A friend recently asked me what I find the easiest about motherhood. The question caught me off guard. I had to think about it. I'm actually still thinking about it. Then she asked about the hardest parts of motherhood. I was able to answer that question quickly and deftly. It struck me that I had so much to say about why motherhood was so hard. I had plenty to say about what I was doing to adjust to my new life and how I'd been trying so hard to figure this motherhood thing

Next week, we are flying south for a few weeks! My parents spend a few winter months in Florida so we are going down to visit! I'm really excited to see my parents, it's been over a month which for me is a long time! However, in order to get some warm sun on our faces we need to conquer a big hurdle...first flight with baby! Naturally, I'm feeling a little anxious about it. So as this is something I have never done before, I cast a wide net to get all the advice I can. I reac

A lot has changed since baby arrived - body and wardrobe included. This post is not focused on body changes. We all have our own unique journey. What I know for sure is that you are a Goddess that grew and birthed a human. Wear clothes makes you feel good! So yes, my day to day life has changed since the birth of my daughter and as a result my wardrobe needs have shifted. So since then I've been figuring out what my mommy uniform looks like. In late September, early October y

Valentine's Day is around the corner and I'm excited to share it with our little love! As a kid, every holiday was celebrated in our house. My Dad was my first Valentine and until Rob and I were engaged he would send me flowers every year. He still gets me a card and will always be my first Valentine. To me, there is something especially sweet about a father asking his little girl to be his Valentine. I love knowing that Rob will be Mary Clare's first Valentine. Cue melting h

As a kindergarten teacher, I'm a huge advocate of play in schools. Montessori and Piaget both are known for the theory that 'play is the work of a child.' Play is a very important, if not the most important part, of child development. I've worked with children in many different capacities throughout my life. I was a teacher for several years, before that was a camp counselor, I babysat and tutored. I learned about the psychology and theories behind play in graduate school. So

Bromance, chillax, frenemy, mamcoaster and now momfession, I love smushing 2 words together. I named the blog mamacoaster after all. I found out that those kind of words are called portmanteau words. Guys, click the link and find out more about portmanteau words... Who knew? Thank you, Oxford Dictionary. Back to my momfession. So I signed up for mommy and me yoga last Friday. When I was pregnant, this is just the type of thing I always planned on doing with my baby. Yet whe

Who doesn't love to cozy up with their little one and a favorite book? As an on-hiatus kindergarten teacher, I'm kind of obsessed with reading and literacy. My mom read to me every night as a kid. Some of my favorite books to this day ("Number the Stars" and "Trumpet of the Swan") were read aloud to me by my mom. I now love reading non-fiction novels. I'm already working on fostering Mary Clare's love for reading. We read to her every night as part of her bedtime routine. I l

Let's face it, during those first couple of weeks with baby you will be in complete survival mode. I had lots of expectations and best laid plans and that all went to...well shit once this little baby arrived. For one, I was not planning to introduce the bottle or pacifier for the first 6 weeks. HA! Needless to say, things didn't go as planned. In hindsight, I realize it was a lesson for me in letting go of control. However, there were a few essential items that helped me cla

We didn’t find out Mary Clare was a girl until we met her for the first time and it was one of the best decisions we made during my pregnancy. Most people were surprised I wasn’t going to find out because I’m pretty type A and dare I say a little controlling. Some people said “I love that you aren’t finding out!” While others literally called me crazy and asked “what about decorating the nursery?” It boggles my mind that others have such strong opinions about something thats

The kitchen is where my people gather. Don't you find that on holidays and at parties everyone just hangs around the kitchen island or the table even when you could be lounging on the couch? I have always loved to cook, especially cook for others. Plus who honestly doesn’t love to eat? When I first had Mary Clare, I felt like I’d lost who I was and no longer had a shred of independence. It terrified me that this tiny creature was running the show. Yes, I am a bit of a control