A little bit of this...and that

I want to start out by saying I feel a massive amount of love, respect and honor for all of those individuals who are teachers.  I truly feel like you are the unsung heroes of our world and don't get near enough credit (or pay).   I entertained the idea of being a teacher for about 15 minutes in elementary school and realized even then I didn't have the patience.  My stuffed animals weren't cooperating with the ABC's lesson I put together and I lost interest pretty quickly.   I really didn't give it much thought again until I had kids.  I got a lot of anxiety after having my first child and a massive amount after having my second.  As I did some soul searching about the anxiety I realized it was because of the terrifying thought that I am their most important teacher.  You see all those little sayings and signs about moms/parents being the most important teacher, just be being.   All I can say to that is JESUS TAKE T...

Happy Hump Day this and thatters!!  I hope your day and week are going swimmingly.  I hope you enjoy this edition of The Confessional. xoxo 1.  So I really gotta get it together and start eating better.  I feel like I've been eating on the go and just eating whatever I can get my hands on.  Ha!  I feel so much better when I eat healthy so I need to get on it.  I know people who have done Whole 30 but I'm not sure I have the discipline to do that.  Has anyone tried it?  Thoughts? 2.  I'm really ready for summer!  I need some serious pool and outdoor time.  I also feel like swimming wears my kiddos out like nothing else and everyone sleeps a ton better.  This will be the first year Olivia can really enjoy the pool and ocean and I can't wait to see her reaction.  She's pretty fearless so I'm sure she will dive right in (pun intended).  I'm signing Em up for swim lessons and I'm excited/nervous to s...

Happy day beautiful people!  I hope your week is kicking off beautifully.  I'm not gonna lie we are a little slow moving around the Womack household after a packed weekend.  I hope you enjoy this edition of what's what! xoxo 1.  Podcasts Ok so I'm very late to the whole podcast party....feel free to judge me :)  However I am fully a fan these days.  Driving back and forth to Atlanta from Cvegas can sometimes take up to two hours (on bad days and that's one way) and I had to do something to start passing the time and even XM radio wasn't cutting it.  One more when I was leaving at 6:15 am I just randomly thought I need something to keep me awake and I started browsing podcasts as I was filling up with gas.   It has truly been a game changer for me especially on bad traffic days.  If I'm hooked into a good one I really don't even notice how long it's taking me to get home or to work.  I have two ...

Happy Hump Day readers!!  I hope you're having a great week.  From time to time I get emails or requests for certain topics and honestly I've gotten this request in some form or fashion a few times lately.   People have emailed or Facebook messaged me about positivity or how to stay happy during hard times etc.  To be honest I was a bit surprised that these asks kept coming.  I decided it was a sign that I actually needed to blog about it.   I think we've all heard the typical attitude is everything comments and most of the time they are in one ear and out the other.  Or we don't think they apply to us just everyone else.  However, I don't believe that.  I truly believe our attitude and thoughts shape our hours, days, years and ultimately our life experience.   I think this is a huge shift for most of us.  To take our thoughts from the place they have always been is super difficult.  When I g...

Happy February this and thatters!  I hope 2017 is treating you right and you enjoy this edition of the confessional. xoxo 1.  I deleted Facebook of my phone (as I mentioned in a previous post).  My social media habit was becoming a bit intense.  I now have to remind myself to check Facebook, ha!  Who knew?  If you're considering a social media detox I highly recommend.  I've been toying with the idea of deleting instagram as well but haven't gotten up the nerve to do it....stay tuned. 2.  I got a Kindle a few months ago and I am obsessed.  I've been reading like a mad woman. Any good books I just have to read?  I feel like it makes it so easy to order books!  I also carry it in my purse and then read when and where I can.  Best purchase I've made in a long time. 3.  I have been working really hard to be organized and make sure all the trains are running on time.  This is definitely a ...

Hey lovely readers!  I haven't done one of these posts in a while so watch out, haha!  :)   I hope you and yours are having an awesome start to the New Year!  xoxo 1.  I recently deleted Snapchat and Facebook of my phone.  I left myself Instagram   I had to do it!!  I started becoming aware of how much time I was spending looking at it and it didn't leave me with a good feeling.  I am not judging myself or anyone else on this.  For me social media was sucking up my time.  I would literally look up and realize that for 30 minutes I had been on all these apps looking at people who let's be honest I don't even know and probably never will.  It has been a really freeing experience and I while I was Instagram obsessed for a few days that has subsided.   I get on Facebook at my computer just once a day if that and I sometimes even forget to look at Instagram   It...

Happy New Year this and thatters!  I cannot believe another year has flown by.  I've been cracking up at everyone's posts hating on 2016.  I think 2016 was a year of growth for a lot of us and the hope is that we reap the benefits of all that work in 2017 (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). Leading up to New Years I started thinking more about what I didn't want to bring into 2017.  What behaviors/patterns/things do I not want to drag into 2017?  I didn't want to make a bunch of resolutions that I would abandon and then feel bad about I wanted to dig a little deeper and figure out what was really important to me.  After lots of soul searching I realized a few things: 1.  We had to get organized.  Matt and I had pretty much been operating like we were still childless without a care in the world.  The problem with having no structure is that it was stressing us both out!  And if any little thing out of the ordinary happ...

