My Inner Shakti

finding strength in everyday things

The Privilege of Choice

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Have you ever thought about something so much that you feel like you could write a whole book on the topic? That’s me right now with this idea of the privilege of choice.

Ever since we decided to start Mila in daycare, I’ve been thinking about my privilege to choose to put her in school at this time. And then my mind automatically goes to my parents and their lack of privilege with so many things. That, of course, brings it’s own sense of guilt…

…such a layered topic for me!

I’m sharing this because I think there’s some hidden shame for those of us who are the ‘in between generation.’ Personally, I am the child of immigrants who quite literally worked their butts off to give us a good life. That good life, which I undoubtedly live, provides me with privilege. And even though my parents have never shamed me for the way we live our life, I feel like I owe them something, and one way I can do that is by choosing the harder path.

Are you still with me?

Ok, so this came up for me because, as you all know, I quit my corporate job to really put my whole self into Awarify and now Momsanity. But then we kept Mila home with me for a year because we couldn’t find a nanny and because I didn’t want to start her in daycare until at least 12 months.

The 12 month mark rolled round, and I found myself conflicted again. Cold and flu season is on steriods right now. Are we doing the right thing? Should I take her out and put her back at 18 months? And the real zinger of a question was…

…am I being selfish by choosing to put my child in daycare when she could stay home with me?

I went in circles over this decision. I talked to friends, I obviously talked to Vishnu, and I talked to my sister who’s a pediatrician.

Obviously, everyone I talked to had differing opinions. Some agreed with my initial idea to restart her at 18 months, and some thought the complete opposite – keep her in!

Vishnu, and my sister agreed, is of the mindset that, in terms of sickness, we’re just kicking the can down the road if we start her later. And who knows what other viruses are going to be circulating in the springtime.

I was also concerned about her nap schedule being thrown off (and it is), but my friend Monica reminded me that transitions take time, and that Mila would in fact adjust.

And finally, everyone said that I also have to take my wants/needs/desires for my businesses into account. I can’t keep pushing those to some future date…because I’m scared. And that really got to it for me. Taking care of Mila is so natural to me. I know how to do it, and I think I do a good job. Whereas, I’ve never built a business from the ground up before. There’s definitely some fear there!

Ultimately, the decision we came to was to take things month by month. If for any reason, we/I feel like she’s not thriving or it’s too much for her, we can take her out for a bit. Also, she’s in school 3.5 days, which is an amount of time I’m comfortable with.

At the end of the day, it’s still a privilege to put her in school when we don’t technically have to, but I’m realizing that it’s good for both of us. I’m making some headway with Awarify and Momsanity, and Mila gets to grow her social skills and have fun with other babies which she absolutely loves! It really is a win/win.

Also, when I compare sending Kaiden to school versus Mila, there was no choice with him. We had to send him, which brought with it a different kind of guilt.

Life is never going to be black and white. Most things are pretty gray. And that’s where I feel like I sit right now. 100% in the gray.

As another friend told me when I basically shared this whole blog post with her via a phone convo, it’s ok for our lives to look different than our parents. It’s called progress, and more importantly, how we choose to live our lives, no matter what the decisions are, is up to us. No one else has to live with our choices. Only we do. So be kinder to yourself.

I hope you’re kind to yourself through every though choice.

Black Friday 2022 – Invest in YOURSELF

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Holiday season is upon us! Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before you know it. And that means sale upon sale upon sale will be happening too. And of course, I’m not here to tell you how to spend your money. I will be purchasing a few things here and there too!

But what I am here to tell you is while you’re at it, why not use this time to think about investing in YOURSELF! You know, the kind of investment that will fulfill you and make you more joyful not just for a day or a week but for months and maybe even years to come.

Look, I get it. It’s easier to buy material goods because these are things you can see and even return if you later decide to. Investing in yourself takes courage, and it also requires you to put in some work/effort.

