Mommy Woe's.

Being a mother is hard.

Never in my life did I think that the thing I desired to be the most would cause me so much stress, pain, heartache, sleep deprivation, depression or fear. All of these emotions that I try and deny, "oh no, I don't have/feel that" are a daily occurrence. It scares me sometimes. It scares me that I catch myself thinking that I had children too quickly, or wondering what island I would be vacationing on if I didn't have kids, or where I would be spending the next paycheck on fabulous clothes and shoes for myself if I didn't have to buy diapers, formula and baby clothes. Does that make me a bad mother?
I know I shouldn't but, I do often find myself comparing my little "mommy woe's" to mothers who have children who are handicap or who face other difficult struggles and think my problems are small. However, sometimes there are days where motherhood feel completely overwhelming. After a long weekend and between a sick baby, attention hungry two year old, dishes, laundry, showering, making meals, getting dressed, cleaning rooms, grocery shopping, blog planning, making plans for the week, work scheduling and so many other endless daily tasks, I feel utterly defeated. I wanted today to be over as soon it began.
It's hard to be a mom sometimes. Bottom line. For every adorable, happy, picture perfect photo I post on Instagram or Facebook, there are TEN more for the moments throughout the day my toddler smacked his sister, or spilled water all over the floor, or the baby puked everywhere and the dishes and laundry began to pile up.
I think people are quick to judge when a mom mentions anything about a "bad day" with comments like; "its SOOO tough to be you (in a sarcastic tone)" "there are bigger problems in the world" "stop your whining, you chose to be a mother"  "your life isn't hard"
I wish we could all embrace, love and support each other when someone needs an outlet to vent. The truth is being a mother is hard. So is being a father, a school teacher, a grocery clerk, a drive thru window attendant... almost every "job" is hard at one time or another. Maybe for a little while or maybe for your whole life and sometimes it just feels good to let everyone know about it.
I'm only human. My mind and heart and energy can only be stretched so far in one day.
I am grateful for a husband who comes home and recognizes when I need some "mommy time". I am grateful for those moments when Hunter kisses Hayden softly and makes her giggle. I am grateful for a quiet house when everyone is fast asleep (even if it took over an hour to get everyone there). I am grateful that I know I am not alone. I am grateful to know that there is always tomorrow.
Maybe tomorrow the dishes will get done. Maybe tomorrow Hunter will eat his food an not smear it all over the table, floor, chair and walls. Maybe tomorrow I will feel some peace. Maybe tomorrow I will be more rested. or maybe Not.
But that's life. And it's hard and that's OK. I wouldn't trade those sleepless nights, crayon covered walls, mommy meltdowns, skinned knee kisses or moments of feeling unworthy for anything.

Hug a mom today. Look her in the eyes and tell her she is doing awesome! 

Thanks for the vent sesh readers.

I know I'm not the only one right? What are some of your toughest mommy moments and what are your mommy woe's?

Tags Thrift -- A Dress and BowTie

I've said it before and I hope to be able to say it for years to come... Blogging has its perks and one of those perks came through this past Monday night.

I was invited to attend an event at Tags Thrift in American Fork for a preview before their Grand Opening. If you follow my blog or Instagram feed you know that I am a DIE HARD thrifter. From kids clothes, to books and re-purposing projects, a visit to the local thrift store is a weekly if not daily (yes daily) occurrence. 
I left the kids at home with the hubby and snuck off with my sister Haley for a few hours of Tags thrifting.
I was immediately drawn to the one of a kind feel of Tags.

I was expecting it to be like those other BIG NAMED thrift stores here in Utah, but Tags has a unique, clean and open feel.  Tags not only takes clothes from Utah but also from California, Florida and Boston.  Probably one of the reasons I was finding so many fabulous finds. The owners explained that they wanted Tags to be Fresh, meaning it won't look or smell or feel like the usual thrift store. I think they nailed it on the head by including a BAKERY in their store. Yes, you read that right... a bakery in a thrift store.

Think, Barnes and Noble. Come, sell or donate, shop, read a book, enjoy some fresh treats and relax. If that isn't your idea of a good time then we can't be friends.
The Bakery will have incredibly yummy food (that we got to taste), free wi-fi, an adorable little nook for you to sit and relax with a good book and will also feature some local artists works displayed on the shelves.

The Cranberry Turkey Sandwich and the Caramel Brownie... OMG! 

How AMAZING are these table legs? Must make for our play area! 

At the beginning of the night the owners took some time to tell us about their vision, motivation and how Tags came to be. I was truly inspired by their mission to make a one of kind thrifting experience.

At Tags you can sell your clothes by the pound or donate to charity.  Tags works with a few charity's exclusively but you can donate to any charity of your choice.  One of Tags exclusive relationships is with Feed The World, an organization that helps small farmers learn self reliance and how to thrive on their own. It was awesome to be given the "information" about what is going on in these small farming communities. Did you know that 50% of the poor are small farmers? It was incredible to hear the difference that Feed The World is making in the lives of these people. In the Buy Center there will be a TV with live feed showing the families from Ecuador, Peru and Kenya that Feed The World is interacting with.
Tags truly is a store about people. You can see and feel the difference from the minute you walk in.
As the evening wrapped up we were given the opportunity to explore the store. Not only do they have an amazing selection of women's, men's, and children's clothing, they have some awesome accessories and housewares.
This is definitely a location that can cater to ALL of my needs.
At the end of the night I walked away with a project and a full heart. _________
I just love a good thrift find, especially when I have a vision in mind and it turns out A MILLION times better.
I took this plain blue men's dress shirt and made an ADORABLE dress for Hayden and a bow tie for Hunter. I am so in love with how they both turned out.

 My handsome model sporting the BEFORE look.

 And the final products.

(Dress Tutorial Here - Bow Tie Tutorial Here)

And you cant make such adorable things and then not model them with the CUTEST little models ever right?

This dress shirt re-purposed was a FABULOUS find and project. It's amazing what you can find at a thrift store and make your own and save some $$$.
HUGE THANKS to Tags Thrift for sponsoring this post. You have truly achieved that Fresh thrifting experience and I cannot wait to work with, shop and donate with Tags in the future.
Tags Thrift has their GRAND OPENING THIS weekend September 19th and 20th. There are going to be some awesome giveaways, performances and food. Be sure to make attending this event a PRIORITY for your family. Follow Tags Thrift Facebook Page to read all about Grand Opening happenings.

This post was sponsored by Tags Thrift. Tags is also sponsoring an awesome contest for the bloggers that were in attendance on Monday night. If you could like, comment, share, re-pin, tweet etc... I could really use your help to win a fabulous prize.
Thanks Readers.