When you were in grade school, what qualified as BFF status simply meant you were funny, played on the playground, and sat next to one another at the lunch table. You traded your Hostess Twinkie for her Doritos and picked each other for kickball teams at recess.

From the day I found out I was pregnant, I realized I couldn’t go back to the job I had. Not only because of the four hours of daily commuting and constant travel. Most importantly it wasn’t a kind environment to the mom I wanted to be.

Even though we love to celebrate the perfect moments we have as parents, we have to understand that being a perfect mom is impossible. As much as we’d love to be perfect mothers, it isn’t the reality and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Our mistakes help us learn and grow as parents. It’s all part of the adventure of parenting. 

  It’s one of the B words of motherhood. Boundaries. When I’ve simply thought of the word, I immediately imagined an iron fence with a sign of aggressive red words saying things like “KEEP OUT!” or “BEWARE OF DOG!” But as I’ve learned more about boundaries, specifically with motherhood, I now have a healthier meaning of the word and how it can make me AND my relationships stronger.

Nothing prepares you with how you will feel after your baby is born nor can you fully prepare, predict or even guess what it will truly be like. Sure, there are plenty of movies, television shows, reality shows, books, doctor appointments, and even some funny stories from friends and family, but the true reality is different for every mother.

Another year has come and gone. I’m not the first to say that there were a lot of surprises and situations, good and bad of course. With the uncertainty that the last couple years has held, it’s hard to go into another year with an optimistic mindset. Can New Year's Resolutions really help with that?

I’ll say it twice, motherhood can be lonely. Motherhood can be really lonely.

I seemed to base all my baby activity expectations around photos, ads, and social media posts. Let’s call it the Family Fantasy Filter. Bath time for example.