Category: Mom Life

3 AM Thoughts

Photo Credit: The Great Kaysby

Remember the Matchbox 20 song “3 am”? A couple of the most memorable lines were: “She only sleeps when it’s raining, and she screams and her voice is straining and she says baby, it’s 3 am I must be lonely.”

Well, I do love to sleep when it’s raining, but just because I’m awake at 3 am doesn’t mean that I’m lonely. Tonight, it means that (a) I fell asleep really early for me, and (b) the bottle of water that I drank right before bed kicked in effect! After waking up, I realized that I wasn’t tired, so I laid back down and finished a book on my Kindle. Now that the book is done, I find myself just laying here enjoying the moment.

It’s funny because if I were lying in bed awake during “normal hours”, I would feel obliged to be doing something. I would feel like there was something that had to be done around the house, activities that had to be completed with Mr Kisby and LilKsby, or business that had to be attended to immediately. However, since it is the middle of the night, it’s like I give myself permission to relax and enjoy it.

I’ve always been more of a night owl than a morning person as frankly that early bird catching the worm has just always seemed like an overachiever in my book. I really got used to getting up in the middle of the night when LilKsby was so small that we had to wake him up and feed him every couple of hours (you know a year ago…lol). Now it’s almost hard not to wake up for just a little bit.

Often times when I do wake up, I do one of two things. One, I look at my loves and smile. It’s a smile of pure happiness and thankful awe; it’s a smile of how did I get this lucky in life? Two, I stare at the ceiling and think about how perfect these quiet moments are. They’re moments where I can just reflect, count my blessings, and be thankful for the life I’ve been given. The calm that these two things brings is indescribable which is why 3 am turns to 4 am and 5 am and so forth. It’s kind of my personal version of staring at an aquarium to lower your blood pressure. 😊

What are your thoughts at 3 am?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Zoom, Zoom Zumba!

9:20 am and I already have in 4,171 steps. Trust me, that very rarely happens. In fact, it only happens when I wake up and work out. Which if I recall correctly, the last time I truly woke up and worked out was my trip to MK Seminar in July 2018. Back then, I was doing it for an energy increase. Today, I did it as part of the Adult Summer Reading Challenge!

Guess what? The source of motivation doesn’t matter. What matters is how great I feel post workout! I feel ready to take on the day! I feel capable of doing it again! I also feel like I need a shower! 😂 Most importantly, getting up and doing Zumba gives me a feeling of accomplishment!

I hope that you get some of those same feelings today! For now, I’m zoom, zoom, zooming to the shower!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Garden Glory

Admit it. You like instant gratification. I’ll admit that I do, and I think this is why I like gardening. I find it very satisfying to get out in the flower bed and tend to it. There’s something especially satisfying about pulling weeds! For me, the satisfaction comes from instantly being able to see a difference between where I’ve started and paused or finished. I love anything where I can visually see progress!

My raised flower bed has been part of our house for seven years. My dad helped us build it, and maintaining it has been a family endeavor. Last year, it went untended because LilKsby was only two weeks old at this time. Needless to say, Mr Kisby and I were a little preoccupied. This year, it’s back to being a family endeavor.

Yesterday, LilKsby watched as I tended the flower bed. I took it as a time to tell him about invasive species which I know technically Morning Glory isn’t, but man it sure takes over! I also told him about sunflowers and my grandma from Kansas. I told him about my grandma from here and how she always had the most beautiful flower beds. He mostly spilled his water all over himself, but I like to think he enjoyed my stories.

Today, I went out by myself while Mr Kisby played with LilKsby. It was therapeutic to be there and taking care of the flower bed in silence. I did my best to clean up around my phlox which has gone wild without uprooting too much of it. I also envisioned a beautiful way to fill more of it since most of the plants are gone. There was something peaceful about being in the flower bed. 🥰

I hope that everyone has something that brings them similar peace!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Ready, Set, Nap!

Photo Credit: Word Press Free Library

Today, I got a little over zealous with getting things done! We woke up after not getting enough sleep and went at 110% until we crashed for a 3 hour nap. Me and LilKsby both slept through dinner! I’d say the nap was earned. After all, we got up and got ready, attended our first Virtual Baby and Me class (to which I now know you’re supposed to bring maracas), did Virtual Get Ready Camp, played, read books together (got to get those badges), baked, ran an errand, and ate. I also worked my Mary Kay business virtually in there, cleaned litter, did dishes, froze breastmilk, and read my own book. Wow…now that I look at it, no wonder we both needed a nap.

