The long silence

For the last year I’ve mostly been silent here on HebrewDawn, stopped posting my queued up Real Mom posts, and basically neglected you all. All I can say is I’m sorry, but I’m ready to open up about why.

In May 2016 I found out I was pregnant with our second, my oldest was getting close to turning three and blooming into being her own little person, and I suddenly had doubts about what or how much to share about my family. I’ve always been cautious about sharing their names, but details about their life and personality worry me too. What if someone uses info on my site or social media for the wrong reasons? What if I’m telling things my children will later wish I kept private? This internal wrestiling has gone on forever and then one of my favorite podcasts (Young House Love Has a Podcast) talked about this EXACT topic. Suddenly I didn’t feel alone, felt a little justified in my trepidation, and felt like I could back on the old blogging saddle.

I can honestly say that I have missed you all. I’ve heard from some of you during my writing silence asking what’s going on, and for that I am thankful. I hope you know that I have never taken you my followersfor granted have been saving things to share with you throughout my silence. Please hang in there as I come back to finding my writing rhythm, but I promise to not be so silent anymore! I have no plans to keep my family (particularly my kids) off the blog, but I do plan on changing how much you see of them on here and on social media. What all this will look like is still to be determined. Be back Monday with a new post from yours truly and Wednesday with a wellness post from Erica!

The end of pregnancy questions

First off, I want to say sorry this isn’t a more uplifting post, but I’m going to be honest about current and recent sentiments. I have been very quiet on HebrewDawn for much of my pregnancy, and I’m not completely certain as to why. Perhaps I just wanted to process my thoughts on this pregnancy and becoming a mom to two on my own before writing them. Moving forward I do plan to open up and share more about how life and motherhood is going with the transition from one girl to two, including all the ups and downs.

On to current feelings….

A little over a year ago I wrote this post for a few of my friends who were near or drawing near to their due dates, and here I find myself in their shoes. I’m days from my due date, and I’ve only hit my “over it” moment last week. Luckily, this was not as early as with my first, AND frankly I’m quite proud that I made it to 38 weeks and 2 days before hitting that point this time.

Now that I’m at the “over it” point of my pregnancy, the well meaning questions from every friend, family member, co-worker, and stranger off the street is driving me CRAZY. So here are my favorite questions, and how I wish I could respond:

How are you feeling? Tired of being pregnant and uncomfortable from the necessary body changes for labor to begin. Other than that I’m great, because this discomfort means I get to meet my baby soon!

How much longer do you have? No way of knowing as due dates are just an estimate! I’m “due” in a few days, but babies arrive anywhere between 39.5 and 41.5 weeks. Also, there are no plans to induce me unless we’re creeping up on 42 weeks. God, please don’t let that happen!

Do you know what you’re going to have? A human baby. At our 20 week ultrasound they said it’s a girl, and I’m praying it’s right. It would be really awkward to dress a baby boy in a little sister outfit.

You’re not going to go into labor right here are you? I could, but it doesn’t really matter. Labor takes quiet a bit of time to progress before a baby comes out. Last I checked babies don’t just fall out.

Are you still working? Yes, because there’s always work for me to get done. Oh, and there’s no reason to waste my maternity leave before the baby arrives.

Is the baby here yet? Not yet, and hopefully my little one will be here VERY soon. Just remember that as excited as you are for this baby to arrive, my husband, daughter, and I are the most excited and we are anxiously waiting for labor to start.

Will you tell me when the baby arrives? Yes! BUT those that need to know first (people present in the delivery room or taking care of my daughter, my boss) will be notified when I go into labor. Everyone else will find out after the baby is born, most likely via social media.

What are you doing while you wait?
I’m going to try and smile nicely to anyone asking one of these well meaning questions.

BUT I cannot promise that I won’t respond in a snarky fashion to the questions, that I won’t ignore phone calls, and that I’ll respond to every text message sent to me.

I do promise that I am going to relax as best I can and enjoy these final moments of being a family of three.

silence is no longer an option

For far too long I’ve sat in silence.

For far too long I’ve allowed others to be the voice for the oppressed.

For far too long I was made to believe my voice wasn’t needed.

I now know that I was wrong, because I can no longer remain silent.

I speak out to have my voice heard.

I speak out for those that cannot speak.

I speak out to hold our government accountable.

I speak out to keep history from repeating itself.

I speak out because I have hope we can do better, that we will be better, and that things will change.

Silence is no longer an option.

Inauguration Day 2017

To my dearest daughter,

Today is the inauguration of the 45th president of our country. This day is filled with mixed emotions for many Americans, as some are delighted and some are greatly dismayed with who is to be our next president. I’m not here today to tell you how I feel or how you should feel about this, but I do have some things I’d like share with you.

