Mom Dating is Hard

So I’ve come to the conclusion that finding your best friend soul mate is a million times harder than dating and finding a mate. Don’t get me wrong, I have several close friendships I established and continue to care for from high school and my hometown. However, when you move away it can be daunting to find a new “tribe”. 

I’m extremely introverted and I struggle with small talk. I’ve tried to socialize in Facebook groups and it never goes anywhere. I live in the Deep South and I’m not especially religious sooooo obviously that’s a huge hurdle. 

Now I’m not saying I’m not a believer in Christianity. What I am saying is that I do not want to come to church three times, two potlucks, and six women’s studies groups to make a friend. The struggle is real people! 🤷🏼‍♀️

Buy guys….. I found the mom equivalent of Tinder and it is AH-mazing! It’s called Peanut and you swipe up or down based on hobbies and the ages of your children to find a good match. It’s so easy and cuts down on the first awkward “what do you like to do for fun” convo. 

As an incredibly shy person, I’m stoked to say I’ve officially made 3 friends from this app!!! They are my people and I haven’t felt this fulfilled in such a long time 😍 

Listen mommas, give this one a try, especially if you’re struggling to find your village. 

Also, I started a Facebook page for my blog so follow this link and like it please! 

https://m.facebook.com/Daily-Struggle-Bus-1247521345354332/

INFLUENSTER 🙌🏼

So guys I did a thing…I signed up for Influenster and received complimentary hair products. I hear you. I was skeptical at first too. 

This is legit though. I didn’t just receive sample sizes, I received full size products to review and post about! 

Afterwards, all I had to do was post a review and share on social media. The more “reach” you have on social media, the more likely you are to receive a box (“VoxBox”). It was seriously so simple and I’m looking forward to being selected for a new box. 

Influenster also has a home page to read others’ reviews which is really helpful when shopping around. Guys, don’t hesitate. Sign yourselves up to get some goodies! 🙌🏼❤️⭐️
*also let me give you my quick review of the Garnier products. I love the smell, texture, and price of these! They’ve been a staple in my hair care for a long time so I was t surprised when I used them 😊

Baby Tantrums are a Thing?!?

(Side note: cheers to me for posting two days in a row! 🙀) 

When I became a mom I had this picturesque notion that I had at least 18ish months until I would be dealing with full fledged tantrums. I’m here to let all the readers know, I was wrong. I was devastatingly wrong. 

At almost 10 months, we are now dealing with 5-10 tantrums a day. Let me reiterate…I had no freaking idea babies her age threw tantrums! So, I did what any other good, millennial mom would do. I Googled it 🙏🏼 

The Google gods state that baby tantrums differ from toddler tantrums and they shouldn’t be handled in the same way. From what I gathered, baby tantrums arise out of a surge of emotion or frustration from not being able to move where said baby wishes or communicate wants or needs. (Insert mental dialogue: “Well shit. There is literally nothing I can do but continue guessing what she wants and help her ride the emotional roller coaster.”) 

Folks I am here to tell you, this is hard and I am struggling. Today we tried repeatedly offering snacks, drinks, cuddles, and every toy in the house. I’d like to say I’m figuring her out but she’s like an entirely different person the older she gets. I love watching her evolve but girl is gonna give momma a drinking problem (as in coffee). 

On a positive note, she learned where her nose is and how to point to it today. That’s a win, right?

Where is My Head??

I haven’t been as dedicated as I told myself I would be. I tried to be strict about writing on a regular basis but it’s fallen by the wayside. Mom life is definitely coming easier but I’m still struggling to grasp back onto “me”. I feel like I’ve lost a large part of my personality since becoming a mom. 

Since I’ve been trying to climb out of this hole I’ve dove head first into crafts, fitness, and excessive Pinteresting. It’s unhealthy how much I’m on Pinterest and let me be clear…I am NOT a Pinterest mom (lol). 

Some days I spend 3+ hours supervising free play from my recliner while I Pinterest things I wish I could be doing. I’m not even sure what I hope to accomplish by writing about this but maybe if another mom stumbles across this post and can relate to this numbness I feel, maybe she’ll feel relieved that she’s not alone. Maybe she’ll feel enough sunshine to climb out of her own hole. 

I feel like my loss of concrete purpose is to blame. I’m no longer in school, no longer working, and I have no long term goals anymore. So, I’m just wandering…that’s the only thing I can equate it to. I suppose I’ll continue searching for my fleeing wit and work on being present. After all, that’s all any of us can guarantee.

The Struggle Behind the Struggle Bus

The history of the struggle bus goes way back for this girl. My husband used to call me “Murphy” as in Murphy’s Law when we were in high school. At times, I’ve also been called “Grace” as an ironic nod to my clumsiness 🙄. It seems that every single day has a moment where I just have to sigh and say “seriously?!?” in reference to my unfortunate circumstances. 

For instance, this week alone, my car was hit in a Hobby Lobby parking lot hit & run, my baby is teething and an absolute monster, and my dog puked enough to fill a football stadium and almost died. (She’s fine now btw…the dog. The baby is definitely still moody) 

I suppose the point in me complaining about this nonsense is to demonstrate the constant knot in my stomach that is my life. This blog has become somewhat cathartic for my stress but I feel like I need to break this string of bad luck somehow. I mean, was I just a shitty person in a past life? What the hell? If anyone that stumbles across this post has any thoughts on ways to attract positivity, please share. Until then, I’m going to try every superstition, horoscope, rabbit’s foot, and four leaf clover to make me feel less like a chronic hot mess.