Life as a Full Time Mom and Part Time Blogger

With Mother’s Day coming up on Sunday, it felt like an appropriate time to reflect a little bit on life lately. After all, being a mom is the toughest and most rewarding job I’ve ever had in my life. There are days where I’m feeling on top of my game, but often I feel like I’m chasing a balloon on a windy day. Adding blogging into the mix is another weight in the constant balancing act. However, I wouldn’t change the chaos for the world.

Note: This post contains affiliate links

Outfit details: Mama Knows Best tee, denim shorts, J Slides shoes (similar)

I’m writing this post in partnership with Evereve. I’ve worked with Evereve in the past and absolutely love the brand. The store was created with moms in mind (don’t worry, you don’t have to be a mom to shop there), but Evereve gets it. They understand motherhood is messy, fun, hilarious and frustrating. I’ve found the items in their store are hand-picked for this stage of life. Cute yet practical, stylish yet comfortable, quality yet affordable. And they have toys and goldfish by the fitting rooms in their stores. Enough said.

Now that I’ve been blogging for almost three years and a mom for almost six, it is crazy to look back at this wild journey called motherhood. Not that life started when I had kids, but it definitely is when my life shifted. All parents can relate to that. These amazing little people that we somehow created become the most important things in the world.

When my son was born in 2012, I was working full-time at a Big 4 accounting firm. I milked my maternity leave for all it was worth and absolutely dreaded the day when I’d return to the office. Even though I was able to reduce my work schedule to three days a week, all I wanted was to be a stay-at-home mom. I was good at my job, but I was bored out of my mind. I can’t tell you how many times a day I’d check the Lululemon sale page or read People.com. I set goals at work because my company made me, but they were always goals I knew I’d achieve if I just showed up and did the minimum. It’s clear you can be good at something, but it doesn’t mean you have to be passionate about it.

Outfit details: eyelet front knot tee, asymmetrical hem jeans, rainbow tassel earrings, round straw bag, pink sandals (similar)

About a year after Kenzie was born (circa 2015), my husband and I knew it was time for me to officially quit and stay home with the kids. I was so excited about being with them all the time. My mom was mainly a stay-at-home mom growing up, and I couldn’t picture my life any other way. I wanted to be the one to take them to school, to be at every sporting event and to never miss a mid-day activity. I know that not everyone has that luxury, but if I had the choice, that’s the type of mom I wanted to be.

Life is a funny thing though. It often leaves us always wanting more. After all, I’m not much of a cook and clearly my passion doesn’t lie in house chores (sorry, Kurt). Not that moms only do those two things, but I couldn’t resist the urge to do something else for me. I wanted to be creative. I just couldn’t put aside the idea of this silly little fashion blog, even if it never turned into anything. At the time, I said if it ever reaches the point where it wasn’t fun anymore, I’d quit.

Outfit details: asymmetrical sweatshirt skirt, denim jacket, wedges (similar), nylon bag

Well, here I am, three years later and couldn’t be more excited about it. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d get this far. After all, I’m a mom who hasn’t worn a pair of stilettos in over a year. I also never thought I’d be able to create something like this at probably the least glamorous stage of life. But that’s what I love about it. I can wear comfortable shoes, a cute t-shirt and some awesome tassel earrings and people somehow do care. Even if I took the photo in the parking lot at a baseball game, which happens more than I’d like to admit (honesty moment, these photos below in the striped dress were just that. Taken in the parking lot after baseball.)

Outfit details: the best cotton striped dress ever, gold sandals (similar here, exact here)

Want to know something crazy about it? When I first started The Sensible Shopaholic, I was totally embarrassed to even tell anyone about it. I actually didn’t even update my LinkedIn profile to include anything about my blogging career until about 6 months ago because I didn’t want my old co-workers to know. What’s embarrassing about doing marketing for national brands we all know and love? Absolutely nothing. In fact, I’d say it is pretty darn awesome. It just took me a long time to realize it.

Outfit details: tassel dress, wedges, straw bag, rainbow tassel earrings

I will say I don’t think I’ll ever consider myself a full-time blogger because I don’t have that much time in my days. After all, my husband and kids are the most important thing in my life. If my site crashed tomorrow and my Instagram page was deleted, life would move on because of my family. Like all working moms, I definitely have days where things aren’t in balance. I’ll admit I have days where I have no choice but to turn the TV for my kids so I can finish my work. Without a nanny, any family in town or even a regular babysitter, I’m doing the best I can to get it all done. It isn’t perfect and never will be, but at least I can say I’m raising my kids and building a career all at the same time. One that I’m truly passionate about.

With that, I want to wish all the moms out there (human moms, dog moms, bird moms, etc..) a very happy Mother’s Day. It truly is the toughest job in the world that challenges each of us in ways that we never knew was possible. I hope you all are able to take a few minutes on Sunday to relax and feel loved.