Mommy of a Monster Twins - Blogging About Food, Wine, Parenting, And More Since 2010

Time 2020-10-17 20:05:17

Web Name: Mommy of a Monster Twins - Blogging About Food, Wine, Parenting, And More Since 2010

WebSite: http://mommyofamonster.com

ID:85383

Keywords:

Twins,Blogging,About,

Description:

This was a very quick, matter-of-fact conversation that Lila and I had this morning as she was heading out the door to school. A conversation about the potential of being shot to death at school.How do you respond to something like that? How is that even a conversation that I have to have with my nine year old? How was she so nonchalant about it?I wanted to cry. (I didn t.)I wanted to hug her. (I did.)I wanted to tell her that that would never happen. But I couldn t because it does happen. Far too often.Writing has always helped me process my feelings. It soothes me when I m upset. I m glad that I decided to bring this blog back to life so I have somewhere to do it. So here goes Never once when I went to school did I ever think about the possibility of getting shot. It s crazy to me that our kids do think about it.I remember when the girls were in first grade they came home from school one day and told me about some training they did in class. If there was an active shooter at school and they weren t in their classrooms when it happened, they were supposed to find a place to hide. When I asked where they should hide, they said a trashcan, like it was the most normal thing in the world. I was floored, but even that didn t affect me the way that Lila did this morning. The kids rarely bring the topic up on their own, so it was completely out of left field and I wasn t expecting it.This happened hours ago and she probably hasn t thought about it since the words left her mouth. Yet I can t stop thinking about it. The truth of it. The possibility of it. How disgusting it is to even have to consider it.At first I was heartbroken and sad. I couldn t stop looking at her and how beautiful she is. That somebody could extinguish her beautiful soul on a whim.I went to work, and had a hard time concentrating. I tried to think about all of the things I still have to do before Christmas. I could only think about that one thing.I texted with a friend about how I couldn t stop thinking about what Lila told me. I felt like I was in some kind of shock, I think I still am. I don t want to think about my kids going to school and never coming home. Sure, there s all different ways that it could actually happen, but that particular way is so disturbing. The terror they d experience as it happened. The complete fear. Seeing things that regular adults should never have to see, let alone a child.Or maybe it was so hard to hear because it didn t seem to bother her. She was stating a simple fact. It is a possibility in her world. It is what it is, as my dad would say.I hate that our children s reality has become this. I posted about our conversation on Facebook, and had a friend tell me her high school daughter told her that she thinks about it every day. Another was saddened that her child could so easily explain the steps for what to do if there was an active shooter at school. Others, who are teachers, expressed the fear of not being able to protect all of our little ones should it ever happen. Lots of friends said they were tearing up just thinking about it.Two friends comments stood out to me. One said that he respected her situational awareness. It was a great point and I am proud of her for understanding (even if at a very basic level) that it could happen.And the friend I mentioned I was texting said something that helped calm me down. She said: It s a harder reality for us to accept because we have known different. They don t know different so they aren t struggling with it.I don t want my kids to worry or obsess about this craziness happening, but I am glad to know that they know what to do if it does happen. I just wish it was something that none of us would ever have to think about.Filed Under: day to day life, lila, Motherhood Me ::GIVEAWAY:: Win Tickets To Winter Fest OC!December 5, 2018 by Natalie Here in So Cal, we don’t really get a whole lot of winter. It gets cold-ish and occasionally we’ll even have to put on boots or tennis shoes instead of just wearing flip flops. If we want snow, we have to drive to the mountains where a lot of the time they make the snow. My kids have not really experienced a White Christmas, so this year I m excited to take them to Winter Fest OC at the the OC Fair Event Center! All About Winter Fest OCGet into the holiday spirit at Winter Fest OC from December 20th January 6th. There s over 40,000 square feet of winter wonderland, with new attractions, popular activities like an outdoor ice-skating rink, ice tubing at Snowflake Summit, real Snow Play, and so much more.Between December 20th and 24th, you won t want to miss the nightly Christmas Tree Lighting celebration that features fireworks and snow flurries. And during the tree lighting, the kids will be so excited to see the magic of the North Pole as Santa and his reindeer fly over the fairgrounds! I m not going to tell my kids about that they ll be so surprised! My kids will definitely be excited to visit Penny’s Snow Play, where fresh snow blown in daily to make SoCal’s largest snow play attraction with two snow arenas: one caters to toddlers and the other to kids (and kids at heart.) As in year s past families can also check out the world’s largest rocking horse, wintery-themed bounce houses for kids, a giant walk-through ornament, strolling carolers, petting zoo, character meet and greets, crafts, arcade games, more than 30 