2. Are you a stay at home mom or a working mom? How easy was that decision? I am currently a stay at home mom although I wasn't always. I worked up until my second was about 7 months old. It was a tough decision because it would be nice to have that extra income at times. Although, I am very grateful that my husband is able to support us, and I love being able to spend that extra time with my little ones. After all, they are only little for so long. In my spare time (if there is such a thing), I enjoy writing a blog about my adventures, successes and failures in parenthood.
3. Names of spouse & kids/ages/genders: My husband Brian and I are raising three beautiful girls Olivia (7yrs), Giuliana (2.5yrs) and Lidia (10mo)
4. Tell us about going from no kids to a newborn - what were the biggest changes? Going from no kids to having a newborn was definitely a whirlwind experience. With my first the biggest change was lack of sleep. Now, with our third, we were able to anticipate a lot of changes but the biggest change was the switch to full time cloth diapering. It was something that was really important to us. With how much information that is available, the variety of products out there and of course the adorable prints, it has been a really easy and fun experience.
5. Where does your family live? Any other cities you’ve lived? We currently live in Schenectady, NY and have been here for 6 months. Before this we lived in Syracuse, NY. I lived there most of my life and is where my husband and I met. Before that I lived in Orland Park, a suburb of Chicago. Both Brian and I have family in Illinois so we frequently travel there with the kids.
6. Why do you love Itzy Ritzy? What is your favorite Itzy Ritzy product and why? I love Itzy Ritzy for their family friendly products that are suitable for all ages. Not to mention they help us on our mission to ditch the one time use products for reusable options. My girls love the Snack Happens™ bags. They take them everywhere from school, on the road or even on short trips to the store. My favorite product though is definitely the Nursing Happens™ Infinity Scarf. I will confess that I have three of them now. I make sure to have one with me at all times. I am still breastfeeding my youngest and plan to until she weans herself. Just the sight of one of the scarves gets her excited. It's quite funny. If she sees it in the diaper bag she has started to get it out and try to bring it to me. For any breastfeeding mom, this product is a necessity. Besides for function, I love that it comes in great patterns.
7. What is your favorite Itzy Ritzy fabric? At the moment, I am loving the new Boho Feathers pattern on the nursing scarf. It has so many colors that make it really easy to pair with any outfit.
8. The hardest part of my day is: It's funny because I can pinpoint the hardest part of my day to the minute and it is 5:27pm Monday through Friday. Between then and 5:30 are the last few minutes before my husband walks through the door from work. I am likely trying to get dinner ready with three tired and whining kids running wild through our little apartment. I think it is hard because of the anticipation of knowing help is on the way but some days wishing it had arrived hours ago.
9. The best part of my day is: The best part of my day is the moments leading up to nap time and bed time. This is when my girls are the most snuggly. Sometimes they will attempt to extend bedtime by asking to snuggle longer. How can a parent refuse snuggles and what's a few extra minutes spent together?
10. What are your top three tips for new moms? My top three tips for new moms would have to be rest, relax, reinvent. REST, even if it means lying on the floor while baby plays in front of you. Put down the laundry and skip the dishes, they can wait. RELAX, you are doing a great job and no one should tell you otherwise. REINVENT, just because you have a baby doesn't mean you need to stop doing things the things you love, just reinvent the way you do them.
11. How would you describe yourself as a mom in just eight words? In only 8 words? One laid back momma focused on natural parenting.
12. What milestone were you/are you most excited about for your baby? With my first I loved every milestone. I couldn't wait for her to be able to do new things like coo, wave and walk. With my youngest it's completely different. Not knowing if this is our last baby doesn't help any. Every milestone she reaches might be the last first time our baby reaches said milestone.
13. What is your guilty pleasure? My guilty pleasure is definitely my Thursday night television habit. I love getting the kids to bed, putting on some comfy sweats and relaxing on the couch with my husband for a couple hours before bed.
14. Anything else you’d like to share with the Itzy Ritzy community? It doesn't matter how many kids you have, even when you think you have it all figured out, they always find ways to surprise you.
