Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family : 

My name is Amanda, everyone calls me Meda for short! My husbands name is Ken and we have been together since we were 16! We just celebrated our 11 years of "togetherness" in November and will be celebrating 4 years of marriage in January! We have 2 boys that are 2 days shy of being 17 months apart. Kaydan just turned 2.5 and Rylan is 14 months!

IWhen did you know you wanted to become a mom?  knew I wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember. But it really hit me when my cousin was pregnant 2 years before I got pregnant and I watched how she was pregnant and how excited she was and then when he came. I wanted it more than ever since then! 

What has been your favorite part about being a mom?Least favorite? : 

The crazy amount of unconditional love. You fall in love but can always fall out of love with some. When it comes to your kids, it's love no matter what. And watching the crazy amount of love they have for each other, ah, warms a mama's heart!

Tantrums. Plain and simple. Easiest way to turn my good mood into a bad mood. And I hate to say this, but I hold a grudge haha! So it will take me a moment to get out of that bad mood.

How has motherhood changed you? : 

I wouldn't necessarily say I was selfish, but I didn't have anyone else to think about. Now, no matter what I do, they are in the back of my head. When I plan meals, I always have to think about what THEY would eat, go to Target, I usually grab something for them, want to do so many things, but we usually skip out because we either a) don't want to bug anyone to sit for us or b) don't want to leave them, etc. It is all about them now.

What is your biggest fear as a mom? : 

Of course the fear of losing them. I think that's pretty normal though. But I read something once that said, "be the mom you want them to remember". And it really stuck out to me, because I am kind of hard on them. Even at 2 and 1. I say no a lot and can yell a lot or over use time-outs. And I have a fear that they won't like me because I am too hard on them. I also fear that if I am too hard or too easy, then they will grow up to be bad people. I don't want that for my boys. Also, I fear them getting bullied or them being bullies (although I am pretty sure it would be them being bullied.) Kids are cruel now a days. It makes me sad to think about.

What advice do you wish you could give your pre-mommy self? :

 No amount of reading and advice you get, will help you. You are the mommy, You know what is best for your little one. There are many "experts" out there, and yes, some of the stuff they say will help. But every child is different. And you have those mommy instincts for a reason. 

Ex: I read a million articles on what to do with Kaydan when he came since he was my first. The day I gave birth to him, he kept crying in the middle of the night. I thought if I kept picking him up he would be spoiled, it killed me not comforting him. My nurse finally came in asked why I didn't want to hold him and I told her. She handed him to me and told me at this age, there is no way to spoil him. And to hold and love him as much as I wanted. The moment she put him in my arms he fell right to sleep.  Do what you feel is best! 

What advice has been given to you that has helped you? :

 I am taking this straight from my blog because it is a mix of my advice and advice I got from my Mother in Law, and I always give it to people (this is mostly for multiples, in our case 2 under 2).

1. Work the new baby into your toddlers schedule. Not the other way around. It is much easier to have a newborn adjust than to have a toddler adjust to a new schedule.
2. One parent take one baby, the other take the other baby for a little while, then switch! Get one on one time with each.
3. Let the toddler help as much as he wants to. This is like him bonding with the baby at the beginning. And he will feel included.
4.  When the new baby is sleeping, both parents do something with the toddler, show him he is still very important and not much has changed.
5.  Things will be hectic at first, it is a HUGE change for everyone, but try to keep things as close to the same as possible. Kaydan is very big on structure and routine, he has his mamas personality, so if something went off, I noticed it would turn Kaydan into a heathen. Took me 6 weeks to learn this, again more on this later. But once I realized it and we got a routine going, everything went as smooth as can be!
6.  You and your husband/SO are partners. Work with each other. Help each other as much as possible. Remember, you both are on the same side, you two against them. Don't let them turn you two against each other, even in the hardest moments!

What do you think makes you a great mom? : 

I think my biggest flaw/ fear makes me a great mom. My lack of patience and my "structure". It might bite me in the butt someday but right now, because even at the ages of 2 and 1, I don't let them get away with stuff. I get MANY compliments on how well behaved they are, and what good manners Kaydan has, and that they will make great gentlemen someday. I don't know what went wrong with most from my generation. But my boys WILL be well behaved, respectable gentlemen when they get older.

What's one wish your have for your children?:

 I wish that they grow up to be not only successful, but that they find love like their dad and I have. It is such an amazing feeling, and I think it everyone deserves to have their person right by their side.

Do you ever feel like you have no clue what you are doing? : 

ALL. THE. TIME. It's like once you've mastered one stage of their lives, they start a new one and you have to learn the ways for that! AND then, you throw another child in there, and of course, this child is completely different from the other one, so you have to now learn his ways! There will be like that one or two week period where you feel you have it together and then BAM you start all over not knowing what to do!

What is one thing you said you would NEVER do, but you totally do it? : 

We said we would never rock them to sleep, because the "experts" said no. But did it. They self weaned from that though, both at 6 months! We also said we would never sleep with them, we have a huge fear of SIDS. Didn't with Kaydan, but did with Rylan. It was the only way we could get some sleep from months 0-4?5? Him sleeping right on our chests.For the record, they no longer get rocked and sleep in their own beds! aha. And I am sure there are many others that I can not think of that we do/did!

As moms we can get judged a lot with the things that we do. Have you ever been judged? 

When I got pregnant, 3 of my friends asked if I was going to breastfeed. I told all 3 no. Absolutely nothing against it, but it wasn't for me. All 3 jumped on me (at different times) telling me our bodies make milk for a reason, I will lose the bond, they need that milk, etc, etc. And 2 didn't even have kids yet!

How did you handle it?: I did me. I told them if they feel so strongly about it, they can but I did not want to. Turns out, I ended up trying to with both boys for 2 months once I saw them. It didn't work for various reasons, so I ended up exclusively pumping for both for 7 months before I called it quits and formula fed after I used all my frozen milk. And all 3, who gave me so much crap about it, have been formula feeding from the very beginning with all their kids. So don't be so quick to judge, because you just don't know what you will be up against one day!

What is something you miss about your life before you had children? : 

Being able to do what I wanted when I wanted and having extra money. MAN, kids cost a lot of money! HA!

What is your favorite me time thing to do?

 I hate to admit it but I LOVE reality TV! Most of those shows on Bravo..some of my faves! So after the boys are in bed or napping, I immediately turn on one of them and just enjoy! I also enjoy cleaning. Weird I know. 

What is your biggest pet peeve as a mom? : 

This could be 2 things: 

1. Not listening the first time. I know, I know, they are 2 and 1. But GOODNESS! 

2. Messes. You know that saying, "Excuse the mess, my children aren't making messes, they are making memories" Screw that. I am a clean freak and like a clean house. But I am working with them to clean up their messes when they are done with something! :) We will get there!

How do you want your children to remember you? : 

I want my boys to remember me as a hard working mom. Who did all she had to do to make sure everyone was doing well. Who, even though, I am such a hard ass, shaped them into being strong, respectable men, doing good in the world! 

What other moms inspire you? : 

I love browsing through IG and seeing all these moms who seem to have it made, posting the most perfect pictures, they're nice to look at, BUT i'm most inspired by the moms who really put it out there. Occasionally, put up the pictures of their kids making messes, throwing tantrums, just really showing how motherhood IS, in real life. Those are the moms I can relate to the most and can really say, "Hey, her household is as crazy as mine, but she makes the most of it and is getting through it!"


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