carnival rides and games, and seasonal food and beverages.Winter Fest OC has made some pretty exciting additions to the winter wonderland this year! SoCal Dicken’s Village  Take a trip down memory lane through the 1800’s with holidays past, present, and future. Decorate Christmas cookies, listen to holiday storytelling, visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus (through Christmas Eve), take a pony ride, and visit the new Victorian holiday shops.Candy and Snowflake Wonderland  Step into an interactive wonderland full of candy and snowflakes with a new selfie experience that is sure to delight visitors and capture the picture-perfect Instagram moment.Festival of Lights  Stroll through Winter Fest’s 100-foot-tunnel of two million lights to explore five lands with animated displays. For additional fun for the kids, make sure to ride through the Festival of Lights on the trackless train.Orange Ball New Year’s Eve Celebration  Ring in the New Year not once, but twice, with a special countdown, Orange Ball drop, fireworks and an unforgettable balloon drop at both 6pm and midnight. Multiple live bands will be playing to commemorate the end of the year, and the start of a new one.Club Winter Fest  Private, ice rink-side VIP cabanas are available nightly starting at only $69 per session, creating the ultimate destination for holiday office parties, family retreats or date nights. Enjoy the all-new lounge area with exquisite views of the nightly Christmas tree lighting ceremony featuring fireworks, snow flurries and a free drink upon entry. Tickets are limited.Winter Fest OC HighlightsCheck out this short video for more exciting Winter Fest OC highlights.Winter Fest OC Ultimate Platinum Pass Giveaway!Exciting stuff, right? And I m even more excited to be giving away FOUR Ultimate Platinum Passes (valued at $75 each)! Each ticket includes admission, an Ice Skating session, unlimited carnival rides, Snowflake Summit ice tubing fast pass, and access to the all-new Club Winter Fest to enjoy a drink with the voucher at the bar. Simply enter below and good luck!a Rafflecopter giveawayTickets and select value packages are available now starting at only $10. For more information on Winter Fest OC, visit www.WinterFestOC.com and for the latest updates on entertainment, food and fun follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube or with #WinterFestOC.Filed Under: Uncategorized 2018: The Year of Too MuchNovember 30, 2018 by Natalie Wow. It s been over 14 months since I ve put pen to paper on this blog. Or fingertips to the keyboard. You get what I m saying.I ve missed it, but it s also awkward. Kind of like meeting an old friend for coffee and not knowing what to say or where to begin. But as the conversation slowly starts to pick up speed, you start feeling at home like you just saw that old friend yesterday. I m hoping that that s what will happen here, as well.Where have I been? What have I been up to? Well, 2018 was not my favorite year. In fact, if you would ve asked me about it last week I would have said it was an awful year and I was looking forward to closing the door on it. But just a couple of days ago, I started to feel the need to write. To explain (to myself?) why maybe this year had not been as miserable as I thought.Let me start at the beginning September 22, 2017 was the last time that I published anything here. I really hadn t published much in 2017 to be honest. I tried, but I d lost my passion for it. The blogging world was changing, and I felt like maybe I was too. I d been writing here for almost 8 years, and I guess I was over it.It happened for a number of reasons. The kids are getting older (Ethan is 11 and the girls are 9) and asking me not to talk about them anymore on the blog. Their schedules began getting busier, which meant that mine was too. And I felt like I had run out of things to say. So I decided to take a break.Come December 2017, I lost my work-from-home job I d had for years. My boss closed the doors to her business to pursue other opportunities. I m so thankful that I was able to work from home for so long (8 years!) but I wasn t exactly sure what to do with myself.The holidays came and went. I didn t know what to do with all of my time. I ve always been open and honest about my struggles with depression and how I don t realize that I m having a bout of depression until it s over. 2018 had kicked off, and I was in a bad, bad place. I was depressed, drinking too much, not taking care of myself, I was the heaviest weight-wise that I d ever been, and it was all too much.Too much sadness and anxiety.Too much time doing nothing.Too much drinking.Too much weight. Both physically and mentally.Just.Too.Much. DepressionYep, I didn t know it then, but I was depressed. Actually the most depressed I ve ever been. I was also experiencing horrible anxiety I rarely left the house, I didn t want to do anything with anybody, and I would panic when I would think about a, b, c, or d and start obsessively worrying about things I had no control over.I d get the kids off to school, and come home and sleep until they were almost out of school. Then I d put myself together so I could mom until it was finally time to get back into bed. And repeat.I was sleeping too much and depressed. I was offered several opportunities to work again, and I either passed on them or screwed them up. I was just too exhausted to do anything. And on top of that, I just didn t care.DrinkingAnd because we all know what a molotov cocktail depression, anxiety, and drinking are, I decided to give that a go. Was I drinking because of the depression or depressed because of the drinking? Was I