That’s part of my personality. I have a tendency to do stuff, do stuff, do stuff, and then I crash and need a nap (sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally). This tendency is why I think one of my biggest self improvement needs is time management. I need to remind myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Tomorrow we will strive to do less. We will see how it goes! Until then, I’m ready for nap round two. Although at this time of a night that just means going to bed!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

“Challenge Accepted!”

A notable television character used to frequently say, “Challenge accepted!” That character was the notorious womanizer Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother. I may not understand a lot of the characters motivations, but I do get this competitive mentality. National Sales Director Emeritus Linda Toupin always referred to this as the 4-H Mentality. She always talked about how being in 4-H taught her to learn skills, set goals, and strive to win a blue ribbon. I was never in 4-H, but I was in enough youth sports, art fairs, performance art competitions, etc to understand how motivating being competitive can be!

Fast forward to now…

I still love a competition! Which is why I’m super excited about Adult Summer Reading! I literally discovers it less than 24 hours ago, and I’m super excited! The idea is to get a bingo on the card your print and submit it for a chance at prizes! How fun is that? I can’t wait to have a chance to win for doing something I already enjoy! Plus, it has introduced me to other fun events through the public library!

Something else I love because of my competitive nature? Virtual badges! I pushed myself to earn several tech ones during NTI for a competition and earned the prize! I don’t just get excited about virtual badges for me. I get excited when I see a coworkers achievements from their badges! I got super excited today when LilKsby earned 7 badges in one day for Pre-Reader Summer Reading!

I feel like in a lot of ways my competitive nature is one of my strongest traits. Being competitive can show determination and grit. It can also help you to learn the art of losing which I also think is important! Plus, when I’m competing, I feel that I have some of my best mental health! Can’t beat that!

Now for a little personal competition that is part of the summer reading! Five days in a row of journaling (I’m choosing to use my blog). Let’s see if I can do it! Get ready for five days of me and my randomness!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Reflecting on 36

Photo by Elcara Photography

In one hour it will be my 37th birthday! To say that I’m excited would be an understatement. My birthday is definitely my second favorite holiday. I love cake! I love a reason to be with family and friends! I love presents! Most of all, I love celebrating another year here on earth living a life of abundance!

I have to say looking back, that 36 has been one of the best years ever! Some may think, “But Kaysby, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic! In fact, the last two month of your 36th year have been spent social distancing and in pretty much complete isolation with Mr Kisby and LilKsby!” That’s two months of time that I’ve gotten to spend with my AMAZING baby almost 24/7 (seriously I’ve been away from him for maybe two hours) and my hubby (who I don’t just love but also like to be around)!

Plus, some of the greatest things ever have happened while 36! Here are the highlights:

  1. We had a baby! LilKsby has the distinction of being born when I was 36 just as I was born when my dad was 36. Also, the three of us are all Tauruses who were born in the Year of the Pig. How fun is that?
  2. The three of us got to spend A LOT of time together! You know what? We love our little family, and we wouldn’t trade the togetherness for the world!
  3. We got to see some of the best of Broadway by going to Hamilton and Jesus Christ Superstar. Bonus? We also got to watch Jesus Christ Superstar again on Andrew Lloyd Weber’s YouTube channel!
  4. We traveled with LilKsby! He won’t remember it, but I’ll always remember playing with him in hotel pools! I’m so glad that he loves water just like his mama!
  5. We got to celebrate several holidays before and after quarantine began: Halloween, Not-So-Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, a wedding, and birthdays.
  6. We got to get some of the best family pictures ever made with Elcara Photography!
  7. We’ve tried new things like baking a cake from scratch and learning guitar.
  8. We’ve virtually visited museums and amusement parks!
  9. We’ve finally taken time to do little things around the house that there never seemed to be time to complete.
  10. We’ve supported causes near and dear to our hearts!
  11. We’ve taken more time for things we enjoy like creating art, blogging, playing games, and having family movie nights! The last of these is why I’ve finally seen the first three Indiana Jones movies and all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies that have been released thus far!
  12. I’ve taken time to read! Books are great!
  13. We’ve taken more time to attend church in person and virtually – especially virtually!

There’s more greatness that I know I just can’t think of right now! 36 has been that great of a year! I hope that 37 will be just as great, and that next year when it is 31 minutes until my birthday, I’ll be finishing another blog about another great year!