Dear Olivia, You don't this yet (and I'm glad you don't) but there was a big election yesterday and today lots of people are posting on social media.  They aren't holding space for each other, being forgiving or loving (for the most part) they are hurting and passing that hurt onto others that might see things differently.  I wish it was different but it isn't.   The outcome of the election is done and now we have the amazing opportunity to come together as a country and heal.  To do great things but it all starts with us, me and you.  You told me you loved me for the first time yesterday and there is no greater gift to me than that. I will always remember how I felt, where we were and what your face looked like when you said "wuv you".   To me, sweet Olivia, that is what matters.  On a day filled with so much hate, hurt and downright rude behavior we found love.  I hope that one moment between us creates a lot of light and space for mo...

Happy day this and thatters!  I cannot believe Halloween is over and we are rolling into the holiday season.  I have to tell you that my brain is already thinking about Christmas!!  Normally I don't buy any gifts or even think about Christmas until December.  I know this is shocking given my type A personality but honestly time just gets away from me.   This year I am taking a different approach to Christmas.  I have to tell you I normally feel all this pressure to give my kids a picture, perfect holiday season.  The truth is they are so young right now that I need to give myself a break.  At this time in their lives they are as excited about the empty box and wrapping paper as they are about the actual gift.   So this year I set a budget and I stuck to it.  I already bought all the girls Christmas gifts and all I have to do is wrap them.  Luckily in our family we only buy gifts for the kiddos so that cuts my shopping way d...

It's Friday people!!  I am so excited for the weekend.  I only wish the weather would get a tad bit cooler so it actually felt like fall!  I hope you enjoy the confessional.   xoxo 1.  Matt and I are headed out of town this weekend to enjoy some couple time and I couldn't be more excited!  It's an early anniversary trip and I am so ready for a full weekend of couple time.  We haven't been away since our vacation in May and I can't wait for this time together. 2.  I always get anxiety before I go out of town and leave the girls.  I do better if Matt is with them and I go solo.  Us going together kicks my intensity and anxiety into overdrive.  It's better than it's ever been but my mind goes on the what if hamster wheel and I have to kindly tell it to STOP!  I think all moms do this, right?! ;) 3.  I have felt kinda blah this week.  Not happy, not sad just kind of neutral.  I don't know if I'm...

I just want to say a big heartfelt thank you to all of you!  Your responses to the shame game post were so beautiful, real and touching that I am overwhelmed.  I feel so blessed that so many of you texted, emailed, commented and felt safe to share with me.  I feel so incredibly humbled and proud that I was able to hold that space for some of you. I got a lot of questions about books I read, resources etc.  I am posting these here because it's easier to reach all of you that way.  These are just what I like and what work for me I highly encourage everyone to follow their own path in life and in parenting.  These resources helped me carve out time and space for myself.   I AM NOT AN EXPERT IN ANYTHING!!  I AM JUST TRYING TO WADE THROUGH PARENTING LIKE EVERYONE ELSE AND I HAVE A BIG MOUTH.  I felt like that needed to be said in shouty caps for people that may think I have got this thing all figured out and then ...

Happy Tuesday peeps!!  I hope you and yours are doing well.  I have to tell you I've been thinking a lot about shame lately and specifically how, we as parents, play the shame game.  I wish I could sit here and tell you that I've never done it, that I've never criticized or put down how someone else parents but I have and I fear I probably will again in the future.   Parenting is such a big, often scary, overwhelming, beautiful, brave, awesome experience for us that I think sometimes we crack!  I saw an instagram post yesterday that honestly inspired this blog post.  An amazing mom posted a video of her son sleeping in his own bed.  Maybe to you or to me that's "normal" or something we take for granted  but it wasn't for her.  She wrote deeply touching words about accepting (for her own sanity) that her son didn't sleep the way other kids did.  She talked about releasing the judgement of other parents, so calle...

Happy Friday peeps!  I hope you're ready for a great weekend and I hope you enjoy this edition of the confessional.  xoxo I don't know if it's the cooler weather or what but I've been reading like a mad woman.  I really need to do a what's on my nightstand post because it would be a good one...note to self. I'm trying to loose the last bit of weight after having Olivia (yes she's a year old in a week). After baby #2 it's a bit harder, for me anyway!  I've been taking it slow and I'm close but not there just yet.  I'm hoping that sweater weather and being able to cover up doesn't throw me off track. How is Olivia almost 1 by the way?  I feel like I just had her.  Matt and I were talking about how time is flying and how it's almost scary how quick the weeks go by.   We are working with a decorator to redo our dining room and I am so excited.  It has been such a fun project and I absolutely love working with someone who g...

