wishing I had celebrated more of the muck while I was still knee-deep in it. #motherlikeaboss
Today, I wanted to quit. . . Quit my business. Quit social media. Quit my mission. Quit all the things. Like a day when your toddler just won't stop whining, or you haven't slept in days because you have a teething baby on your hands, or you're running from event to event with your pre-teens, I felt run down and used up. . . People on social media aren't always nice to me, or any of us for that matter. I have been naive enough in the past to think if I just gave enough of myself, if I just provided enough value and smiled enough, I would be the one influencer, the one business owner that wouldn't get backlash. I was wrong. . . But it's not about me. Every mom that comments on a post and tells me why the help I'm providing won't work for her, or tells me it's nonsense, or writes a hateful message, is hurting. She's exhausted. She's afraid. She's desperately looking for a change. But she's stuck in victimhood quicksand, where there is no personal responsibility and only excuses. . . Excuses feel good. Excuses feel safe. Excuses absolve us from having to make changes. But excuses are dangerous. Excuses rob us of improvement. Excuses give away our power to our circumstances. . . If you're triggered by the positivity someone else is exuding or offering, it's time to turn that spotlight around and dig deep into why you need to snuff out another's light to make yourself feel better. YOU are allowed to have a good life. You're allowed to be abundant in motherhood. You're allowed to spend more time enjoying your home and less time cleaning it up. No matter what excuses and stories you've told yourself up until now, it can change, but YOU have to change. . . Today, I wanted to quit. Today, I know many of you want to quit, too. We're not going to though. We're going to move forward. We're going to remember that this is only temporary, and that the negative words of others often just mask for deep pain and a longing to be heard, especially when the negative words we are speaking are to ourselves. . . I'll promise to keep going if you'll promise to do the same.
Today, we wrap. . . Between my husband's family and mine, we've got a big group so there are about a zillion gifts to wrap, lovingly of course. I like to turn on my favorite show, grab a cup of coffee and dig in by myself, early in the morning. This year, my very-soon-to-be six year old asked if he could help. . . Have you ever seen a 6 year old wrap gifts? It's like watching a kitten wrap presents. The tape is twisted and no longer sticky after being manhandled for 5 minutes, the wrapping paper is more like a crumpled newspaper than anything Pinterest-worthy and since he insists on using kid scissors, the cuts are more like rips and take 1000 years to finish. . . But...he's helping. It isn't perfect, but here we are. . . When my kids grow up and leave our home, I don't want them to remember mom as the woman who always insisted on doing everything herself because she was a perfectionist martyr. I want them to remember imperfectly helping to wrap gifts because that's where the joy is found. Is it really that important that you get it done fast? If you wait until the last minute, that's on us, not our kids. . . Let them help, anywhere and everywhere. Let them understand that their value isn't found by doing things perfectly, but in being a person that helps where they can. Drop the need to get it all done yourself. Breathe, and remember that one day you'll only wish you had a squishy little kid beside you, excited to help you wrap gifts and place them imperfectly under the tree. #motherlikeaboss #imperfectmotherhood #homemakerish
It was always really important to me that my kids see my as strong. That strength, for me, is in being vulnerable around them and showing them that there is strength in emotion. . . Part of achieving this is making our home a safe haven for them. In our home, you can cry. In our home, you can weep. In our home, you can be disappointed, angry, jealous, happy, excited, regretful, anxious. In our home, you can be emotional because we will work through the emotions together. . . When I tell people that I talk to moms about homemaking, they immediately think of cleaning and cooking. But making a home is about safety, security and solace. Making a home is a responsibility my husband and I both took on when we had kids. It’s our responsibility to create a safe place for our children to land when the world sends them into a tailspin. . . The cleaning is still important. The planning is still important. The meals are still important. But they are components of a much larger, much more important sum. Homemaking at its core is creating a safety net that will catch us when we’re in a terrifying and stressful free fall of life. . . How are you weaving that safety net today? 📸 and makeup by @by_shanglam
He looks at his sister the same way I look at waffles. . . That’s a never-ending adoration I will never tire of seeing. #motherlikeaboss #motherhoodrising #kidsofig #siblinggoals
This will be the week when you hear about thankfulness at every turn. In the US, we're celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday and it's the absolute best time to be reminded of how much we have to be thankful for. . . At our last Girl Scout meeting, we did gratitude exercises with our girls and explained why gratitude is so important. But how is being grateful different than being thankful? We use them interchangeably, but I see them very differently. . . Being thankful is important, but it's fleeting. I'm thankful when someone opens a door for me, gives me a smile, passes me back the divider at the checkout so I can start putting my own groceries up. Their gestures make me thankful, the deeper reasons make me grateful. . . I'm grateful for their thoughtfulness. I'm grateful for the kindness of others. I'm grateful to live in a country that has such things as dividers. Gratitude goes deep. Gratitude sticks around when the thankful moment has left. Gratitude is what you keep even when things aren't at their best. . . It's easy to be thankful when things are good, but it's gratitude that warms our souls when things aren't. Gratitude is our desire to feel what is light even when it's dark. Gratitude is the silver lining. Gratitude is thing that stops you dead in your complaining tracks and says, "You have so much. Remember that." . . On today's episode of the Mother Like a Boss podcast, I'm talking all about how to stay grateful even in the most stressful times because being grateful when the sun is shining is easy. Show some gratitude to the rain for a change, and see how your life changes. #motherlikeaboss #homemakerish
Yesterday on a video of mine, someone commented, "Either give me the tips now or shut up. What mom has time to watch a workshop when she's busy feeding a baby and cleaning?" This was a video inviting moms to a free workshop all about delegating to your family and learning to manage your home better. . . But she doesn't have time for that. She has enough time to be on Facebook and comment rudely to a stranger who did nothing more than show up in her feed, but she doesn't have time to invest in herself by watching something that could change her life and costs her nothing. . . While most people see someone like this as a troll, I don't. I see someone crying for help. I see someone begging for a way out of that place. I see someone stuck in perpetual victimhood, making excuses for why they can't change. I see a mom who doesn't know another way and who saw my video as a threat to the excuses she's been making. . . Being rude to someone online won't change your offline situation. Fighting for your limitations only means you get to keep them. I promise you, no one is going to come banging on your door, insisting you give up all of your excuses and limitations, robbing you of them forever. You want 'em, you get 'em. . . Every moment is a choice. We have the choice today to approach unknown and scary situations, or triggers that come up with a lack mindset or a growth mindset. We can say, "I don't have the time." or we can say, "How can I find the time?" We can say, "Nothing ever goes my way!" or we can say, "What can I do to make things go my way?" . . I'm here to serve the action-takers, even the reluctant ones. If today is the day you're ready to hang up your excuses or hurl them out the door with the smelly garbage, I'm waiting for you. . . #motherlikeaboss #stoptheexcuses #homemakerish
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