Thursday, September 13, 2012

My first Giveaway!!!

I'm still in my pajamas at 11:00 am, most my morning has been cutting plastic vegetables, packing a last minute lunch, checking e-mail, having a child clung to my hip for what feels like eternity and finally making myself a smoothie for breakfast. Today I miss hanging with girlfriends. I miss giggling about everything. I miss having minimal responsibilities other than your next English paper due or if your lunch periods coincide. I miss having basement dance parties. (did anyone else do this? one of my girlfriends in high school actually had a disco type ball in her basement !) 


Yesterday after school we met a friend at the playground. We were talking about how we as moms all feel lonely. Doesn't it sometimes feel like everyone has fun exciting things going on and we are stuck at home watching Little Bear and doing laundry? I've been thinking about this conversation since our park date yesterday. So this morning, I was watching Elmo you tube videos with Isla (her personal fave is "Elmo's got the moves") and came across the Olympic swimming video "Call me Maybe". I'm sure you've all seen it, but in case you haven't here is the link. Anyways, it got me thinking about how being on a team is so great, you have so much fun together as you work toward a common goal. You share similar experiences. You do everything together. You travel together and you eat together, you even get to live together sometimes.  I was longing for those old times, remembering what that camaraderie feels like. I miss it. I have fabulous friends here, yet I still feel isolated and often alone as a stay at home mom.



As I was writing this, it hit me, I'm on a team! The Mom team, although that name sucks.
Yes, we all mother differently, but we share in a whole lot of similar experiences. I wish we could come together despite our differences and have that same team experience, but I'm not sure practically how that happens. Play dates are good but sometimes hard with the dynamics of kids. Coffee or a drink with a friend is perfect, but hard to do when kids need to be put to bed at night and husbands work late. I guess I'm wondering how can we as moms feel more united, more together in this lonely isolating job we're doing?

So, tell me your thoughts. How can moms connect better? How can we share life together in a deeper way? A way that feels like we're on a team together.
I want to know.


I want to know so much that I'm offering you a prize for answering! Kim from SweetJuly is kindly offering one set of her adorable small hair clips from her new fall collection to one random winner.

Isla (she's wearing them in above pictures) wears these cute clips all the time. We get tons of compliments on them and they are the only ones I've used that actually hold her fine hair.

Here is Kim's shop and below are some pictures from her summer collection.


The details:
Giveaway ends Sunday September 16 at midnight.
Winner will be chosen randomly.
One comment per person.
For a second entry you must link my giveaway on your facebook page, twitter or blog. Let me know if you've done this and I will make sure you have two entries!
I will contact the winner via e-mail so please make sure your e-mail is is in your comments

Thanks for playing!! I know this is more of a conversation topic, rather than a quick answer, but share your thoughts. This is just what was on my heart today. :)
I will announce the winner early next week!!


37 comments:

  1. your life as a mom never ends....and eventually you might even become a mom to your mom! I love your post, your pictures and most of all you and that little princess!
    love
    MOM

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  2. Beautiful hair clips! As a mom myself, unfortunately time is a big deal, we need to make time to be with other moms to be able to share life and what is going on in our lives.

    Thanks for the giveaway!!
    KarenatMommysMoments at gmail dot com

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  3. Oh my goodness! I could have written the same thing. I also struggle with the same issues and it is really hard. It is lonely and I feel as if sometimes I am not myself - just "Mom". I agree with playdates in that I feel like I am just watching my kids and making sure they don't act crazy! It is also hard to get women to meet up without kids. I have just tried to connect with some other moms in my neighborhood and just try to discuss my feelings with them. Usually they feel the same way and that helps make me feel better. I have found that the women I have talked to about this issue have now opened up and I feel like we are now friends and not just neighbors. I'm hoping it gets better as my kids get older. It seems like the toddler years are the most isolating since it is tough to get out. Thanks for sharing and helping all of us stay at home moms! I'm now a follower!
    Laura (mommy.2kidsnc(at)yahoo(dot)com)

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  4. Fantastic giveaway! I started mommy school and some of my other mommy friends have joined me. I think it is important for the children to interact and try and share their toys.

    emileenreynolds@yahoo.com

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  5. My MOPS group gets together 2 mornings a month, and has childcare. We also have "mom's night out"! Just the moms getting together for dinner or something of the like. You can find a local MOPS group at mops.org! I highly recommend it!

    April
    aprilsymons@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks April, I do all those Mom morning things. I guess sometimes its the weight of the constant caring for everyone and the minimal time alone, it's hard to really connect as a mom.

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  6. LOVE the clips, they're unlike anything I've seen before!

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  7. Id love to win! eclairre(at)ymail(dot)com

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  8. love them!katnatasha(at)gmail(dot)com

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  9. tweet https://twitter.com/sissy899/status/246369870151815168
    katnatasha(at)gmail(dot)com

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  10. I'm going to be a new mom and I've thought about this a lot. i'm hoping I can maintain my friendships. I think part of this for me will be getting babysitters and having alone time with my friends, sisters and husband.