To everyone else having a birthday today, tomorrow, or soon, I hope that you can reflect and realize that your year has been great even if there were struggles along the way (after all no road is ever perfectly paved)! Find joy in the little things, and live by your priorities! Love life! Here’s to 37!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

34 Days and Counting…

In the last 34 days, I’ve left the house 5 times maybe 6 to do activities other than walk around the neighborhood. I had to go to work one day, picked up an online grocery order once, went for a drive and lunch pick up, and picked up dinner twice. I’ve cried more than I’ve ever cried especially out of being deeply moved by the kindness and generosity of others. But most importantly, I’ve spent tons of time with Mr Kisby and LilKsby that I wouldn’t have otherwise! ❤️ This is my favorite part of social distancing/corona-quarantine, and I can honestly say that at 34 days and counting boredom is nowhere in sight!

So far I have or we have:

  • Watched a lot of TV (often just as background noise) including: Full House, Fuller House, Boy Meets World, Girl Meets World, Nailed It, Hart of Dixie, Onward, and Inside Out.
  • Baked cookies
  • Learned to make bread from a starter
  • Cooked more than ever (seriously, we had an eating out problem)
  • Cleaned
  • Napped
  • Learned how to work from home
  • Painted my nails
  • Given a haircut
  • Played board games
  • Taken Udemy classes for fun
  • Started to learn guitar from YouTube
  • Worshipped virtually
  • Visited with family virtually
  • Played video games
  • Created art projects
  • Played with toys
  • Read books

I’m sure we’ve done more, but that’s all I can think of at the moment! The good news is there is still a lot we can do without getting bored! The best news is that we’ve gotten time together we wouldn’t have had otherwise!!! FYI…if it wasn’t for the pandemic, then I may not have seen LilKsby’s first steps or been there when he started to say, “Dada”. Those have been the best moments!

I hope that you’re finding things to do during this time at home and enjoying it. I’d love to know your favorite things!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”

Remember the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felecia Bond? It is a beloved childhood book about what all a mouse will want if said mouse is offered a cookie. In my Junior American Lit class, I often compare this book to “A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin. The characters, items, and settings might be different, but the general idea of how one action becomes a catalyst for another action followed by another action is the same. I’m sure fine literary critics would this statement abhorring, but it helps make 19th century literature relevant to 11th graders.

This morning at 4 am, which I’ve noticed is the time a lot of revelations currently come, I realized that a lot of how my brain works is like that of the mouse’s brain in the book. The catalyst this evening was a storm with very strong winds. Here’s how the brain started flowing from that catalyst:

  • Storming so loud I wake up
  • Look at Fitbit
  • Time to pump
  • Baby is stirring, nurse him a little
  • Go to the bathroom
  • Pump other boob
  • Play games to stay awake while pumping (I’ve fallen asleep pumping, and it’s not pleasant.)
  • Kick some Dr Mario butt!
  • Take milk downstairs to fridge
  • Decide to wash pump parts
  • Realize yesterday’s pump parts need to be cleaned
  • Wash them all and sterilize
  • Contemplate going out in the rain at 4 am to see if any outdoor items have blown away
  • Decide this is a bad plan because it’s 4 am, and I don’t want anyone calling the cops because it looks like I’m robbing my own house
  • While sterilizing is going on, put away clean dishes from dishwasher
  • Consider putting dish towels in washer, but don’t because of the storm
  • Think about going outside again, but realize I shouldn’t go out and get pneumonia over some lawn ornaments
  • Reload dishwasher
  • Take out sterilized pump parts and put on drying rack
  • Again, consider putting dish towels in washer, but don’t because of the storm
  • Realize I’m hungry
  • Think about a snack, but it’s weight check day
  • Think about weighing now so a snack can be had
  • Decide to skip snack and weigh later
  • Get clothes out of dryer
  • Once more…consider putting dish towels in washer, but don’t because of the storm
  • Start up the stairs while thinking about how this series of events is like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
  • Decide to blog about my thought process

Did you follow all that? I know it’s a lot to process! Is that how anyone else’s brain works? Does anyone else ever feel like that poor little mouse? (I mean sometimes I just want a cookie too, but no dairy so…) Maybe part of being a mommy is having a million different thoughts at the same time! I guess at some point you have to learn to turn the brain off and go back to bed. You have to learn to just be satisfied with the cookie.