I also know that there’s no better time to put yourself high up on your priority list. No one is going to do that for you. It’s been a hell of a couple of years. AND YOU DESERVE IT! You deserve to try something new. You deserve to work on your mindset. You deserve to find systems and tools to help you in your life. You deserve to be healthier – mind, body, and soul.

Say it with me – I deserve to invest in myself! I deserve to have an overflowing cup!

Keep you cup full by investing in YOURSELF!

Ok, now that we got that out of the way, here are a few ways you can do this. Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list, but play around with these ideas, think about them some more, and pick a couple of things you want to invest your $$$ in this coming year (or maybe even next Friday!).

And remember, investing in yourself also means investing in your relationship, your family, and your future.

COACHING

  • One-on-one professional coaching – If you’re ready to put in the reflection and action, this is one of the best ways to invest in yourself. Not only will you walk away with ideas to implement in your life to feel fulfilled, but you’ll also walk away with a different mindset, one that leaves you feeling more confident and empowered. Check out the Awarify Coaching website if you want to work with me. Amy is also a fantastic coach who works with working moms!
  • The Momsanity FREE Live Event: Celebrating All of Us – This is one of those events that you’ll definitely walk away with feeling less alone. It’s going to be casual but impactful. Amy and I have crafted an agenda that is truly a celebration of all of us, and we hope you make time in your schedule to join us. It’s 100% free, and more importantly, you deserve it!
  • Momsanity Group Coaching Program – The cat’s out of the bag! Amy and I will be running a three month group coaching program starting in January 2023. We know it’s going to empower already ambitious moms who want more out of life – more joy, more fun, more fulfillment, etc. We’re going to be running a Black Friday sale, so be on the lookout for more information next week!

READING

  • Audible membership – There are so many tools out there to get us to read more. Audible is a GREAT option for those who are on the go and/or those who like to listen to their books. It all counts! And reading/listening of any sort is an investment in your soul!
  • Personal development books – Gift yourself some really good books to dive into this coming holiday season/year. Some of my favorites are – Think Like a Monk, Essentialism, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, anything by Brene Brown.
  • A book club – And by this I mean, you could start a book club with some of your friends! This is a great way to invest in yourself and your relationships.

HEALTH

  • Gym membership – Join a gym. Join Orangetheory. Join a barre studio. Invest in your health in a way that feels fun for you.
  • Hire a trainer – To take things to the next level, work with a trainer who can create a plan for you and help you achieve your goals. I have friends whose trainers come to their house. Make it work for you!
  • Hire a health coach/nutritionist – Looking to get your health back on track and figure out a system that you can stick to for life? Work with a professional to help you do just that.

TRAVEL

  • Plan a trip with your significant other – Experiences are often the best kinds of investments, and travel definitely tops the list in my opinion. Take some time and plan a trip or two with your partner. Investing in your relationship pays dividends for years to come and creates a stronger family dynamic too!
  • Plan a trip with your friends – Get your best friends on a group chat and plan a trip for y’all to celebrate your friendship! It’s rejuvenating and life giving, AND you’ll carry those memories with you for a long time. And if you think about it, as you get older, these friendships become over more important. Invest in your friends!

Like I said, this isn’t an all inclusive list, but it’s a conversation starter about how we need to fill our cups FIRST! The overflow of our cup is what we can give to others.

What would you add to this list?

Disney World 2022: Magic Kingdom + Animal Kingdom

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I’ve been sitting on this Disney post for a while now! I thought I’d type it all out before I forget some of the important details.

Ok, first and foremost, some context about our group. We went with two other families, so there were 10 people total in our group – six adults and four kids (7 yo, 5 yo, 4 yo, and 3 yo).

Where we stayed

We rented a house in the Reunion Resort in Reunion, FL. We decided to stay off property because we 1. wanted to stay altogether and not in separate rooms 2. we inserted a ‘free’ day in between our two park days and figured a house would allow us to relax and have fun (we had a pool), and 3. we preferred having a kitchen and buying groceries to eating out the whole time (a big perk was being able to eat breakfast at home and then pack simple lunches for everyone to eat at the park).