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  11. my email is lindsreardon at gmail dot com

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  12. i love your post and love being a mom. such a gift. logansmommy0611@yahoo.com

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  13. Thanks for the giveaway!

    marymichelotti(at)gmail(dot)com

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  14. Shared on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mary.lizzie.9/posts/368392423242997

    marymichelotti(at)gmail(dot)com

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  15. Well I think caring for so many other humans is extremely difficult and who at the end of the day always has the energy for themselves. There are days when I stop and wonder (as I'm scrubbing the toilet) how I got here and who am I!?! It's corny but I look around and see the people I made and the man I endorse (my hubby) and I feel accomplished. It's not always easy to put everyone before yourself and to feel lonely when you're never alone (I recieved my birthday card at 8 am while i was on the toilet... True story). It's simply not easy and there may not be a solution to it all but playdates and neighbors ( ;) ) and reaching out when you need it most is how to roll.

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  16. This is a struggle, not just for stay at home moms, but for all moms. I think it's tough because time is so limited. But carving out those times (Say the first Sunday night of the month ;)) is important. Equally important is going into those carved out times with the mindset that we will be intentional, and completely honest. Those times are tempered with laughter and tears.

    Also, when we are feeling lonely and disconnected, there is probably another mom at home, or on a playground somewhere feeling the same. Reaching out to others will often bring us out of our own lonliness.

    I don't know...these are my thoughts.
    Liz
    bustos_elizabeth at hotmail dot com

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  17. super cute. cindyhinckley at msn

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  18. Thank you for the giveaway :D

    samimcsamsam@gmail.com

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  19. Tweeted https://twitter.com/stamp4ever

    samimcsamsam@gmail.com

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  20. We can connect better (as mothers) by getting rid of the competition. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and we don't have to one up each other. :) I think so many times we can be competitive with other mothers (or with our children) and this can tear down true unity! :)

    I have enjoyed a bible study with some other moms from my church and it was a complete blessing! We learned so much and shared freely of our struggles. Sometimes having a small group to really connect with (of ladies you can trust) is great! :)

    thecountryblossom at hotmail dot com

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  21. My children are grown but work at home and I feel isolated too. I have a standing date with 4 friends. I meet one of them each Tuesday for lunch. That way I have a one on one with a different friend each week and I know I am going out at least once a week to meet with someone that has the same interests as I do.

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  22. http://www.facebook.com/MyCraftingWorld/posts/118830621599171

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  23. I've found a facebook page very successful in connecting all of the mommies. One mommy created a FB page for the area I live in, and we can all add any moms we know around us, as well. Everyone posts pictures of items they want to give away to other moms that need it (usually for free) or we just write about our daily questions/problems looking for advice. It's helped me a lot, and shown me how caring and helpful other moms are. :) Most of us didn't or still don't know each other personally, but we're all willing to help each other, and we have built relationships from it, which is so awesome!

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  24. Oh those are adorable hair clips! Thank you for sharing.
    As far as connecting with other moms I've found that while playdates and coffee breaks are great, what my group of mom friends and I share is an honest to goodness forum with discussions on it ranging from "what sucks today" to questions about breastfeeding/diapering, etc... we even have a "free/trade/sell" section. That has helped me a lot. Being able to write a question that I have on my mind no matter what the time is and then check in the next few days to see what other moms have as input has saved my sanity more than once.
    (We have a meet up group through which this forum is set up)
    Good luck!

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  25. Oh my email is ma_lafranque (at) hotmail (dot) com

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  26. As a mother of 5 under age 5 its actually essential to be around other moms unless i want to end up in the crazy ward. we make it a point to compliment each other even if we havent showered or changed out of our pjs and its 3 pm. It really helps. We also all try an have a sense of humor about every aspect of life but you cant get very far without that! leefeedesigns@yahoo.com

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  27. awesome. love to win! baby #1 due in february! thanks!

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  28. I agree with everything you said :)

    I have no idea on how to connect better other then friending my childrens friends parents...so while the children are playing we can chat over coffee.

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  29. Thanks for the giveaway! I just had my 2nd child, and the kids are only 18 months apart. It is A LOT of work!! I love it though and I wouldn't have it any other way! edendaphne at gmail dot com

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  30. Great clips, thanks for the chance to win!

    sweetmelbelle31 at yahoo dot com

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  31. I love the hair clips.
    Some how it worked out that my fiends and I all had our children around the same time. So we got together every weekend to do events with the kids. We were all so close and the kids got along good, so as they got older it was easier to have "adult" time while the kids were involved in sports and other events.
    magspie9(at)gmail.com

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  32. Lovely hairclipcs, it'd be amazing to win!Although I'm not a mom myself, from the impression I get it can be harder work than running a business or having a job!A mom is busy on a constant basis.

    kiss_shani(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  33. I say get in a church group together, and help other less fortunate people , it will bring everyone so much closer and forge a strong bond , and you would be blessed for helping others belensmama@gmail.com

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  34. My granddaughter would love one of these clips.

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  35. These are great. As moms we have tolearn to be less judgmental of each other. Each person in live walks their own road. You aren't obligated to travel the same road as everyone else.

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  36. very cute clips!
    kayleefaith1228@aol.com

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