Mom Blog

Back To The Work From Home Grind

8/2/2020

This week I returned to work after a very long four month furlough due to the COVID shutdowns. It was an exhausting stretch and with all the things I wanted to accomplish with my so called "free time" I didn't quite get there. My clean out the closet plan to switch my clothes was put on hold since we will be right back into the same fall/winter season soon. I did get to binge watch shows on Netflix and Hulu which, I never really had time to sit down to do. It felt good but then at times it felt very lazy doing it. Also, I offered to volunteer and help people with projects or social media, but oddly nobody took me up on that, guess they had the same free time. Lastly, the week before I was hired back I completed my online e-store with T-shirts and accessories that are humor/inspirational based. Luckily, with social media I can continue maintaining this on my personal time. The perfect T-shirt is below for all the work from home people.

Code JULY2020 for 10% off

Working, volunteering, juggling school pick up/drop off's in between conference calls or remote learning from March, I felt more organized and accomplished. Now I have to get my groove back into my new schedule. Wake up before 9:00AM with hopes my son rolls out of bed on his own (a BIG NOT), brush my hair, a little foundation and make sure my shirt is not pajamas to go on video calls. By the end of this week I was burnt trying to re-familiarize myself with everything including new guidelines! I am my own worst enemy, a so called perfectionist, type A, detailed, organized worker, which are great qualities for an employer. However, my responsibilities of being a Mom/wife, and jobs of being a cook, cleaning lady, dishwasher, laundry mat worker and dog walker are still in place, with the remote learning plan again coming soon. I broke out my post it's to make sure I get to all of it or at least most of it with constant reminders of my cell phone alarms going off all the time. Where in this plan should I fit in my own self-care other than brushing my hair and having on a nice shirt for video calls?

One week down and I'm sure after next week I will get back into it. If you're in a similar situation, share I would lvoe to hear from you. We can all do it!

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Decisions, Decisions... There's NO RIGHT ANSWER

7/15/2020

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After watching a Facebook Live presentation on the plan for students to return back to in person school in my district. I'm not sure if I feel more confident, confused or scared. The District is working diligently with the information they have from the State and CDC to make the learning environment safe and engaging for the students even with the option for distance learning. Immediately, the crazy thoughts started to flow with feeling completely overwhelmed. Then the sadness came over me for the students, parents, teachers and staff.

This can be the perfect plan or the perfect storm ahead!

I ask myself....
Who? My son, me, your child, the teachers and staff.
What? Too many to list but a lot of what If's?
Where? School or home?
When? September is just around the corner.

Most households have their own challenges and will only know what is right for them so please do not judge. I know the judging factor is already present with those already out and about or those like myself who have not been out since March other than my much needed already put off Doctor's appointments.

If all safety measures are in place and students are socially distanced wearing masks, staying in their own small groups why not? Then I wonder of all the things that can go wrong. I know we can't control it and as Mom's that is the automatic reaction to try to examine it and fix things or be sure we make the right decision. If we make the wrong decision then we will feel the pain blaming ourselves or is it just the way it is because we can't read the future. We can only hope and pray looking forward to the future.

What will the first day of school look like? Will it be a picture of my son walking to the car as I secretly snap a photo from behind, deep breathe in, trying to be confident that everything will be okay? What will 7th grade look like?

I know I am not the only Mom or Dad thinking about these crazy thoughts so please share your thoughts on how you're feeling.

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It's Been A Long Time.... Repeat

7/14/2020

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It's been a long time since I posted. With life and quarantine it has left me with more time on my hands to think when I don't want to and to finish something I started.
I started this journey out just like most of you with the pain of struggling to conceive. Along the way, a pregnancy loss and then the birth of my rainbow baby boy, who is now a "tween boy" going on 21! It is a different time for me and where I am in the infertility community but I am still here to support you. I can most definitely relate.

With more time on my hands from being furloughed due to COVID concerns it has left me with way more time on my hands to think. Sometimes the thinking is a good thing but other times it just builds up anxiety that I do not want. I am my own worst enemy, creating visions filled with fear makes it even worse. I continue to think about my purpose and how these times have made it hard to feel motivated so why not start here?. I cannot wait to get back to work so I have a clearer vision.