Being a United States citizen is a great privilege, and it comes with civic duty. We may not like or agree with the people who hold elected positions, but we do have the ability to speak out, speak up, and to vote our conscience. On November 8th you came with me to the polls to cast my vote for our next president and other elected officials on a historic day in American politics. A woman was the presidential candidate for a major political party. As a woman I could choose, with you by my side, to vote for a woman for president if I so chose.

Regardless of how I may or may not have voted, a woman won the popular vote in the election for president. She may not have won the election due to electoral college votes, but we were VERY close to having a woman elected president. Many will talk about all the things that were wrong with Hillary Clinton, but what is right about her is the deep crack she made in the presidential glass ceiling. By the time you’re old enough to dream of being president, I know that it can be more than a dream.

I’m happy to note that November 8th wasn’t the first time you’ve gone with me to vote,and it will not be the last time you’ll go with me to vote. Through this experience, I hope you will know the importance of your voice in what is happening in our government. You can be heard by voting, contacting your elected officials, and speaking up about what is going on in our government. You will not see eye to eye with every other American, but I hope you can let your voice be heard and respect the voices of other Americans too.

Today our 45th president is a man, but there is a big crack in the presidential glass ceiling. I wonder if our 46th president will be a woman?

Dream big my love and never let anyone silence your voice.

Love,

Mama

Hello Again

It has been a long time since I last wrote here, and I’ll hope you’ll forgive my silence. I’ve most certainly missed you, writing, and connecting with you. As an avid blogger reader myself, I know how strange it can feel when one of your blogs go silent.

I hope you can hang in there as I explain what’s been going on. For starters I’m 26 weeks pregnant, and the first trimester was a it of doozy. On top of it all Erica and I have had some things we’re working on for the site that have taken longer than planned. Rather than continue with silence, I’ve realized it’s better to keep writing and make the best of things. When our new project is ready, trust me that you’ll find out first here not Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Today is a short update, but you’ll hear more from me again soon. In the meantime don’t miss out on Instagram where you’ll see me most often. I’ll be back writing again more frequently and consistently before you know it.

Favorites This Week: June 18th

Yay! It’s the weekend!

How did your week treat you?

Things ended out of the normal for those of us in the Greater Richmond area. We had a CRAZY storm on Thursday evening, which resulted in countless downed and uprooted trees, damage to homes, and over 160,000 people without power. To top it all off some local schools systems closed schools on the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Nuts around here I tell ya!

Enough about the crazy storm, and onto the regularly scheduled weekly favorites:

Have you ever been the victim of co-sleeping next to a child? Thes many sleep positions of co-sleeping cracked me up, because they are SO TRUE!

Being a woman has it’s moments of beauty, hello motherhood, but it also has it’s tough moments. Especially tough are the recurring moments of monthly pain from adolescents until menopause. Now the guys have had a chance to experience the pain they think is that bad. Have you seen these guys yet? If not, go see them exerpience our monthly reality.

Are you a fan of crocs for you or the children in your life? Did you know that some find them wildly unattractive, AND they are terrible for your feet? Turns out they can cause a lot of foot issues. So save the crocs for short activities in the garden, but otherwise leave them at home for your all day adventures.

Are you fan of manicures or pedicures? I definitely love getting pampered, but paying for a mani-pedi isn’t always in the budget which means I must do this myself. the downside of at home mani-pedis is waiting for your nails to dry. I am not the most patient person, but thanks to Seche Vite I no longer have to wait long. If you’re looking for a sure fire way to speed up your nail drying time, look no further!

Time to go get some fun in with my family, and prepare for company heading our way later today.

Have a beautiful weekend and make the most of your day!

all the words that could be said

I could tell you today that my heart is broken, but I think it goes without saying. I could also prattle on about how we need to put an end to the gun violence, but those words have been said abundantly. In light of yet ANOTHER mass shooting, all the words that could be said are spinning through my head.

Rather than tell you how I feel or reflect on how we all might be feel, can I ask you to do one thing?

Will you pray for and love a community that is struggling?

We have far too many family members and friends grieving the loss of those they love in senseless act of hate. We also have many brothers and sisters within the LGBTQ community in Orlando and across the nation that are hurting and scared.

Let’s work together to make loving kindness the norm. I think that’s something we can all get behind.

100th Post!

I cannot believe that this marks our 100th post here on HebrewDawn! If you have been a reader of the blog from the beginning, thank you! If you’re new to HebrewDawn, welcome, and thank you for being a reader too! It has been a learning process of what to share, we have brought on another writer, and things have continued to grow with bringing on guest writers. The growth of HebrewDawn has been a continual learning process, and thank you for being by our side to our 100th post!

