Mama's Starting Over

When you become a divorced family everything changes, which I'm sure you know.  While things can be incredibly tense between Husband and I, I will say that we do the right thing every day when it comes to our daughter. Yes, she has seen us fight and lately she has been acting out because things have been different.  For the most part though, we show a united front when dealing with LG.  I am very proud of this. We attend her soccer games and stand together.  We even worked together to get the snacks put together for LG's soccer game this week!  When we are together and LG is acting up we are much better about having each others back in dealing with her, something we weren't great at when we were married. Another opportunity arose for us this week.  Halloween.  It is "my weekend" and while I could have kept her at my house and taken her trick or treating over here, that would mean that her dad wouldn't see her.  I hate the thought of that....

Every year I agonize over Christmas cards.  I design, re-design and then change them over and over again.  Most years our cards have been just Ashley's photo but I would have the hardest time choosing which photo I wanted to use.  The year we had a photo of the 3 of us was pretty easy!  Most years we have gotten our holiday cards from Shutterfly .   Most photo sites are great, but Shutterfly is close to home with a HUGE selection of holiday cards . There are cards that are more modern looking, religious or traditional ! I honestly could spend hours pouring over all the choices and don't even get me started on the cute Thank You cards . Of course, this year is going to be a very different type of holiday card for us.  There will be no photo of the 3 of us.  There will be no "Love The Freitas Family"  It is probably going to be a very tough step for me and will give me some major anxiety. I spent some time today picking out a few of my...

I have been a "single mom" for almost a year now.  Nothing about this has been easy but I had my first real test on Saturday morning.  Actually, more like Saturday, middle of the night. You see, LG was sick.  I cut a trip I was on short and flew home a day early to be with my girl.  There were many reasons for this and it was a very tough decision but I wouldn't change it.  I picked LG up at her dad's on Friday night, brought her home and put her to bed.  She didn't have a fever and she fell asleep quickly after waiting up for me. At 3:00 a.m. she stumbled into my bedroom and climbed in bed with me.  I was ok with this since I knew she had been missing me a lot.  I reached over to feel her and she was burning up.  I found the thermometer and sure enough she had a 104.5 fever.  I wasn't overly concerned when I got up to get the Motrin, until I realized we were out of medicine.  No Motrin.  No Tylenol.  NOTHING. I pani...

Every day I sit down and open a new post and start writing.  Actually, I stare at the screen and can't even start.  I don't even know where to start.  I want to pour out my heart but I am tired of doing that. I have made many mistakes in the past.  I have tried to make them right, but I can only do so much.  I have apologized and reached out to the people I have want to make things right with, but it hasn't worked.  How many times can you reach out and apologize? At some point you just have to realize that you have done all you can and let it go. I am learning.  This whole divorce is a process.  When I look back, I realize this is about so much more than divorce.  I am learning about myself.  It is really hard.  It is hard to look in the mirror and not love what you see.  Yes there are things about myself that I love but I wish I could love the whole picture. I love that I am a great mother.  I know down to my toes t...

Sponsored By Cheerios® is giving you the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, your ultimate family vacation. As part of a paid promotion for their “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes , Cheerios® is sponsoring my post today about what my ultimate family vacation would be. Read mine and Enter the Sweepstakes for a chance to actually win your own fantasy family trip or one of a bunch of other great prizes. My ultimate family vacation would be to take my daughter and mother in law to Paris. My mother in law LOVES Paris and it is a place that I have always wanted to go.  I would want my daughter to be just a tad older so that she could really appreciate it.  Actually, I think I would wait until she was a teenager so that we could snack on chocolate croissants and coffee. We could walk the streets while stopping in cafes to snack on amazing treats .  We could spend our days shopping, because it would of course be totally paid for, heh heh.  Of course, we woul...

There is something oddly humorous about my new obsession.  I am obsessed with cleaning!  This is funny because it was one of the downfalls of my marriage.  I didn't do enough around the house, but now I am a clean freak.  I don't know why this is.  I am constantly cleaning.  I vacuum almost every day. I clean the kitchen and wipe it down every day.  I am almost becoming a little crazy with it.  Maybe I am trying to make up for the past?  Maybe this is really who I am?  I don't know but I like it.