During this time I had many follow up appointments for my ongoing health conditions. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer (known as the "good cancer") back in 2018. I had a full thyroidectomy with a partial neck dissection with the removal of 70 lymph nodes, three of which were cancerous, and RAI (Radioactive Iodine treatment) to kill any other cells. I was in seven days of isolation at home to keep my family safe. Now, it is always going for doctor appointments, scans and testing to make sure the cancer stays away. I am all good, just trying to feel optimal since my blood levels and scans have come back all clear. It is another journey that I wish I never had to experience but it's added to my list. The infertility journey left me with a beautiful son and the cancer journey has left me with strength that has fear lingering behind.

With that I finally revisited my online store, Unique Apparel to create some fun quotes on apparel and accessories. Some of the items might be fitting for the times we are in, some crazy yet inspirational quotes and just for the fun of it. Also, I created a t-shirt from my "LIFE" motto at the end of my book which is actually fitting for the times. I would love to hear from you if you are specifically looking for a saying or quote to add to a t-shirt or accessory that I can add to my shop. Please feel free to reach out to me via email: Frangagirl@gmail.com with your ideas. Follow my new twitter account for Unique Apparel. Use code JULY2020 for 10% off. Don't forget to tag me with your merchandise!

I would love to hear what you've been up to and how I can support you. Remember, I currently still have time on my hands until my job resumes and that thing we call "school". I'm happy to volunteer to help with something you might need a hand with or I'm just hear to listen.

Today, I leave with these inspirational quotes:

"Remember, all the road blocks you hit, gives you the strength to move forward!"
"It's what you've been through that makes you who you are today!"

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"Just a MOM"

7/13/2020

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With the quarantine and all that is going on in the world today, I thought what better time to keep busy remembering where I've been and where I am going in my journey. I wanted to open up my new Mom blog from my experiences of being "Just A Mom".

As my journey continues, the so called "tween years" are even more interesting and I continue to learn everyday. Most pictures I get are the back of him unless he wants something or cooperates or he's in his zone. I look back on myself at the 12-13 age and think I was not as advanced as kids are today. They seem like they mature much faster; like it happens overnight.

From my journey through infertility, pregnancy loss and now being a Mom, it pains me to hear women say I am "Just a Mom" but at times I wonder; we really don't mean to say those words it just comes out that way. I waited a long time to be part of the "Mom crew" and we are NOT just a Mom. We must always remember what we do so much everyday even if it's throwing a frozen pizza in the microwave to make sure the kids are fed. That's an accomplishment right there. It's not about cleaning the house or making dinner or doing laundry, helping with the homework or rushing around everywhere with a clock on our head; even though this is part of your resume. It is about caring for your precious child or children!!!!! We are the one's that keep it together even if deep down inside we might not feel like we have it all together. Especially during these uncertain times, I know as a Mom I feel judged by so many and I am my worst critic but at the end of the day it gets done even if it might not be the way we planned it!

This journey is never about JUST YOU, it's about that child you've waited so long to have. Even if you didn't experience infertility all kids need us to guide them, put up with their shit; just show up to be there for them through the good times and bad.

The Mom side has been interesting and it also comes with its challenges. I feel like you need to always be on guard of what others think of you and your parenting style. NOTE: ALL PARENTING STYLES ARE NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL and you will not always agree on how others raise their children nor will they agree on how you raise your child. I have come to learn that if you believe your parenting style works for your family then go with it. If it works for you then who cares what others think.

This Mom journey can be much more challenging when your child is in school or at the playground or just out in public whether it be shopping with you or their friends. There are so many opinions flying around that you must keep your guard up at all times. I find the looks and conversations with strangers are amusing, especially the interactions my son has with adults. He holds long, interesting, intelligent conversations. Then in my head if I don't know the person that well or if its a total strange and employee at Best Buy, I always wonder what they are thinking in their head? Are they judging me? Are they judging my son or maybe my parenting because he's being too friendly to a stranger? Then I look at my son and say to myself, "I am doing a great job at being "Just A Mom."

As Mom's we need to learn and give ourselves a break, things cannot always go as planned or be perfect. You are not just a Mom you are so much more!! I have to continually remind myself of this.

“There are amazingly wonderful people in all walks of life; some familiar to us and others not. Stretch yourself and really get to know people. People are in many ways one of our greatest treasures.” ~ Bryant H. McGill

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Author

Fran Meadows is an Author and Infertility Advocate. She shares her story to help other's know they are not alone! Through her personal experiences with infertility her passion is to support and speak out on the disease hoping to make a difference for others!

From Infertility to becoming a Mom via IVF I want to also share with the Mommy community things that I've experienced and learned as a Mom. I understand that these posts might be more sensitive to those that have not yet built their family so I decided to keep them as a separate blog. I know that the new blog is still on my site but click if you're ready to read!!

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