drinking to escape or to cope? I don t know, but it did begin to affect my family, my marriage, and my health. The excessive drinking had to stop.WeightIn January, I weighed the most I ve ever weighed in my life. EVER. I weighed more than when I was pregnant with the twins! I felt fat, exhausted, out of shape, and miserable. So instead of trying to help get myself out of the rut, I fed into it more. Junk food. Or not eating at all. I m sure that helped with the depression and drinking, too.April 2018April was a significant month for me. It was the tipping point I could choose to stay in the downward spiral or I could start fixing things.Two people know when I m experiencing depression my sister and my husband. He sat me down one night and we talked. He told me he knew I was really depressed, and suggested that maybe I should try something new. He mentioned me getting a job. Not online, but outside of the home. A real job as my family would always tease me about.I was not excited about the idea. I mean, I could barely get out of bed and he s suggesting I go to work? For some reason, it piqued my curiosity though, and I started looking around. It was pretty soon after that that I received a call from a recruiter about a full-time position with a huge company (who happens to be headquartered in the city I live in.) I filled out the recruiter s application and began the process.I put a former boss (and I mean real former I worked for him more than 10 years ago before Ethan was born) down as a reference. The recruiter called him, and he called me soon after. He hired my back in the same conversation. I was going back to work outside of the home for the first time in more than 10 years. It was scary and exciting.Around the same time my husband, who had also put on a significant amount of weight, finally decided to do something about it. He started a keto diet, and the weight started falling off. He was feeling better, looked amazing, and really urging me to take better care of myself. My sister had been doing intermittent fasting for months, and had lost more than 20 pounds. I decided to try that.Late Summer 2018I was working, losing weight, the depression and anxiety were completely gone, and I was happier, healthier, and feeling good.That s when we started losing family members. I ve mentioned before that Jason lost both of his parents long before we had kids. My sister s in-laws were like another set of grandparents for my kids. Papa Don and Grandma Sharon. My grandmother had been suffering from Alzheimers for years, and it was slowly and progressively getting worse.And within a span of 3 months, we lost all three of them. It was stressful and awful. It was hard on our family.Gratefully I was in a mental place that I could deal with it without falling apart. Between August and October, all three of them had passed. It was a hard time, but I was thankful to have known and loved them all.TodayI m happy! I AM HAPPY!I m working and enjoying it. I am so glad that my husband suggested the change. I needed it.The depression and anxiety are gone. This is partly because I decided to take care of myself, and partly because I decided to give something else a try that my sister recommended. CBD oil. It was an absolute life changer for me and I ll explain more later. Remember that intermittent fasting I mentioned? Since May, I ve lost 30 pounds! I have about 5-10 more to go, but I m giving myself grace and waiting until the new year to finish up. More on that later as well because it was a life changer for me, too. People ask lots of questions about what it is and how it works and what my journey through it was, so I ll definitely share more about that. It s so important to me because it s not a diet it s a lifestyle change that I plan to keep forever.What s Next?  Blissdom 2012A few weeks ago, it was announced that Blissdom was coming back in 2019! Blissdom was a blog conference that used to happen annually in Nashville. I went to Blissdom 2012 after blogging for a couple of years and making a ton of online friends and it s still one of my favorite blogging memories. It was the first time that I got to meet many of those online friends in person, and it was one of the best times I ve ever had with friends.When the announcement was made about Blissdom, many of us old school bloggers were chatting on Facebook, and many of us started to think about blogging again. Most of us had stopped, and after the conversation, several of us realized how much we missed it.That s what started that writing itch I was feeling. That s when I decided to breathe new life into this little ol blog of mine. I won t solely be focusing on parenting, and instead I m going to write about me and things that I know. Books, recipes, kitchen tips and tricks, intermittent fasting, trying to be fashionable over 40, parenting hacks, fails, and wins (and there s been many of each,) and my favorite things.I m also going to clean up and revamp Mommy of a Monster. It s been years, and my lil piece of the internet deserves it.I mentioned back in 2017 that I was bringing on a couple of contributors: my sister Angie and sister in law Danielle. That s going to happen in the new year, too. Ethan wants to contribute book reviews and so you ll get to meet him, instead of just hearing stories about him.And what I realized just a couple of days ago is that maybe 2018 didn t suck like I thought it did. Maybe 2018 wasn t just a horrible year. Maybe, just maybe, 2018 was a year of growth for me and that I am better because of it. 2018 was a year of trials for me. And I think that I passed them all. But I am still glad that it s almost over because I m really