The house we rented sleeps 16, so we had plenty of space. The kids slept in bunk beds (boys in one room, girls in another) and each of the couples got a spacious room to themselves. Everyone had their own bathrooms too.

Free day

Before I talk about Disney itself, I have to say that inserting a free day between park days was the best idea because it allowed us to rest, recuperate, and then go hard one more day. If we had done back to back park days, I think our group would’ve been exhausted and a littler miserable. Even though we went in early October, it was still hot, and I was definitely a sweaty mess at times! We spent our day by/in the pool (in our backyard), and it was so much fun!

Genie, Genie +, Lightening Lanes, and Rider Swap

Ok, so this whole Genie/Genie + thing brought up a lot of discussion as we were planning out our days. I didn’t truly get it until the middle of day 1, so don’t feel silly if you’re like, “What the heck is this?!”

I’m going to share a simple analogy that our group came up with…

Genie is a FREE app and it’s like a highway – everyone is allowed, anyone can access, and in fact, it’s sort of must download and use kind of thing. It tells you what the wait times are for certain rides, it has restaurant info on it, it has a map, etc. The Genie app is basically your one stop shop for all things Disney.

Now, Genie Plus is like the HOV lane. You have to pay to get this service. Essentially, you can reserve your arrival time in advance for one ride at a time using the Lightning Lane. Once you’re checked in for a ride, you can use Genie + to reserve your next ride. It’s not AS simple as that, but it’s a great resource to have when you’re trying to do lots of things in one day. Genie + is not free. I believe we paid $15 per person per day for it. I would highly recommend purchasing this for everyone in your party.

And just to add on another layer to this puzzle, there are rides at each park that have their own lightening lane pass. HOWEVER, if you are not staying at a Disney resort, you can only access this via the app at 8 am (not 7 am like with Genie +). At Magic Kingdom, the ride was Mine Train and at Animal Kingdom it was the Avatar ride/experience.

One little hack that helped us with getting everyone on Avatar was a rider swap. So we had six adults in our party. The three girls basically stood in the regular line for Avatar (about 1 hour and 45 minutes long). We rode the ride, came out, and the guys got to go through the lightening lane line (which was much shorter). While we were in line waiting, they took the kids on another ride. All we had to do was let the attendants at the front know that we wanted to do a rider swap. They did something in our app to get everything to register correctly, and we were good to go.

Pixie Travel

Truthfully, I wasn’t involved at all in booking the parks and all that came with, but my friend Samir (and my friend Monica who went in September) worked with Pixie Travel to build our itinerary. If you’re looking to make the planning process more efficient, I recommend checking them out.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom was the first park on our itinerary. While we were all exhausted after our day at the park, all of us also had a blast!

Here are the rides/experiences we did…

  • It’s a Small World
  • Pirates of the Carribbean
  • Mine Train*
  • Dumbo
  • Big Thunder Mountain*
  • The Barnstromer* (great beginner roller coaster)
  • Tomorrowland Speedway (would’ve been fun except I was leading our lane and got stuck behind a slow poke!)
  • Jungle Cruise (Kaiden and I didn’t go on this one)
  • Stage show (we happened across this at the castle on our way to a different part of the park)*
  • Parade (this was a fun break for the kids/adults!)*
  • Nighttime fireworks*

*The rides I highly recommend!

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom was an absolute blast! We had so much fun exploring and taking in all the different sights and sounds!

Here are the rides/experiences we did…

  • Lion King show*
  • Finding Nemo show*
  • It’s a Bug’s Life*
  • Safari*
  • Everest* (a roller coaster)
  • Gorilla walk*
  • Avatar* (an immersive roller coaster like experience)

Soooo as you can see, I recommend it ALL! The shows are a great way to be entertained and rest your body and/or cool off from the heat. The rides/experiences are just so well done and fun. Even the simple Gorilla Walk we went on while waiting for our lightening lane time was interesting for everyone!