Until the next 4 am revelation!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

PS: FYI…still thinking about the lawn ornaments!

Laugh and Smile

You know what is awesome about babies? They will laugh at anything! Seriously…anything! LilKsby just laughed hysterically at a made up song about pickle juice. It went like this: “Pickle juice, pickle juice, everybody wants some pickle juice, pickle juice.”

We also have a song about cleaning up that he finds quite amusing! He definitely prefers to laugh at the made up songs. A round of Smelly Cat doesn’t get so much as a half smile, but he’ll laugh like crazy if you sing about “diapees” while changing his diaper.

Silly songs aren’t the only things that make LilKsby laugh. He laughs at funny faces, funny sounds, stories, his toys, and his kittens! Mr Kisby can really make him laugh! No matter what has him laughing, his laugh and smile are contagious. They make you laugh and smile too.

It is important to laugh and smile. They are simple little things that can have a major impact on life. They can make you feel beautiful, improve someone’s day, and burn calories! Laughs and smiles are one of the simplest most powerful things we can do!

Yet somewhere along the way, it seems people forget how to laugh and smile. Personally, I do them a lot. I’m smiling right now as I type and hold LilKsby, but I feel like I’m probably the exception to the rule. So I’d like to issue a challenge to my readers. Once a day at a minimum, try to laugh and smile. At the very least, smile at someone and say, “Good morning!” to brighten their day.

I believe that if we all could be more like babies, then the world would be so full of laughter and smiles that it would be a better place! If you need a starting point for smiling, then I’ll give you this:

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Resolution Revelation

It is New Year’s Eve, and there is about 2 and a half hours left in 2019 (to be honest, I started this blog on the 30th in the wee hours of the morning before pumping, but that’s mom life).  There is about to be a new year and decade.  I’m already seeing New Year’s resolutions on social media. There are a lot of “common” resolutions such as:

  • I’m going to lose weight.
  • I’m going to eat better.
  • I’m going to stop cursing.
  • I’m going to be on my phone/social media less.

90% of the time it seems like these resolutions inevitably fail (really I don’t know because stats and research tend to bore me).  If I made New Year’s resolutions, then I’m sure that I’d be in the failure group. Why? For one, because a lot of New Year’s resolutions seem to be made with a band wagon mentality.  Therefore, if my resolution doesn’t actually match my purpose and passion in life, then I’m not going to follow through with committing to the resolution.  For two, if I just make a resolution without planning, then I’m going to forget it before January 2.

Thus, here is my Resolution Revelation!  In order for a resolution to be successful it should actually be a goal. Additionally, it will help if it is a SMART goal.  In this case, SMART doesn’t mean intelligent; SMART means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound.  I feel like Achievable and Relevant are key components as it is easy to become discouraged when things seem impossible or outdated. For more specifics on SMART goals Google the term. There is a lot of information out there!  I had to Google the term just to remember what all the letters stood for at one in the morning when I started writing the rough draft for this blog.

To test my theory, here is a typical resolution versus a SMART goal:

Resolution – I want to lose weight.

SMART Goal – I want to lose 20 pounds averaging 1 pound per week by Memorial Day as measured by Saturday weight checks.

Do you see the difference? The first is very vague, but the second provides a plan of action. You could even add mini-goals within the SMART Goal such as losing 5 pounds by Valentine’s Day.

I also feel like the SMART Goal helps provide direction.  At this point in my life, I feel that having a sense of direction – a sense of purpose – is necessary.  That said, one of my SMART Goals is the following: I will blog a minimum of three times per month during 2020 as blogging helps me sort out my thoughts and provides me with a creative outlet.

For me personally, this blog is out of my comfort zone. However, they say that we often teach what we need to learn ourselves. I feel that for 2020 to be a success I needed to critically think about goal setting.  This blog came from that thinking.  Subscribe to my blog to see if I make my SMART goal associated with blogging!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

 

Lactation Lament – Never Give Up!!!

This morning when I was looking at my blog statistics, I discovered that “Lactation Lament” is my blog that has the most views. Today, I thought I would expand on it with “Never Give Up!!!”

Why today? Because today is December 30. It also marks 5 months of being formula free and only being on breastmilk (plus now some Stage 1 food)! This is huge, and I share that so others can see the importance of never giving up! If you’ve read my first blog on this subject, then you know how easy it would have been for me to quit. However, I’m stubborn and to quote one of my business mentors, Julie Weaver, “You don’t tell a redhead what she will or will not do.” We’re spunky that way!