If you follow me on instagram you know I'm reading Shauna Niequist's Present Over Perfect right now.  I love all of her books.  I pre-ordered this one and waited impatiently for it to arrive and I'm so glad it did. I have read it constantly since Thursday and I'm almost finished.  I've read it standing up in my kitchen making lunches because I couldn't stop, didn't want to step away from the beauty of it.  I've also cried every time I've cracked the binding of that book and read a page.   It's good crying, crying that needs to happen.  For a lot of years I didn't allow myself to really cry.  I would start to cry and stop myself.  I would tell myself I was fine, I could handle it...don't cry.  Whatever you do don't cry I scolded myself.  I'm not like that anymore.  I cry all the time about everything.  Matt is getting use to it because it's definitely a shift.  He came in our r...

I wanted to say a quick thank you to all of you for your overwhelmingly kind response to my recent post titled "I'm Jealous Of My Husband".  I never expected any response and honestly felt nervous/anxious even posting it.   To date I've never received more texts, emails, messages or hits (number of people who read a post) on any post.  I was honestly overwhelmed and truly surprised.  What I wrote was super personal and super scary to write but for some reason I felt compelled to write it and share it.  Thank you for holding space for my truth and sharing yours with me.  Thank you for your support and honesty!   I will continue to share the truth of where I am, what is happening and how I feel on this blog.  Thank you for letting me be a part of your day! xoxo

I have to be honest I almost didn't publish this post.  This is a real and raw post.  I finally hit publish because I figured I couldn't be the only one feeling this way. I will tell you I didn't know I was jealous of Matt at first.  I knew I was angry, resentful, overwhelmed and afraid.  As a wife and mother the to do list seems never ending.  Whether you work or not being a mother is one of the hardest jobs, if not the hardest job on the planet.   Matt and I are blessed to both have fulfilling careers and therefore we have someone who helps us 5 days a week.   For a long time I felt bad for being a working mother.  I've made my peace with that.  I am now thankful instead of guilty.  It was a long road but I'm in a good place with it.  I'm not saying that from time to time I don't wrestle with working and being mother but on the whole I am comfortable with my choice.   So when these feelings started c...

Hello beautiful readers!  I am thrilled today is the first official day of summer.  What a great day! I know (especially if you're in the south) it feels like summer has been here for weeks but today is the kick off and I love it!  I think mostly because June has been incredibly chaotic for me.  I knew this going into the month and prepared for it the best I could but honestly it has been a busy month.   I'm type A and like a lot of you our calendar is planned out well in advance.  When I realized I was going to be out of town the first 3 weekends of June (2 solo without Matt and the kids) I knew I needed to brace up, haha!  Like most things we got through it and juggled things around and made it work. I cannot tell you how much Matt smiled when on Sunday night (that's when we synch up our calendars for the week) he asked me what was going on this weekend and I got to say nothing.  And he asked about the ne...

Mornin lovelies!   A big shout out to all of you for the support and love you showed for my blog post yesterday. It came from the heart and so I'm glad it touched yours!   I have to tell you I kept thinking about things and was pretty down yesterday.  I went through the motions and worked etc. but it was hard.  I was sad!  I took a lot of time for myself and rested and chilled out when I could and needed too.   Sometimes I feel unsure/uneasy about being sad/mad/hurt/happy/excited etc. around my kids.  Before I had children I thought I only wanted them to see me happy and upbeat.  What I am learning now and what is my new normal with them is being authentic.   Yesterday I was authentically sad and also hopeful at the same time.  I lived and breathed in those moments and created space for them.  I realized in doing that I was showing my daughters that it's safe for them to do that too. ...

It's with a heavy heart that I type this post.  To be honest I'm not even exactly sure what I'm going to say so I apologize if I ramble. First, I want to say that what happened in Orlando has made my heart heavy.  Heavy with sadness and love.  When the hubs and I found out we had our girls in a wagon and were spelling things out so Emily wouldn't hear us say things like, automatic weapon, dead, open fire, injured.  As I sat there and looked at their super innocent faces while we were spelling such horrific words my stomach dropped.   It dropped for a lot of reasons and it wasn't until later when they were safely tucked in their beds that I figured out why.  I honestly thought it was because one day I'm going to have to explain senseless tragedies like this to them.  But when I got honest with myself it was deeper than that.   My daughters, given their ages, are the purest forms of love one could hope for.  They haven't been re...

Happy Day readers!! Has anyone else since this saying going around on social media "Be yourself...no not like that"?   I have to tell you that it stopped me cold because man did it hit home!!  I have to tell you that I feel like in life we are hit with so many different messages, images and thoughts each day that it's hard to sort through them all.  When I saw this I thought it summed up everything I see each day pretty perfectly. It's hard in this day and age when we are told to be authentic, be real, be ourselves but then rarely are we embraced or accepted when this occurs.  A lot of time what happens is we are told you are sort of getting it, that's about right, or maybe try it this why.  It can make trying to stay in your truth very hard.  The natural reaction is to retreat and conform to whatever you "should be".   What takes your real guts, gumption and truth is to say "yes like this", "absolutely this way", "this i...