Overall impression

The last time I went to a Disney park, I was a teenager. Going back as an adult, I didn’t know if it would appeal to me as much as it would to Kaiden. But I was so wrong! They really do know what they’re doing. From the rides, to the customer service, to the cleanliness of the park, to just about everything. The magic that’s present and created throughout is so fun.

Misc. tips

Strollers – If you’re renting strollers at the park, which I highly recommend you do, even if you think your kid can walk the whole time, definitely figure out how the strollers work beforehand. And try to do all the adjustments beforehand as well. It’ll save you time when you get to the park.

Dole Whip – Dole Whip is as good as they make it sound! Unfortunately, they were out of the pineapple kind while we were there, but I tried the strawberry, and it was delicious. They also have alcoholic versions…just saying!

Magic Kingdom nighttime fireworks – While this was an amazing fireworks show, and super cool to see at a Disney park, my personal advice is to leave a little early and not stay for the whole thing. You could even position yourself near an exit and watch from there and then jet out. We got out semi-early, and the crowd behind us was insane. Not something I wanted to get stuck in with a tired kid.

Pack food and take coolers – There are plenty of restaurants and fast food type places in the parks, but you can bring your own food and I would highly recommend doing this. We packed PB&J sandwiches, snacks, fruit, and water/drinks for everyone. Hunger could hit while you’re waiting in a long line, and while that’s fine for adults (for the most part!), for kids it’s just not. I’m so glad we did this!

Freeze water bottles and/or any drinks the night before – This was a handy little tip someone shared with us. Freeze water bottles the night before so that when you’re ready to drink them at the park, they’re nice and cold and stay that way the whole time.

That about sums up our Disney trip! Let me know if you have any questions. Happy to help!

Momsanity Ep. 6 + Friday Stuff

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Amy and I just released episode 6 of the Momsanity Podcast, and you guys, I know I say this about every episode, but the honest and vulnerable conversation in this one is just too good.

A little behind the scenes info…up until this episode, we were going into each recording session pretty scripted (me especially). However, this time around, we took the bullet point approach, and I have to say, I think it worked out really well. This definitely sounded way more conversational than past episodes.

Anyways, I highly recommend all my ambitious mama (which I know is all of you) tune in because Amy and I share a lot of our own insights and ideas on how to bring our motherhood journey and our ambition into harmony.

The key here is to remember that there’s no right or wrong answer. Your ambition will ebb and flow based on the season of motherhood you’re in, and that’s a beautiful thing. Think of your ambition as a dial that you turn up or down depending on the day, month, or year…not as an on/off switch.

And remember, we’re in this with you!

Friday Stuff

Instead of sharing a random list of things from the week, I think I’ll just catch y’all up on where I am right now. A lot has happened since the last time I posted.

First of all…WE MOVED! Everything went really well. The movers were good. I hired someone to help me unpack, and she was awesome. The kids have adjusted well.

Vishnu and I are just still…very tired! It’s not like we moved and now we have a few weeks to settle in. We literally hit the ground running in terms of moving and then keeping on with our regularly scheduled program. Like hasn’t paused or slowed down in the slightest, which is a little different from our past moves where it was either just the two of us or we had one little kid who didn’t have real school or activities.

But still, life is good, and I’m so very thankful for it all. We’ll catch up on sleep…eventually…in like 20 years!

Speaking of Kaiden’s activities, we signed him up for swim lessons because the boy loves water and is very overconfident, which scares us! He’s going to do private lessons for a couple of months and then transition to semi-private. Vishnu and I really see this as a life skill that he (and eventually Mila) has to master. And now that we live in Georgia, it’s pool season 9 months out of the year.

He’s also still doing Tae-Kwan-Do, which I think is helping with focus and discipline. We’ll see where it takes us. He’s also got tennis as an after school sport once a week at school. It’s more of an introduction to see if he likes it and is interested in learning more. We shall see! I keep reminding myself that he’s 5. He’s got the rest of his life to figure out his strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, etc. Right now, his biggest focus should be on being a kid!

Speaking of being a kid…guess where we’re headed this weekend…DISNEY WORLD!