Breastfeeding isn’t the only time LilKsby has taught me to never give up. When he wanted to sit up, but didn’t have the core control to do so, he did baby crunches until he could sit up. Now his favorite thing to do is sit up and play with his toys! When he wanted to not have to do tummy time, LilKsby rocked himself sideways again and again until eventually he could roll over! Currently, he’s applying this never give up mentality to learning to crawl. Everyday he gets a little closer!

Imagine if all of us could have the determination of babies. What if, no matter what naysayers might try and tell us, we never gave up on our goals? What could we accomplish in life if we would just keep going? I imagine that we could conquer the world with the right attitude!

As a new decade is about to begin(raise your hand if you’re ready to party like Gatsby), I want you and myself to be like LilKsby and never give up! Whatever your goal might be, I’m here to cheer you on as you cross the finish line! I hope that our successes can inspire you (and myself) on any future endeavors!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

‘Tis the Gift to be Giving

This blog was originally handwritten on 12/23/19, and it is being typed on 12/29. Christmas may have passed, but the message is still pertinent.

Lying here awake at 4 am, I find myself staring at my husband and son. There is gifts that need to be wrapped, shopping to be done, and crafts to be made, but looking at my sweet boy, I realize how much none of that matters. I don’t feel this way because he’s a baby and won’t remember; I feel this way because we’ve already established with him traditions that are more important than any present underneath the Christmas tree.

1) Angel Tree – since before we were married, Mr Kisby and I have adopted 1 or 2 kids from the Angel Tree. We are beyond blessed even at our hardest points in life, and it is important to share those blessings. This year we shopped as a family. It felt really nice to know our family was blessing others. This year Mr Kisby and I picked our angel, and soon I hope LilKsby will feel led to pick who we bless.

2) Fellowship – Christmas is full of parties like Sushimas. At these events we see some people like once a year, yet it will seem like we haven’t been apart. I hope LilKsby will one day have these kinds of friendships.

3) Baking – growing up, my Uncle David would always make candy during the holidays. He would give it to friends, family, and people in the community as a thank you for their service. I never learned to make candy, but I can bake like a champ. Every year I make a pecan pie for my dad, something chocolate for the rest of the family, and something for our doctors and vet. I think extra thank yous are important this time of year as everyone enjoys feeling appreciated.

4) Christmas Cards – I know a lot of mail is uncommon these days which might be why receiving cards is so nice. Sending them is even better to me as it is a way of sending a little piece of love to those you care about in the world.

Now it is 4:30 am, and my sweet boy is semi awake and nursing happily. I smile to myself thinking of another baby boy being nursed by his mother in a stable. That baby saved the world; I hope mine will show the world that it “tis the gift to be giving”.

And now we nap…

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Perfect Imperfection

“All your perfect imperfections…”

All of Me, John Legend

As I was putting up Christmas lights on our porch this evening, that lyric kept running through my head. Normally, Mr Kisby puts up the outdoor lights, and he makes them perfect. This year if I wanted them up, then I had to do it. So tonight – wearing a fleece onesie because that was sufficiently warm – I put the lights up on the front porch. Me who cannot draw a straight line tackles the Christmas lights! Me who has the attention span of a goldfish! It was no easy task, and at one point I left a strand of lights hanging while I went in search of candy cane yard stakes. However, though it may look haphazard, I got the lights up.

In a lot of ways this is a perfect imperfect holiday season. It’s perfect in that I’m going to get to spend a lot of time with my wonderful family (LilKsby is 7 months old today!), and I’ve finally got enough decor up to satisfy me. Although should someone volunteer to put up my nativity outside, I wouldn’t tell them no. It’s also perfect in that we are blessed with our beautiful baby boy.

Then there’s the imperfect. There’s the lay-off. There’s the fact that there are five days until Christmas, and all I have for Mr Kisby is a hug. Presents we do have are unwrapped while some are still in transit. I haven’t done any baking for others, and Christmas cards are still in the box. I feel like the list goes on and on. All of it combined is making me a little crazy because I want LilKsby’s first Christmas to be perfect!

Now here are some fundamental truths:

  • I know LilKsby won’t remember this Christmas or how perfect it was.
  • I know that all the material aspects are not the point of Christmas.
  • I know that I have to learn to let go of certain things as important now that there is a baby in the picture.