looking forward to what 2019 has in store for me!Filed Under: Blogging, depression Shopping At Ontario Mills For Back To School And The Holidays!September 22, 2017 by Natalie We just finished up back to school shopping which is usually a real pain. However this year it was much easier than the years past because we went shopping at Ontario Mills, and if you re in Southern California, you should definitely check it out!Ontario Mills is located in Ontario, CA at the 10 and 15 freeways. It s California’s largest outlet and value retail shopping destination with more than 20 places to dine and over 200 stores boasting some of the biggest names in men s, women s and children s apparel, jewelry, sporting goods, footwear and more. Whatever you re looking for, you can find it at Ontario Mills.Usually when we do back to school shopping, it s a big production. I have to take the girls separately from Ethan because while the girls love shopping, driving to 10+ different stores is not Ethan s idea of a good time. What s great about shopping at Ontario Mills is that we can hit all of the kids favorite stores  like Nordstrom Rack, QuicSilver Outlet, Justice, H M, Forever 21, Old Navy, Abercrombie Fitch Outlet, and our newest favorite place to shop, the Skechers SuperStore (topped only for the girls by the Disney Outlet!) all in one place.There are stores for the parents too! I can t go to Ontario Mills without hitting the Coach Factory Store and Restoration Hardware Outlet. You can check out a list of all of the shops at Ontario Mills here. What I love about shopping at Ontario Mills is that we got all of our back to school shopping done in just one afternoon! From backpacks to shoes and clothes, and even school supplies, we found it all in one spot. It s convenient, affordable, and fun. Not only did we get our shopping all done, we even had time to stop for lunch at Rainforest Cafe. But there s so much more than just shopping at Ontario Mills. Whether you want to stop for a quick bite in the food court or sit down for a meal at a great restaurant like Market Broiler, Dave Buster’s, or Johnny Rockets, there are many food choices for even the pickiest eaters.There s lots of entertainment, too. Hit up a comedy show and dinner at the Improv or catch a movie at AMC 30 Theatres. You can even play like a kid again at GameWorks. Because Ontario Mills is so big, you ll want to check out the map to find your favorite stores. We spent the afternoon wandering and found many stores we didn t even know were located at Ontario Mills. And check out the Deals at Ontario Mills on their website so you can hit the sales that you won t want to miss!Now that back to school shopping is done, holiday shopping is up next. I love the idea of being able to go shopping for everything on my holiday list and being able to do it all in one place. I can shop for the kids, family, and even for holiday decorations. Bonus points for being able to go during the school day when the crowds or smaller than on the weekends. Don t forget to become a Mall Insider so you ll be the first to know about retailer deals and mall events. Plus you ll have a chance at a $1,000 shopping spree perfect for holiday shopping!I highly recommend visiting and shopping at Ontario Mills if you haven t been there before. Lots of parking, lots and lots of shops and dining, great deals, and fun too!Disclaimer: I was compensated for shopping at Ontario Mills however all opinions and thoughts are my own.Powered by SiteshitFiled Under: Uncategorized Everything Happens For A ReasonJune 22, 2017 by Natalie Back in January, I announced that my sister and sister-in-law were joining me to write Mommy of a Monster and Twins. We were gung-ho and so excited, and then I haven t blogged since. I don t know what happened! I just decided to stop blogging. I kept up Mommy of a Monster on social media, however the blog just went to the back burner.I considered letting go of my domain and shutting it down completely. But for some reason, something told me not to do it. And here I am! Ready to start blogging again.One thing I regret during the hiatus is that in March my blog turned 7 years old, and I didn t celebrate. Other than that, not much has changed in the past six months. The kids are out of school now, I ve been busy with work, and I m still reading like a bookworm. I ve also taken up a side business!I have been using Rodan + Fields skincare products for the last year, and I talk about how incredible they are to anybody who will listen. After some gentle prodding from family and friends, I decided to become an R+F consultant. I have lots of people who ask me about the products .how they work, IF they work, what I think about them .and I thought what better place to share the info than on my blog!In the future, you ll see great recipes mixed with book reviews by the kids, my sister-in-law s take on having two little ones under the age of 2, cooking with kids tips, and occasional Rodan + Fields reviews and even giveaways!I m looking forward to sharing all of this with you and excited to get back to blogging!Filed Under: beauty, health and beauty Next Page Loading I'm Natalie. Mom to 11 year old Ethan and 9 year old twins Lila and Mia.I'm a wife, blogger, social media addict, reader, writer, gardener, wanna be foodie, and wine lover (not necessarily in that order). I love quick and easy recipes, all things wine, good books, and parenting tips that I can actually use. You'll find all of those things here.Enter your email address:Delivered by FeedBurner

TAGS:Twins Blogging About 

<<< Thank you for your visit >>>

Blogging About Food, Wine, Parenting, And More Since 2010

Hot Websites