Introducing Lemonade Moms!

No, we don't operate a lemonade stand or even sell it at all. In fact, we don't even like the flavor that much. But yes, we are Lemonade Moms!

We are twin sisters and best friends living everyday lives! Balancing marriage, motherhood, work, friendships, and managing a household, all while trying not to let life's overwhelming challenges overcome us! We are definitely NOT supermoms, as hard as we try! But we are slowly learning the lessons of stretching ourselves too thin and trying to be everything to everyone... Can you relate?

The lemonade mom concept started from one of our favorite phrases to each other: "Squeeze That Lemon". We try to hold each other accountable and encourage one another to look at the positive in any situation and remind each other that while we can't control what happens to us...we can control how we react to it! So we have this tradition, every time we hear each other start to veer off the path, we use our "secret" hand motion. Want to be in on our secret? Okay, here you go. Put your hand up with all five fingers open to the sky. Now pretend there's a lemon in your palm and squeeze all the juice out of that imaginary lemon! Oh and don't forget to say "Squeeze That Lemon". Squeeze that lemon means, take that lemon and make some lemonade!

As two new moms, we found ourselves hearing the same troubles from a lot of women. It seems like we're all challenged with the same things. The good news is, your not alone. The bad news is that there are thousands of women out there struggling, searching for their identities and left in that "mommy rut". So, in our typical course of action we started Googling, then scanned through thousands of website and blogs in search for guidance on the various issues. We found a lot directed toward mothers and women, and we did find a lot of motivating stuff!  But after reading all that and feeling VERY motivated to take control...we were left without a viable action plan. We were left wondering..."okay, now what?" and "so where do I start?"

Being a Lemonade Mom is about directing your OWN path in life. It isn't all about having a tidy house all the time, or dinner on the table every night, or being a "Supermom". It's about deciding what life you want to live and setting a goal to get it. It's about caring for your family and most importantly about learning how to love yourself.  Part of starting this blog is about helping ourselves and each other stay accountable to staying positive and making the most out of life without wearing ourselves thin. We're here to provide ideas and tips for how to make the life you want. We're also here to share our challenges and the ways we were able to overcome them!  We're not doctors, we don't have PhD's...but we hope to create a platform where you can find the hope and resources you are looking for! So scan the topics, read thoroughly, and/or contribute if you'd like. And we hope that along the way, you can line up your lemons and squeeze them one at a time...overcoming each challenge in the journey for a balanced healthy life!

Introducing Lemonade Mom "C"

Since I’m the older twin, I guess I’ll go first!    I have to say I am not entirely sure if there is one way to describe myself, more like lots of different ways.  I and blessed with great friends and an amazing family.  I love to work (yes work), travel and I absolutely love snuggling up with a good book, a cup of hot tea and our wood stove blazing in the background…although part of my journey includes trying to find the time for things like that!
I was the first of us to become a mommy.  My son was born on October 20, 2010.  At this moment we’re also expecting our second little one!  In the interest of protecting my family I’m not going to mention my little one’s first name throughout this blog, so I’ll just call him “Lil’ C”.  He is the joy of our lives and has taught us more than we could have ever imagined about life, love and each other.  My hope is that this blog not only helps other people, but also serves as somewhat of a journal of my journey that I can pass down to both my children. 
My husband and I were blessed to be introduced by Shay’s husband several years ago and have now been married for a little over 2 years .  Despite our bias view of Lil’ C, our lives are far from perfect.  Being working parents has definitely presented challenges and making time for each other has yet to be a priority like we know it should.  Sometimes we’re more like fire and ice than I’d like to admit, but he makes me a better person!  His type A personality balances with my laid back “come as it may” attitude.  And vice versa.  So we work hard at doing what makes the other person happy thus searching for that fine balance between the regimented culture of a military base and the mellow world of hippies living on a campground.  And in order to keep that balance, I work very hard at creating habits for myself, use lots of lists and spend lots and lots of time getting organized and re-organized (all of which you’ll learn about along the way). 
During the duration of my pregnancy I picked up lots and lots of books and read lots of articles about being pregnant, breastfeeding, newborns, sleep training, etc.  So I’d say I’m probably considered the reader of us two.  I feel empowered by reading and hearing other women’s stories.  I Google everything and I’m definitely the patient with a notepad and pencil at each doctors appointment!  I am blessed with several dear friends, who have all helped me along the way with becoming a wife and mother.  All of which I’m sure you’ll hear about along the way also.  I love to cook when I have time and hate to cook when I am rushed.  And above all, I find my strength in God. 
To sum it all up, here is one of my favorite quotes.  Which I’d like to think is the basis for most of this blog and I pray that all of us can learn to live by these words. 

'May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly
where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite
possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you
use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has
been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you
are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul
the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and
every one of us.'

Introducing Lemonade Mom “Shay”!

Well then...I guess I'll go second!  Although, I must say C, I hardly think being 12 MINUTES older counts!

So, when I think about writing a bio about myself I can rarely think of anything exciting.  What I mean is, I kind of consider myself the everyday women.  I am the mother of an 8 month old daughter (for the purpose of this blog we'll call her "Miss H").  I am... a wife (to my hubby Shawn, xoxo), a daughter (to Cathy aka. Momma Lemon), a sister and a twin (to C), and a "mom on the clock" (our term for a working mom).  And like many of you, I'm a friend, a volunteer, a board member, a cook, a maid, and the list goes on and on!  But really that’s not what you want to know, right?  You want to know who AM I? Why should you listen to my ranting.  So, I figure I would take this time to tell you a little about who I really am (like the things I like and dislike) and who I really want to be. So here it goes…

I love education, learning about new people and new places, different societies, different religions and philosophies, but I did not like going to school. I love all animals but I do eat meat.  I love to travel but believe there is no better place than home.  I love music, anything from hip hop to country.  I love to read but hate to sit for a long period of time.  I love exercise but get bored with it very easily.  I am willing to try anything once.  I love to write but could care less about grammar and spelling. I am a great friend and an honest straight shooter.  I love sports and competition (especially baseball/softball). I am empathetic yet sometimes non-sympathetic.  I believe in the power of thought and embrace the power of persuasion.  I have strong values and beliefs, but more than willing to change my perception if presented with a good argument and statistics (the sociologist in me). I believe that everyone has the authority over their own lives and their own destination.  I am who I am because I decide that is who I want to be. I want to be a great role model for my daughter.  I want to be my husband’s best friend and strongest supporter.  I never want to be stuck in my ways so much that I'm not be open to new ways of thinking or new ways of doing.  I want to be a contributor to my society.  As one of my favorite quote says I want to “be the change” I “wish to see in the world.”

With all that said you can probably tell I am a little bit of everything. I don’t believe anyone has to fit into a tiny box.  I believe I can be one thing today and something different tomorrow.  In fact, another one of my favorite quotes is below. 

"They say, 'Be Yourself', like you know exactly what that is... like you're a toaster or something... like there's only that one way to pop out you.  Well maybe being me isn't just one thing. Maybe just searching for me is being me and not being them... being themselves... being toasters. Maybe being me is more like a breakfast cereal variety pack. Maybe that's what I'll be... today. But tomorrow, who knows?...maybe the blue plate special"- unknown
 
So my goal in all of this is to help you all realize you can be whatever you want to be! Keep your values and principals the same, but really ya'll...life is short!!
 
For purposes of this blog let me tell you a little about my journey as a mom....
Shawn and I had been married for 5 years when I found out I was pregnant with our daughter. To say this was a surprise seems odd because we were married and weren't using any real methods of BC.  However we were stunned to find out I was preggo!  Every year since we were married we always felt "we weren't ready". Whether it was financially, mentally, or me physically there was always a reason why we would "start trying next year".  Then came the sickness (not sure why they call it morning sickness when mine tended to be at night!).  So I decided to take THE TEST and with a little *splish splash* our life was changed forever.  And what a change it has been!  Neither one of us can look back and remember why our lives were so exciting before HER! The truth is, I don't think I was ready even up until the day we had her! But the second she came into this world was the second it just fell into place.  Not without challenges of course.  The first 6 weeks were rough and tough... throwing us for a loop every time we thought we had things figured out, Miss H would switch it up! We learned to adapt and we are continuing to adapt at every bend in the road!

My role as a mother for this first 8 months of my daughter's life has been a little reversed compared to most of my friends.  As the primary “bread winner” (although I hate that term) I worked full time and Shawn stayed with Miss H since his appraisal job allowed him to work from home.  It was incredibly hard leaving every day.  Although most people think that working in Real Estate means I have a “flexible schedule” I work most evenings and weekends so I miss out on making dinner and bed time quite often. So Shawn has taken over the typical “mother” roles and it truly has worked out great.  With a slowdown in the market, Shawn has been able to spend some time thinking about a career change allowing him to get into a position that gives him more satisfaction.  With the few number of jobs and the LARGE number of applicants this proved to be challenging, yet he continued his education, stayed the course, and recently got certified as an EMT.  Just this week he was hired on at a local hospital for medical transport!! YAY!!!   So yet again our roles will shift and we’ll adapt!  He is an INCREDIBLE dad and he and our daughter have a bond unlike anything I've ever seen.  I'm hoping many of you out there have the same dynamic as we do and can appreciate my dialog as it will be a little different from the norm. 

Hope you will follow our journey and take part in the conversation!