Do you know why I think I have a hard time with these truths? Change is scary. For me, not having Christmas perfectly together is not a change I was prepared to face. I also think this might be why I’ve had a difficult time getting in the Christmas spirit this year.

Now, as I sit holding my sleeping baby and looking at the tree, I hope that I can let go of the idea of all the things that have to be done for Christmas to be “perfect”. I need to relax, accept the imperfection, be glad for what I do have, and enjoy the holiday season.

It’s time to accept perfect imperfection and be blessed!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Super Mom Secret To Success

Yesterday was a sensational Sunday! It was one of those days when I felt like Super Mom! I managed to do laundry for LilKsby, hold a Mary Kay consultation, and prep for the week. Days like this make me feel like I can conquer the world as long as I have eye cream to assist with the bags and dark circles from lack of sleep (this is where being a Mary Kay consultant comes in really handy)! Here’s my secret to feeling this way as often as possible: meal prep!

Seriously, to me there is no question more exhausting – other than one about budgeting – than, “What do you want for dinner?” In our house, this has been a conversation more than once:

“What do you want for dinner?”

“I don’t know. What do you want?”

“I don’t care. What do you want?”

This can go on for rounds, and more often than not it leads to it being an hour later with no decision made and feeling hangry.

Thus, my secret to feeling like Super Mom? Meal prep!

For me – as a working mom – breakfast and lunch prep is key. To keep from being bored, I like some variety. Some weeks my meal prep for breakfast is putting cereal in one container and to go portions of milk in another. Sometimes breakfast meal prep is buying sausage biscuits for the week. My favorite breakfast meal prep is breakfast casserole!

My Breakfast Casserole

  • Eggs (however many you feel like – yesterday there were 7 left in the carton, so 7 it was!)
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Meat (usually bacon or sausage for me)
  • Rotel (optional)
  • Scramble the eggs in a bowl, assemble casserole as desired, cook in the oven on 350 for 35-40 minutes.

My lunch prep is similarly simple. There are weeks when my lunch prep is buy 5 frozen dinners or 5 single serving soups and crackers. I do have other favorites though including chili, tuna salad, and chicken salad.

My Chili

  • Ground Beef
  • Ground Pork
  • Canned Chili – No Beans
  • Canned Diced Tomatoes
  • Canned Rotel
  • Portions are however much you want, or in my case however much can fit in my crockpot.
  • Cook meat
  • Dump everything together in crockpot
  • Mix it all up
  • Leave in crockpot for several hours

My Tuna or Chicken Salad

  • Cannes Tuna or Chicken
  • Mayo
  • Pickle Relish
    Put however much you want of everything in a bowl, and stir the daylights out of it so to speak.
    Put in fridge, serve chilled

Dinner meal prep for me is more tricky, this is where Mr Kisby is a great help. He came up with a list of several simple to cook or prep options that we rotate through. Some of our favorites include: pork tenderloin, buffalo chicken bites, low carb pizza, frozen pizza, chicken nuggets and fries, bunless burgers, grilled chicken Caesar salad, pork chops, and spaghetti (or any other pasta). Typically, we will plan a week of dinners and have them ready to easily cook or cook them in advance. This keeps the “What do you want for dinner?” issue at a minimum!

So now you know my Super Mom secret: meal prep! What are your favorite meal prep tips?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

My Village

It takes a village to raise a child.

For a long time I have understood this from the perspective of a teacher. As a high school teacher, I know that it takes a group of adults with various areas of expertise and personalities to connect with kids and help them become the best version of themselves they can be. For example, I may connect better with the kids who enjoy video games and theatre while someone else connects more with kids who are interested in sports.

Now I have realized that it also takes a village to be a successful working mom. During this first week back to work, I’ve had an amazing support system. First of all, there has been my personal support system. These are the co-workers – and more importantly friends – who have made breastfeeding easier. They’ve offered tips for successful pumping on the job as well as operated as location scouts for places to pump. I’ve also felt the love and support from coworkers making sure I’m okay because they know first hand how hard it is to leave your baby and get through the work day.

Secondly, I had LilKsby’s village! First and foremost there was Mr Kisby at home with our baby. They sent me updates and even FaceTimed with me during planning for my peace of mind. Our parents also helped by bringing lunch over and mowing the lawn. It was a lot easier to get through the week knowing that LikKsby’s village was there when I couldn’t be.

Thanks villages! We love you!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby