Monday Musings

Happy Monday to you! I hope yours is off to a better start than mine. I've already cleaned up two explosions today, one in the microwave after my poached egg blew up, the other on the changing table. My poor washing machine has never run on the 'Sanitize' cycle so much since starting Harlow on solids. Sorry, TMI.

I'm sharing a 'musings' post today instead of during the typical midweek time slot because I feel like I need a good mind dump. Beware: emotional word vomit set to commence.

Let's go ahead and get the heavier stuff out of the way.

Bad Hair Year: I'm really struggling right now in the self-confidence department, mostly because of my hair. It is in baaaad shape. From over-processing, from postpartum fall-out...that's on top of its naturally thin structure. My roots are embarrassing but I don't know that I can safely apply any color to it in its current state. HOT. MESS. My anniversary is next Thursday and I'm already nervous I won't feel as confident as I would like to. Hopefully the dress I ordered will cheer things up a bit (it better, it was a final sale purchase - eek!).

Goodbyes Are Hard: Not gonna lie, I'm also pretty bummed that Harlow's nanny, Kate, had her last day with us this past Thursday. She's starting school to earn her masters in Montessori education and we're SO happy for her because she's definitely doing what she was meant to do. Still, it's hard to say goodbye to someone your daughter clearly loved. Harlow's face lit up every time Kate walked in. We both learned a lot from her.

We met Kate through a family/friend connection, so I've never done a true third-party nanny search. That whole process intimidates me, it makes me nervous, and honestly I hope I can see quality candidates for their merits rather than comparing them to Kate too much. Does anyone have any recommendations or advice on finding dependable in-home child care? I've been told to look at Care.com but I'm hesitant...any experience with it?

Mamas + Meryl: Considering my time off just went from six hours a week to zero, it's probably not the best time to try to take in a movie but there are so many I'm dy-ing to see! Clearly, Bad Moms takes the top spot. Who's seen it? ! That bit about Mila Kunis's sad mom bra in the preview really resonates with me -- how sad is that? Maybe I should be worried about more than just my hair before my anniversary...

I'm a complete sucker for period pieces and Meryl Streep, so Florence Foster Jenkins is a must-see for me. Of course you know I'm Team Serena for life so I'll need a ticket for Blake's new flick, Cafe Society, stat.

Story Telling: Instagram launched their new 'Stories' feature clearly to compete with Snapchat. For me, it's not gonna happen for several reasons. One, I think Instagram is a highlight reel to share the beautiful and the aspirational whereas Snapchat is far more casual and off-the-cuff. Two, I follow over 700 accounts on Instagram and like 15 people on Snapchat. I can handle those 15 people sharing quick snaps, but 700? I won't even try.

Put It In Park: Guys. The Snapchatting while driving is really stressing me out. Is your Snap so dang important you have to risk injury to yourself and to others? I'll just be honest, if someone hits my car - with my baby in it! - because they were Snapchatting I'm not going to be very forgiving...not very Christian of me, but I mean business when it comes to protecting my daughter.

Serial Binge: I'm just now enjoying Serial Season Two and though the story didn't grab me like season one, I've still got a case of the and-then-what-happeneds? In one of the episodes, Sarah describes a harrowing experience of Beau's trying to retrieve a busted MRAP. For years, my husband designed MRAPs, a job he took very seriously. One night while having dinner at Fulton Five, a member of the kitchen staff found out my husband had designed the MRAPs he rode around in while deployed overseas. He came out, shook Mike's hand, and thanked him for keeping his and his fellow soliders' lives safe. I'll never forget that moment. So yeah, listening to Sarah recount the tale of two MRAPs blowing up with no loss of life...it tugged at my heart.

GirlBoss Asheville: On Thursday, I'm hitting up a meet-n-greet/networking event of local women who in one way or another are making a positive impact on our community. I'm so excited! Really looking forward to connecting with other women, moms, and business owners and (hopefully) identifying potential collaborations either here on the blog or with my styling biz. Typing this makes me realize I need to get those business cards ordered ASAP!

Thanks for letting me share my hodgepodge of thoughts and such. Working out of the house and spending all my daylight hours with a tiny human who can't talk or walk is a blessing, but I do get fidgety. Without water cooler chitchat or even a two-way conversation for hours on end, I need an outlet. So thanks for listening -- and as always, feel free to leave a comment and join the convo!

xxBrooke