• Facing Life Guidelines •

First, thank you for your interest in this series. I have never done a series like this but I have also never had a trying year until 2014. I vowed to be an advocate for postpartum depression, PTSD, & special needs babies. Please read my introductory post 

Facing Life: Meeting My "Diabetic" Baby

Here are the guidelines I'd like you to follow. Any questions I can be contacted at my email below or if your FB friends, message me! 

1) If you incorporate your faith into your piece, try to make it general. Many of the readers will be of different faiths, please be sensitive to that. 

2) Length can be a tricky one. I want you to be comfortable enough to share all of your stories and thoughts, but the more to the point you are the better. The goal is to keep the readers interested. 

3) Please email your piece to mecham.ky@gmail.com, along with a recent family photo. If you don't have extras to add, it's ok. If you do have some & know where you want them place,do so & I will post it like that. 

4) I have chosen Facing Life as the series title. Please title your email Facing Life: (your triumph/struggle) ex: Facing Life: Meeting My "Diabetic" Baby. 

5) I would like the last paragraph to be something you've learned along the way of your struggle. Whether it be something about yourself or a way you've learned to cope. 

6) And lastly I would like for you to include all social media links & a small 5-7 sentence bio with a recent family photo! 

This is not a paying job. It is strictly to be personal, raw & real. I want others to know they are not alone. I love reading posts that I can relate to & feeling the emotions they go through. We are a lot stronger than we know. It takes people that know how we feel to lift us up. 

**Update** I've had a lot of people ask if it needs to be new or a previously written post. I need new pieces. If it's previously read, it's not going to reach as many people. 

• Those Nagging Reasons I Didn't Shower Today•

Dear Husband (who works all day only to come to this)

Oh hey, how was work today? I'm sorry you had to come home to me looking the exact same way I did this morning when you left. Oh no wait, my hair was down this morning when you got home it was in the best looking messy bun EVER!! Does that count for something?  I seriously had every intention of cleaning myself up, but well... Here are my excuses...

1.  The baby kept me up & you hogged the blanket! We played tug-o-war with the blanket all night! I made the older two play in their room & watch a movie till the baby woke up just for an extra 45 minutes, which meant I missed that window of opportunity while he was still sleeping!

2. Everyone wanted breakfast, but the regular pop-tart & Paw Patrol just wasn't good enough! So after the cereal was chosen & the milk was poured, I switched a load of laundry & got distracted. 

3. Once I decided to get in I realized I didn't have clean sweats/yoga pants & I didn't want to put on dirty ones so I decided to wait till the laundry was done. 

4. Nap time is usually a good opportunity, but only if the babes decide to cooperate. & they didn't so that one was gone too. 

5. So I decided to attempt to exercise (since I was already in dirty clothes), but the baby just kept crawling on me & the older two kept screaming "incoming" & I was hurrying to get out of the way before I got a kick to the ribs, so I gave up on that one. 

6. & in between all the "5 minute pick ups" today, I barely got the dishes & laundry done! 

7. Then somehow it's 5:00 & your home in an hour. Which means if I didn't get anything out earlier for dinner I better find something quick. Heaven forbids you boys not eat!! 

8. And the messy bun- sweats- no makeup thing is hot right!? Yes I know you think it is!!

9. Besides those baby wipes are good for cleaning. I cleaned my stinky arm pits & put lots of deodorant on. Now I smell like a sweet smelling baby!! Lucky You!!

So instead of looking at me like its the worst horror show you've ever seen, you could handle those wild boys & let me get in & soak in a hot bathtub!! & afterwards we can put the kids to bed & watch our nighttime tv addictions!! Law & Order SVU is screaming our names!!! 

XoXo

Your Hot Mess Of A Wife

• Mommy Facts •

1. Moms may not always be patient, but we sure try our hardest. Sometimes when you are stuck inside all day with no one but a 5, 2, & 11 month old, you lose your patience by bed time! 8:00 can not come soon enough.

2. Speaking of, Moms love bed time & there isn't anything wrong with that. Bedtime is our way of keeping our sanity. It's our breathing time. It's my blogging time! More importantly it's QUIET time!

3. Stay at home moms have hard days, even if they can't explain why. SAHM's get ridiculed all the time for having one of the easiest jobs ever. It's not easy, it's hard some days & to explain it to your spouse is not easy. There can be multiple things wrong & you can't pinpoint what threw you over the edge. 

4. Moms can't always get ready, even if they want. You can try all you want to get up, do your morning cleaning & expect to get ready. But then, "I pooped" & you discover it's all over because the hand went down the pants. Bigger clean up than expected. You start with your hair & then the baby starts crying. Nap time after lunch you just give up because your gonna get interrupted anyways. Yoga/comfy pants & a messy bun is your everyday. 

5. Moms make mistakes & it's normal. Moms are human too. Mistakes happen to some of the best & hardworking people. Just because we are in charge of multiple humans at a time DOES NOT mean we are perfect! It's totally ok. 

6. Moms are powerful, more then they know. I hate to say it, but moms are the go to when it comes to owies or needs. It's the mommies job to deal with that.. It always will be. Daddy may be the man of the house! But we own the power!