RoShamBaby

I have found myself in a situation that is completely new to me. It's hard to admit that I am not The Great and Powerful Jen, able to handle everything on my own . . . from behind the curtain.  ". . . pay no attention. . . " As hard as it was to do . . . I needed to ask for help. In the past 2 years, I have been working on paying it forward whenever I can. It's never been much, but I discovered that it filled my heart and soul in ways that I needed. In ways that are hard to explain. On occasion, I would go onto this site called GoFundMe . I was moved by so many of the stories, but even more so by the generosity of strangers. Some of the stories brought me to tears. From time to time, I would see a friend post a link about a friend or family member in need. I have even had some close friends turn to this resource to seek help. NEVER did I imagine that I would be in the position where I would be telling my story there. Reaching out to friends, family and str

It has been nearly 2 1/2 years, I think it's about time to tell our story.  After all, my experiences on September 16th 2011 have led me down a path that I otherwise wouldn't have traveled.  While Jackson was not planned, finding out I was pregnant was a wonderful surprise. This will be a very long and detailed story. If you do not wish to read about the details of my birth, please stop here. :) I had an amazing pregnancy, and felt stronger, happier and healthier than I have felt in my whole life. My EDD (estimated due date) was 9/10/11. At that point, I was feeling some pretty intense back pain, so I was ready to meet my little man. However, he had other plans.  At my 40 week midwife appointment, I was told that if I didn't go into labor on my own by 41 weeks, I would need to be induced.  I told her I wouldn't be doing that.  It was pretty disheartening to learn that even midwives offer this type of fear based mis-information.  Six days later, I wo

"Oh, you're single? I'm sorry" "You just haven't met 'the one' yet" "Don't be so jaded . . . not every man is bad" "Don't worry, there is a soul mate for everyone" "You WILL find love again, when you least expect it" "You really need to think about a male role model for Jackson" "What are you going to do when Jackson leaves home?" "Your son can't be your best friend" "Don't you get lonely?" Among others, these wonderful sentiments have all been offered to me over the past few years, since before I had Jackson.  While I know that every single one came from a place of love . . .  I cannot help but feel a little judged.  Here is the deal.  There is no need to be sorry for assuming that I am married.  I am not at all worried about finding a soul mate.  I do NOT think that all men, or even most men are jerks.  As strange

It was this time last year that I decided to embark on this journey called RoShamBaby.  Where has the time gone?  Why have I let so much time pass since my last post? In the past year, I have . . .  Smiled Laughed Been Busy Felt Inspired Experienced Joy Began a New Job Felt Overwhelmed Suffered from Confusion Experienced Sadness Divorced My Job Procrastinated Felt Centered Been Bored Traveled Dreamed Cried I guess it's safe to say that LIFE HAPPENED.  Well, it is time to get back on track. It is so easy to let life get in the way, instead of making sure to stay the course. For me, it's necessary to embrace the bumps as PART of my life, instead of thinking of them as obstacles.  I spent the second half of 2013 with writers block . . . thinking that I didn't have anything interesting to say. With a friendly nudge, I now realize that "interesting" topics are relative.  So interesting or not, I am ba

Let's talk about Pink Eye.  It is such a disgusting infection, don't you think? Obviously, it cannot be helped by antibiotics or with any natural remedy  (like breast milk) Know what else is disgusting?  Eyelids on boys.  Boy's eyelids are not at all necessary, and I am fairly certain that boys were born with them by mistake.  They are just like a flap of extra face skin, with no purpose, definitely not meant to protect their eyeballs.  I know men who haven't had their eyelids removed, and they are ALWAYS made fun of growing up. Girls don't have to worry about this, because they can figure out how to keep their eyelids clean.   Removing my son's eyelids will help prevent him from rubbing his eyes.  He will have zero self control, and this is a horribly disgusting habit that needs to be stopped anyway.  Yeah, this will prevent that for sure.  How do I know? People told me, so it must be true.  Yeah, this will make him feel norma

I work full time.  Often times, that work takes me out of state.  Nowadays, most of my travel consists of 4 or more driving hours per day, and on occasion I find myself shuttling between lovely Midwestern airports.  The excitement never ceases. . . let me tell you.  Check out  some of my adventures in flying  for a good laugh. If I don't laugh about it, I just may cry.  So blah, blah, blah, lots of travel. Here is the deal. . . before I became a mother, the travel was amazing!  I traveled all over the world, made some life long friends and experienced things beyond all of my expectations.  I never would have pictured myself taking a walking tour of Paris on my day off. (I should dedicate a post to the pics I took on this amazing day) I never would have imagined that I would be laying on the beach in Oaxaca after doing an event for a bunch of sunburned hairdressers.  (We couldn't swim because there were thousands of jellyfish) I neve