Nothing changed my world as much as becoming a mother did, and it changed my whole world. My outlook, priorities, everything changed. Having a perfect, sweet, innocent little creature love and depend on you transforms everything- we are inspired to be our best selves for our children.
My husband and I are both from close families, and when we got married, we became closer – literally. We were living in a one bedroom apartment, which quickly became too teeny when we found ourselves still there with two children (if it was tight for two, imagine four). The problem was my husband just started his career, and I had quit my pharmaceutical compounding job because it wasn’t the best environment for a pregnant woman.
A family of four living on a police man’s starting salary? It was very tight living for us, in every sense.
Looking back now, on years of my husband waking up at 4:30 to get to work, and my staying up until after midnight to write, well… it was exhausting, but worth it. We wanted more for our sweet boys than a one bedroom apartment (cute for a honeymooning couple, not cute with a toddler and a newborn), and as frustrating as it was, we budgeted, saved, and found unique ways to use our hobbies and talents to make money, until we were able to buy them a house with a yard to play in, and a bedroom for each.
If we had never had children, we’d still be in that little one bedroom condo, cozy and without a lawn that needed mowing so often. But my sons deserved a mom who was more present, and a place they could have room to be kids in. Years of saving and managing our finances so carefully was an investment in them. I didn’t even have a camera when my second son was born- I took pictures with a grainy flip-top cell phone because a smart phone was such a splurge, so I asked my husband for an iPhone for my “push” present just to capture pictures of my second son in his early months. Our sons inspired us to strive for more, for them.
My sons made me feel like an Unstoppable Mom, and we just didn’t give up. Today, we have all we’d hope for for them… a yard to run in, a bedroom each can make into their own space, and a school they are safe in. And I have a life I love because of them (otherwise I’d still be compounding prescriptions in a small room with no windows to this day- not the worst thing, but life is definitely more fun now!). Wanting more for them led me down paths that made me happier too.
My little dude inspires me to be the best I can be, and he recently surprised me on set with Children’s MOTRIN, where he shared why he thought I was his #myunstoppablemom:
This is my trying-not-to-cry-in-a-roomful-of-people face 🙂
Create Your Own Book Cover
Visit MyUnstoppableMom.com to create your own My Unstoppable Mom book cover with your kids that celebrates your unique, unstoppable power as a mom, as seen through the eyes of your kids. You can also learn more about how the makers of Children’s MOTRIN® are supporting literacy for those in need.
Between November 2, 2015 and December 17, 2015, the makers of Children’s MOTRIN® invite legal residents of the 50 U. S. & D.C., 18 and older, to create a storybook cover on MyUnstoppableMom.com. Each eligible submission will trigger a donation from Children’s MOTRIN® of one (1) book to a family in need, via Reach Out and Read, with a minimum donation of 10,000 books ($17,500 value) and a maximum of 25,000 books ($24,000 value), through its partnership with Scholastic. See Official Rules at website for complete details. For information about Reach Out and Read, visit http://www.reachoutandread.org/.
Join the #MyUnstoppableMom Twitter Party December 15th at Noon
On December 15th at 12 noon EST, join us for a Twitter Party around the theme Power of Children & Family, and maybe win some of the great prizes that will be offered to participants. Hope to see you there!
I have been compensated by, and received information and materials from, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division, the makers of Children’s MOTRIN®. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post.