We’re going with two other families for four nights. We’re doing two parks – Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom…and I CAN’T FREAKING WAIT! Kaiden LOVED Disney on Ice, so I can’t even imagine how much he’s going to love actual Disney World. My friend Monica went a week or so ago, and she warned that it’s super overstimulating now, so definitely keeping that in mind.

I’ll share a whole Disney post with what we did, where we ate, and any tips/tricks we come up with!

When I sit back and think about it, October is a big month for us! My sister’s birthday, Vishnu’s birthday, my BIL’s birthday, Halloween, Disney (this year), apple picking…ANNNNNDDD my baby girl’s (1st) birthday!

We’re doing a small celebration with family and close friends at the house. Keeping it very low key for many reasons. Should be fun!

And one other big thing is happening this month – Mila starts daycare! I don’t think my heart is ready, even though my mind and a tiny bit of sanity is! I cry just thinking about it but tell myself that everything’s going to be ok. One day at a time!

With that, have a wonderful Friday and weekend!

Momsanity Ep. 5 + Friday Stuff

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Happy happy Friday, y’all!

If I drop off this space for the next week or so, please know it’s because we’re MOVING on Tuesday! AHH! So much to look forward to and so much overwhelm at the moment. I just keep telling myself that in a few weeks time we’ll be settled in our new home and routine. Just gotta get to that point!

Momsanity Ep. 5 and December Event

Before I jump into Friday stuff, I want to share a little bit about the Momsanity Podcast episode that went live on Wednesday.

Momsanity

In this episode, Amy and I talk about the mental load, which we believe is the hardest part of being a mom. And I have so many mom friends who say the same. It’s the weight of ALL the stuff…not just your own but everyone else’s too. While there may not be a way release it completely, there are certainly a few things we can do to shift the weight. If you feel this weight on your shoulders on a day-to-day basis, I highly recommend tuning in to this specific episode.

Speaking of Momsanity, Amy and I are also in planning mode for our first free event on December 8th. In fact, we brainstormed on Tuesday night exactly how we see it unfolding, and it’s going to be SO FUN! If you want to be one of the first to know about this event and all other things Momsanity, please sign up here!

Ok, on to Friday stuff…

Dr. Becky – Good Inside Membership + Book

Those who know me well know that once I’m obsessed with something I can’t shut up about it. And that is 100% the case when it comes to Dr. Becky and her Good Inside Membership (and IG page and podcast). I joined last week and have already watched two workshops. And honestly (very honestly), I’m blown away by her approach, perspective, tips, strategies, etc. It’s been a game changer with Kaiden already, especially because I do believe he’s what Dr. Becky calls a Deeply Feeling Kid (DFK). If you’re going to invest in any parenting platform, I’d say this is an amazing one. Not only is her material amazing, but her community is also super supportive, vulnerable and honest. I’m so in love with this resource!

I also bought Dr. Becky’s book – Good Inside after listening to her on Glennon Doyle’s podcast. I haven’t started it yet but plan to dig in next week after the move! Can’t wait to share more.

Backstreet Boys

After listening to Disney soundtracks on repeat whenever we’re driving somewhere (which is all the time), I decided enough is enough and I played Backstreet Boys. Lucky for me, Kaiden let me listen to a few songs before strongly requesting Tangled. Ha!

Speaking of Backstreet Boys, are you team BSB or team N’Sync? I loved both growing up, but BSB wins by a slight margin for sure! The songs/lyrics are just too good!

Nighttime Routine

Y’all! When we’re settled in the new house, my wake up time will be 4:30 am on the dot if I want to workout, shower, etc. Kaiden will need to start waking up at 6 (as will Vishnu) and Mila at 6:30. Woo wee! It’s going to be interesting but doable.

I really need to solidify a nighttime routine for myself. While I can wake up at 4:30 after going to bed at 10 pm…I’m a freaking zombie during the day. And that’s not helpful at all.

I need to be in bed, eyes closed by 9:30 (I’m a 7 hour of sleep a night kind of person). Right now, I average 10 pm as a bedtime, but I have to find ways to get to sleep sooner.

