Happy Friday! Thank you so much for those of you who submitted questions on Instagram stories the other day. I was extremely shocked to see that the majority of the questions asked were kid/family related. It's the part of this whole blog that I have the hardest time with. I'll touch more on this in the questions below! Once again, thank you for asking questions and if this post is something you enjoy reading, please let me know and I will continue to do it! Xo
PS: I combined some of the questions so it wouldn't be too redundant and I couldn't get to all questions but will save some for next time and answer you directly if I didn't get to yours today! I also didn't have time to proof read- sorry for the typos!
Q: What is life like with 4 kids? Share any tips for embracing the chaos! Do you ever sleep?
A: I probably could dedicate multiple blog posts to this topic! I'm not going to pretend life with four kids is all rainbows and sunshine all the time because it's not. It's amazing of course and I feel so lucky to have my four healthy children, but it can definitely be challenging at times. Before Ellie was born, we had a pretty good routine going. We were in a good groove and when Ellie came into the picture, our routine took a massive hit (in the best way possible but took a hit nonetheless) Just like with any major life change, there's an adjustment period and we are in it right now trying to find our new normal. My best piece of advice for "embracing the chaos" would be to try your best to go with the flow. Don't be too stressed out about schedules. Celebrate the tiny victories- a victory for us is when all the kids are asleep and in bed by 8pm and my husband and I can actually watch a show together in peace and quiet. In terms of sleep...let's just say I'm not getting much these days. With four kids, chances are someone is going to wake up at night. Right now, Charlie (our two year old) is giving us the most trouble. He learned how to climb out of his crib (even in his sleep sack) and now he is getting out of his crib at all hours of the night. He has also been waking up for the day at 4:30 almost every morning. Ellie is actually a decent sleeper. She goes down anywhere between 7:30-8:30 and for the most part will sleep until 7:30. But she stirs throughout the night and I find myself camping out in her nursery, putting her pacifier back in her mouth over and over again. So yes, to sum it up life with four is exhausting but it's also really wonderful and the biggest blessing. I'm so close with my siblings and rely on them for just about everything. I know whenever I need something I can always count on them and I'm so happy my little crew will have that same support system. Watching each of their individual relationships with their siblings bud and grow is pure magic.
Q: What is your bedtime routine for all children?
A: My husband and I divide and conquer at night. He takes the older three and will brush their teeth, get them ready for bed, and tell them/read them a story in Hunter and Lila's room. While he's with the big kids, I'm with Ellie. I give her a bath around 6:30, change her into her pajamas and give her her last feeding of the night by 7. She has a little bit of reflux going on so I have to hold her up for quite a bit before I put her down for the night. If we are lucky, all of the kids are asleep by 8.
Q: Advice for struggling with the decision to go from 2 to 3 kids.
A: I feel like this is a tough one because it's such a personal decision. For us, we always knew we wanted more than two children. Like I said before, I'm so close with my siblings and absolutely loved growing up in a big family. I'm one of five! We thought we were done at three but deep down I always wanted a fourth and that's why Ellie was the sweetest surprise. I cannot imagine life without her. My one piece of advice for anyone who is not sure about having another child: I don't think anyone ever regrets the decision to have one more. Yes, it makes life slightly more complicated but it is also the biggest blessing. With that said, it's such a personal decision and I know there are so many factors that go into that decision other than just the desire for another child.
Q: What is your AM and PM skincare routine?
A: I'm definitely going to dedicate an entire post for my skincare routine. But to quickly break it down. In the morning I usually just wash my face with a warm washcloth and spritz my face with
this hydrating spray. I then apply my
vitamin c serum,
under eye cream, and finish with my
moisturizer. I try not to wear any makeup during the week unless I have somewhere to go- but if I'm just running around with the kids I don't wear anything. At night: I always shower at night. After my shower, I saturate a cotton pad with
this toner and smooth all over my face and neck. I then apply my favorite serum ever,
Vintner's daughter, and then apply the same under eye cream, moisturizer, and if I feel like I need some extra hydration, I will also apply
this facial oil over my moisturizer.
Q: Would love to see more family content. Will you share more on your blog/stories?
A: This is where I've always struggled. I love sharing little tidbits of our life and my kids throughout my blog posts and the tiniest bit on Instagram. It's impossible not to because my family is my entire life. I'm a stay at home mom first and run this blog on the side. But for the most part, I like to keep our daily lives off Instagram. I was really struggling with this last year because my role as a mom is basically the entire chunk of my day. And by not being as active on stories and sharing my day was really impacting my blog's growth. Sharing my family is such a great way to connect with my readers and followers and to be honest I love seeing all of my blogger friends' families and kids on stories and find I can relate to them so much more when I see them as mothers. But for me personally, the thought of putting my kids out there just didn't sit well with me. So I came to the decision last month that it's just not something I'm going to change my stance on. I've had to turn down some great campaigns that wanted to include my children and while it was frustrating saying no to brands that I love, I knew it was the right call for me and my family. While I'll continue sharing little tidbits on stories and on the blog, for the most part my kids and their faces won't be showing up on the blog or Instagram too often. Maybe little bits here and there but that's about it. This is actually one of the reasons I loved seeing so many of the questions you asked on stories being directed towards my role as a mother because it allows me to share my family life with you without putting my kids out there. So when it comes to talking about general things like routines, products I'm loving, difficulties I'm having with bedtimes etc, or any other general challenges I'm facing as a mom, I would love to share! And I'm happy to share! So please ask away! In the meantime, I'm going to continue trying to figure out more ways to incorporate my "mom life" into the blog and Instagram. If you have any thoughts or ideas, send them my way!
Q: What is your favorite purchase of 2018?
A: This is actually very difficult to answer...I would have to say my navy Golden Goose sneakers because I wear them all of the time.
Q: What was the toughest age for you with kids? I feel in over my head!
A: This is a tough one because each one of my kids is so different. My oldest was a really tough baby and toddler. Once he turned three it was as if a switch flipped and he turned into my easiest child. He is so even tempered and a pretty go with the flow guy. My three year old daughter was a very easy baby. As soon as she hit 18 months thought she had an opinion about everything. She will not let me dress her anymore and goes from being the happiest little girl to a full blown meltdown in a matter of seconds. However, she will drop just about anything the second I ask her to help me with Ellie. She is obsessed with her and her role as big sister. And my two year old boy has the funniest personality. So far we haven't had any major difficulties with him yet...He's feisty and scrappy and cracks us up all of the time. Our only complaint is our current nighttime struggles with him! But he has the best temperament and pretty much goes along happily with whatever we are doing. Not sure if any of this answered your question! Moral of the story, every kid is different. But I've heard the odd years are supposed to be the tough ones!
Q: What are your baby must haves?
Q: How do you store outgrown baby clothes?
A: I have a really horrible system where I just throw things into plastic containers and don't label anything. It's bad. Our garage is a current nightmare. With that said, I'm starting to comb through all of them and making donation piles of any clothing that we won't need anymore. We know we are done having kids, so everything three months and under for baby girls isn't needed and will be donated. Same with all of my boys clothing 3T and under. I'm donating everything to
Bundles of Joy NY.
That took me way longer than I anticipated. Wish I had time for more! If this is something you liked reading will you please let me know! I'd love to hear from you! Xo
