Mom life
So this is where I “introduce” myself… how strange is that, but here it goes!
I’m Vanessa Mayhugh, a mom, wife, and possibly borderline workaholic.
I love strolls through the aisles of Target, Home Goods, and Hobby Lobby. Occasionally you can find me bingeing trash tv on Netflix, scrolling and pinning DIY projects on my numerous Pinterest boards, and I might have a slight addiction to Taco Bell.
We will get along if you dabble in the following:
You like to laugh.
You like to read about insane things kids do and say.
You enjoy an occasional potty humor joke.
I want to share my stories with past moms, current moms and future moms who are navigating this post-covid world situation. I’d like to build a following of like minded individuals who relate to how CRAZY it is to navigate family/work life, and have a conversation so we can learn from each other. I suppose this is where start my first article and it’s somewhat like a version of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” .. I know weird, but roll with it:
Past:
At 16, most girls are thinking about clothes, boys, and parties. But I got pregnant—and was focused on raising my son.
I was a teenage mom attending an alternative school with built-in day care. Such moments—and there were lots of them that year—made me realize how out of place I felt in high school after my he was born. Everything changed for me in 11th grade, the night I met a boy at an ice skating rink with my friend Chelsea. I was 15 he was 16. He was just this guy with his friends—“hockey” jocks showing off on the ice. I loathed ice skating and still do, but I lived in a small town with limited access to better things to do on a Friday night.
To get my attention he thought it would be a great idea to skate up and check me. YES, he full on hockey checked a barely 100 lb girl who couldn’t skate. INSERT eye rolls and if I haven’t lost you yet keep reading lol. He picked me up and apologized and poof it was just that .. a moment that changed my life without me realizing it. Chelsea met Rob that night and I met him. At the end of the night he asked me for my number, grabbed my hand, and we were inseparable from that point forward.
Anyway, one thing led to another . . . before we knew it, we were pregnant, scared, and not sure how to navigate forward. Life had its twists and turns and we didn’t make it through it together, but I did eventually meet the love of my life, and we’ve created a family, home, and future together.
Present:
I’m now a mother of 5, a wife to an amazing man, and living my dream life. It consists of love, humility, and memories.
BUT.
My house is a disaster.
Like every. single. room has STUFF scattered about.
Tiny pants, pieces of Lego, socks, random forks.
Our beds aren't made and our laundry is never put away.
Every morning someone is missing something.
I used to leave the house each and every day in a huff. I try to do better and be better and live better, but the reality is I can't keep up.
I've tried purging.
I've tried organizing.
I've tried shelves and bins and baskets.
And yet, tiny pants, pieces of Lego, socks, random forks, are scattered all about.
It drives me mad.
Yesterday, as I was sitting on a couch with a light dusting of crumbs under my butt, looking at the filth before me - I thought:
"If it wasn't messy, it would be clean - and that would be kind of sad."
The truth is, I can't stand the mess.
But one day, it's going to be clean.
And I think clean will probably mean quiet.
And I'm not ready for THAT kind of quiet.
So for now, I'll continue to walk around (completely pointlessly) putting socks and pants and forks and CRAP back in its place in exchange for hugs and goodnight kisses and tending to sweet little voices at their every beck and call.
Because in my house at least, you can't have one without the other.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, I didn’t choose the mom life, the mom life chose me, and I bet a lot of other moms out there might have similar experiences. Maybe you didn’t expect to be a young mom, but you did it or are doing it. Maybe you didn't expect to do raise a child alone, or figure out life alone, yet you choose your children’s welfare, health, and education over anything else life could offer. You make them lunch for school everyday, or at least scrap every single bill and coin so they can eat. You work at that crappy customer service job just so you could buy the clothes on your children’s back, you make sure they have access to health insurance for every shot required by the school district and for anytime your children had the flu. Your job is the hardest in the entire world, especially since you're doing it alone. You are not only a mother, but you’re a rock, a cheerleader, a mentor and a friend. You are not appreciated enough at times, but you’re not alone.
Future:
(If I still have you)
Thank you for reading, it’s such a vulnerable thing to share, but I hope you’ve enjoyed. None of us know our future, the best we can do is work hard in the present and reflect and learn from the past. I hope our future together will be filled with funny stories and helpful tips.
Please consider a like, a share, a comment. I’d love to connect and discuss along with getting ideas on topics that you’d be interested in hearing about.
I’ll be posting a new article every other week and hope to see you back here soon!
❤️