Vishnu and I are done cleaning the kitchen by 8:00-8:15, which means I have a good 45 minute to an hour to relax and do whatever I need/want before heading into some kind of routine. One that includes skincare and reading for sure. Will keep y’all posted on this!

Boundaries

I’ve been thinking a lot about boundaries lately, and specifically how to state them in a kind way.

In a conversation with my mom earlier this week, I shared a boundary with her in a calm, loving way, and she called me later to tell me how much she appreciated the way I delivered that particular message.

That just got me thinking about how in order to honor other people, we need to honor ourselves first. We need to think about things from a calm/kind/loving perspective in order to deliver a message that carries that same kind of emphasis.

I’ll share more on my thoughts around this again soon, but it’s just something that’s been on my mind lately…

With that, I hope you have a great Friday and weekend!

Postpartum Aches and Pains

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This post is not intended to scare moms to be or women who want to be moms in the future. It’s just an honest reflection of my postpartum experience. Everyone is different. The real key is to find the humor in these things when you can!

At some point over the weekend, I had my hair up in a bun (of course!), and I noticed a million baby hairs pointing in every direction. They were literally popping out from the front, the top, the back, etc. As annoying as this is, it made me laugh because personally I’ve found baby hairs to be the least of my postpartum aches and pains.

This also got me thinking about all the strange things that have happened to me physically after having kids.

The about to be a first time mom version of me had no clue what was coming!

The strangest experience was getting full body hives. Not once but TWICE! The first time, I went to an allergist, got a full work up, and they found nothing. The doctor was convinced I had cold urticaria (allergic to extremely cold weather). That would’ve made sense given we lived in Chicago at the time, except for that fact that this was my third winter in the Windy City. The second time around was before a a big work trip and a big family trip, so I just started taking the same meds right away.

Fingers crossed I haven’t had hives since October 2019!

Speaking of allergies, I’ve noticed that since having kids, my allergic reaction to whatever is floating around outside is more pronounced. If I forget to take Aller-tec first thing in the morning and spend any amount of time outside, it’s game over. My eyes and face and everything…so itchy!

Never had any kind of allergies before kids…just saying!

Ok, moving away from allergies…and on to literally aches and pains…

This could honestly just be a getting older thing, but man, my lower back pain is nuts on some days. I notice it more when I workout, but again, not something I had to think about before kids. I have zero proof, but I have to believe that carrying around two babies for nine months each did something to my alignment. I’m getting better about using our massage gun and stretching whenever I can, but still…it’s a literal pain!

Also, and I realize I’m sound like a frail lady, after having Kaiden I sometimes (it’s more rare now) get this strange tightness in my sternum area into my abdomen whenever I bend over on the floor to play with the kids. And the only thing that helps is to breathe through it. Thankfully, it hasn’t happened since having Mila, but I’m always cautious about moving too quickly now.

And finally, my inability to sleep through the night + night sweats. I definitely attribute this to becoming a mom. My brain is constantly on, and I have yet to think of a way to turn it off for the night. I wake up at least once if not multiple times. Sometimes I think I hear one of the kids crying (sometimes it is one of the kids crying), other times I wake up and freak out when Vishnu’s not next to me, and sometimes I just wake up for no good reason. Working on establishing a better night time routine with at least 30 minutes of down time before bed.

As far as the night sweats go, it must be some sort of hormonal thing. It’s not as bad as it was immediately postpartum, but man, some nights I wake up drenched in sweat. It’s so gross! And while Vishnu will say it was warm that night, he’s never sweating the way I am.

Obviously, all of these things are a small price to pay for my beautiful children! It’s just part of the process, and I’d do it a million times over to be honest. Just a tiny bit unfair that my husband doesn’t get to partake in this fun even though K + M are 50% his!

BIG News + Weekend Stuff

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Y’all! It. Has. Been. A. Week. Parenting front. Marriage front. Self front. All of it. But Friday-Sunday were great. Thankful for a few good days after a crazy week.