It’s time to share some favorites for this week!

Were you a fan of the Babysitter’s Club growing up? I definitely was, and dreamed of the day I could be a successful entrepreneur thanks to them. I’m still working on that last part, but I did make my fair share of babysitting money for YEARS. I love that Siobhan Gallagher has depicted our favorite ladies of childhood as adults. Who’s your favorite?

I’m so glad I’m not in school anymore! Remember the days of having to memorize the periodic table of elements? Hopefully that question doesn’t cause any flashback trauma! Well, it turns out there’s a new potential element. If approved it will be called Tennessine!

I keep hearing about these thinx panties, and I’m so intrigued! Have you tried them? Would you try them?

These engagement photos might be the best I’ve seen yet! Would you be willing to do something like this? They seem a little more environmentally friendly too if you can reuse them.

Have anything fun planned for your day? I’m off to spend a day with my little girl seeing a hot air balloon and some friends for the day. I hope your day is filled with laughter and fun! Go be awesome!

Favorites This Week: May 27th

Happy Friday! How has your week been going? I’m hoping for lots of fun and relaxation with family, but we’ll see if my two year old is on board with that. Wednesday night was an adventure in our house, so hopefully we won’t have a repeat. Have any tips for potty training at night? Enough about me, let’s get on to some of discoveries that have become favorites this week…

Enough talking about my week, but on to the regularly scheduled Friday favorites…

Do you have those songs that you love, but aren’t completely sure of all the lyrics? Oh, of course you do! We all have that song, or two, or ten that we stumble through parts of the lyrics. Now thanks to James Cordone we now know some of the tough lyrics from Gwen Stefani’s “Sweet Escape!” Thank you so much James Cordone for looking out for us all and getting to the bottom of this lyric question!

I’ve been a longtime Florence + the Machine fan, and would see her in concert almost any chance I could get. Then I learned of a teen girl with a life threatening condition had tickets to see Flo, but couldn’t go see her favorite perform, my heart was broken. Then the amazing team at Christopher House and Hospice Austin made it possible for Florence Welch and guitarist (Rob Ackroyd) to provide a private concert. Seein Florence on the big stage may have been the dream, but having her sit next to you and sing, is pretty remarkable too.

Have you heard of Primary yet? I recently stumbled upon their line of children’s clothes, and I’m in love! They’re all so classic and simple! I dare say they’ll be a go to for gifts and future clothing purchases for my little girl. FYI, this share is NOT sponsored, but I’d totally be a brand rep if they’d like to hook a blogger up 😉

I hope you have a beautiful weekend, that you take a moment to remember those that we have lost in the service of our country, and you’re able to make the most of this long weeken!

Going to Work When Your Kids are Sick

As a parent there are many tough moments mixed into all the beautiful ones. Many of us have experience those difficult ones; like the first time they cry from getting shots, the first time they get seriously injured, and the first time they get sick. But I believe what makes that last moment even more challenging is going to work when your kids are sick.
I keep waiting for the moment that it’s easier to walk out the door leaving my daughter in the care of someone else who loves her while I go to work. To date, that moment never gets easier, and I even dread the moment when it comes. When my little girl is feeling ill, there’s nothing more that I want than for her to feel better. If I can’t make her feel better, then I can snuggle with her until she does.

Unfortunately for me, today is another one of those days that I have to go to work while my little girl is sick. Fortunately my husband has sick AND vacation time through his employer, whereas I only have PTO (paid time off) to be used for both sick and vacation time. Since my husband has more time off, this means he usually stay home with a sick kiddo, and for that I am thankful.

On a day like today, I am most thankful that my daughter is left in the care of her daddy who loves her enormously, is chef extraordinaire, and is one of the most caring people I’ve ever met. I know that without a doubt that my little girl will get nursed back to health with all the cuddles and care she requires.

I know that on a day like today, that not everyone is so fortunate to leave their child in the hands of their spouse, significant other, or another trusted family member. And for this my heart breaks. I can remember the days of my own mother being a single mom, and our neighbors who were single parents as well. They were were stuck with the choice of between going to work to be able to put food on the table and being there with their sick child.

Leaving your child in the care of someone other than yourself and balancing out the responsibilities of work and parenting is never easy. I’m certain leaving for work when your child is sick is not the hardest thing in parenting, but it most certainly can feel like it in the moment. For each person the struggle is different in varying degrees, but it’s a struggle none the less.

I hope the next time we have to wrestle with this situation, we will remember that we are not alone in the guilt and worry. I encourage you to let those that care about you know that you’re having a tough day being apart from your sick child. Most of all, I hope for a day when we don’t have to be stuck choosing between being with our sick child and going to work.