Unfortunately, it’s not going to get any less crazy because…

…BIG NEWS…

…we bought a house and are moving next week!

After 10+ years of renting, we are finally homeowners! More than anything, I’m excited to give the kids a little more space and a backyard. Woo!

Will share more as things unfold.

On to weekend stuff…

FRIDAY

Kaiden had his very first field trip to the Museum of Puppetry, and he LOVED it! His first school bus ride as well. I loved seeing all the update pics throughout the morning. Kindergartners are so dang cute!

While Kaiden was watching a puppet show, I recorded the final two episodes (of season one) of Momsanity with Amy. So so good…we were on fire if I do say so myself! And for those of you who are wondering, there will be a season two early in 2023!

Later in the day, after picking K up from school, I took both kiddos to a nearby park. Unfortunately, there were hundreds (or what felt like hundreds) of kids running around. Kaiden didn’t get to have quite the kind of fun he was hoping for, but he made do.

Side note – big kids who have zero playground etiquette get on my nerves and make me so mad! Just saying!

After the park, we walked to a new hoagie place to pick up dinner. It was good but not great, so we probably won’t be trying it again. I got a cheese sandwich for K, and it was literally a mini sub roll and cheese. No mayo/mustard, lettuce or tomatoes. I added some from my own sandwich.

Also of note…I successfully put two kids to bed all on my own…and on time! Even after 11 months, this still feels like a win. Vishnu was working a 4-10pm shift from home, so he took Mila while I gave K a bath, but after that, I was on my own.

I had big plans for my solo evening. A mask, a book, and an early bedtime. None of that happened. I fell asleep on the couch, woke up to clean the kitchen, and then went back to sleep on the couch. HOT MESS! Oh well, I was pretty exhausted…!

SATURDAY

Can someone tell my why a child who has to be pulled from his bed at 6:30am Monday-Friday wakes up at 6:15 on his own on the weekends? I’ve got nothing!

But said child came and got in bed with us for about 30 seconds before shaking me to tell me he’s hungry. Downstairs we went!

After breakfast, our family of four head to the doctor’s office so the kids could get their flu shots. Shots are never fun, but this was quick and easy.

And then I got to go to Trader Joe’s…ALONE! It was magical. Ha!

The highlight of Saturday was a little day date with Vishnu. Believe it or not, but we haven’t been on a true date since before Mila was born. As in, he and I hadn’t been to a restaurant just the two of us in over a year! CRAZY!

Thankful that my parents could come over to watch the kids on short notice so the two of us could get some time alone.

We went to North Italia, and the food was delicious. For my entree, I ordered the burrata stuffed pasta, and it was worth every bite. In fact, Vishnu said that’s what he would order if we ever went there again.

Side note – I love that restaurants are sharing calorie counts on menus, but I also hate it. Like do I really want to know that my entree has over 1000 calories. Nope.

The rest of the day included at home fun, and a movie night with my boo! We watched ‘Wedding Season‘ on Netflix and really enjoyed it. A fun watch for sure.

SUNDAY

Said child woke up at 6:15 again! He played in his room until the chair he was rocking in toppled over. Then he screamed, so mommy had to run in to 1. make sure he’s ok and 2. make sure he didn’t wake his sister up.

At that point, I realized there was no getting back in bed for me, so we headed downstairs to make breakfast – croissants, cheesy eggs, and fruit. YUM!

The rest of the morning included a very vibrant conversation with Vishnu about mom guilt and everything that comes with.

Vishnu took Kaiden to the park a little later and met up with a med school friend of his who recently moved to Atlanta.

The rest of my day was spent making snacks and meals and hanging out in the living room.

We ended family time with dinner and the Falcons game. Then it was bath, bed, and some alone time for mommy.

And that, my friends, was our weekend. The next one is a little crazy in terms of events/commitments – Disney on Ice, possible garba, two birthday parties, and getting the kiddos over to my parents house because the packers come on Monday. AHHH!!!

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