Thanks for reading

 

My first year of motherhood has been a curvy one. My life with Langston has been wonderful, but my life as a companion was a very rough one. I found out I wasn't exactly cut out for a relationship, and I've spent the last year really embracing my single mother status. Currently, I've never in my life felt more sure of myself and the things I want. I have surrounded myself in a solid rock group of family and friends, and all around I feel nothing but thankful.
 

Co-parenting hasn't gotten any easier, and maybe it never will. That's a question I haven't yet found the answer to but I'm willing to just go where life takes me at this point. I don't want to dwell on my co-parenting or custody issues anymore. I'm really looking to move forward and start new with Langston's first birthday right around the corner. With that being said, this is sort of my farewell post to any and all Little Man Langston readers.
 

This blog has been a lot of things for me. It’s been a way for my family to watch Langston grow, it's been a support group for other young mamas that are in similar situations, and most of all it’s been extremely therapeutic. Anytime I would post a rant over how angry something made me, it made it that much better to get emails from other women dealing with the same troubles. From wanting to gag every time you saw a happy expecting couple, to just how difficult it is to find a decent guy. There was always a mama coming along telling me they were also gagging, and that tomorrow would be a better day.

A lot of people say they don't understand blogging. They find it silly, and see it as just another way to slather your private life all over the very public internet. But really it's so much more than that. The mama blogging world can come across as intimidating (there's so many of us), but in reality we're all here blogging about our lives so that other women can relate and get the support they need. Not to mention we all just deserve some "me" time. Whether you've reached out to be a supportive role in my life, or you've been one of the few to send me nasty emails - you were all a stepping stone in helping me get where I am now, and for that I'm thankful.

This isn't the end for my blogging journey. I think I would just like to pull away from the "single mother" title and start fresh. Expanding your horizons never hurt anyone. Please standby for an upcoming post to link you to my new blog.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading.

 

 

5 things I'm really into right now

1. Wearing my hair up

I've avoided putting my hair up for the past year or so partly because it was too short, and also because I thought it just made me look plain weird. I've gotten over that hump...or just crossed into I'm-too-busy-and/or-too-tired-to-care territory. Either way, a bun is a mom's best friend.

2. MAC "Capricious" lipstick color

I'm not ready to throw out all of my dark colors for Spring and Summer just quite yet. Capricious will be sticking around for a while. It's a little dark and bright, all at the same time. I'm in love.

3. Game of Thrones

Holy crap. Why have I never watched this show? Apparently I've been living under a rock, because I assumed I didn't need to watch this HBO gem for some reason. I was wrong. So, so, so, so wrong. I watched both seasons in about two days - just in time for the third season to start. I'm certainly not the only one wishing I was the mother of dragons...am I?

4. This quote from Hannah Horvath: Girls 

I feel like this quote is the best way to describe myself. I change my mind..often. It may not be a trait that everyone loves, but it's true. I feel how I feel when I feel it.

 

5. Spinach fruit smoothies

I used to spend around $8 on a juice/smoothie near my work. I decided to buy a Nutribullet instead and it's fabulous. My favorite combo is soy milk, baby spinach, chia seeds, strawberries, bananas, and peanut butter. Delicious, and such a money saver. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi, I'm Shelby & I'm a Crazy Mama

On the day Langston was born, semi-crazy* Shelby left my body and someone resembling Wolverine from X-Men took it's place. That's normal right?!

 

I'm a little over protective. I mean, how does any woman have a baby and not instantly turn into a territorial monster? Either way, everyday I'm starting to notice more and more how unattractive it is. For example, Langston's first birthday is right around the corner so naturally it's time to order the cake. I attach a couple pictures to the email, give an extremely vague description of what I want and hit send. A few days later (today), I get an email back from the cake woman (who by the way is phenomenal, check out her link at the end of the post) and she sends back a picture of a cake she has done and asks if that's what I'm looking for. I immediately spaz out and realize that's not. at. all. what I want. I go on a pinterest spree and create a page long word document to depict what I want done TIER-BY-TIER.

 

Seriously.

 

LIKE IT WAS MY WEDDING CAKE.

 

Okay. So that's normal, right? No, no it's not normal at all. Everything can't always go my way. Everyone doesn't always have to share my same opinion. But yet, here I am biting heads off all over the land if someone asks me why I still rock my 10 month old to sleep. I don't know if it's just a personality flaw within, or if this is a mother to mother issue. Maybe it's stems from my original theory of "no one can do it like mom can" - which I still can't help but believe is true. I have to somehow push Wolverine out, and learn how to be more open-minded when it comes to others opinions on my ways of parenting, but it certainly won't happen overnight. Parenting is a living document. A constant work-in-progress. I can only hope that this eases up with time....or maybe when Langston is a teenager and is telling me "you can't tell me what to do!" I'll get the picture *sobs*

 

*I am not actually mentally unstable. Semi-crazy comes solely from the fact that I am a woman and we're all a little crazy in our own way, aren't we ladies?

 

Michelle's Cakes Facebook Page

 

 

 

 

Little Man's favorite things & an update!

Okay Okay, it's really time for me to jump back on here and update more regularly. I hope everyone is swell and all prepared for the Easter Bunny to make his rounds this weekend. I will be spending Easter without Langston this year, but it's just part of the deal. I'm planning a solo dinner for myself and I'll share all of my menu details with you later this week!

 

He's perfected the "get away from me" look.

 

Anyways, Langston will be 10 months on Easter. What? How did this happen, and how do I make it stop?! He's standing, walking around furniture, man-handling that sippy cup like a boss, and is outgrowing clothes left and right. He's up to 18 month clothes. Seriously, the kid grows an inch every night!

 

 A few of Lang's favorite things right now:

Mickey's Mousekedoer Ride-On, Parum Pum Pum, Bubble Guppies, Ella's Kitchen Oat Crumble

 

 

 

 

Because it's Wednesday.....

Another season of Girls has ended, and I'm not sure how it flew by in the blink of an eye. All I can say is that the season couldn't have ended anymore perfectly than it did, and season three cannot come soon enough.

 

So just for gigs (and for the simple fact that I already miss it) lets recap the best moments of the season:

 

The Elijah and Marnie (two pump) hook-up

 

Thomas John getting decked..and divorced

 

When Hannah quoted Missy Elliot

 

That. Mesh. Shirt.

 

 

This dinner party

 

This speech *swoons*

 

Hannah unraveling

 

But all in all, we really just need to relive the finale:

  

 

 

 

 

Be you.

A few of my favorite things: Beauty Edition

Some women prefer not to wear make-up.

Some men prefer their women not to wear make-up.

 

Both of these things are fine,

but I am not one of those women, and those are not my kind of men.

 

I wear make-up daily. The weight of it depending on the time of day or the plans I've made. It makes me feel pretty, and I just plain old like it. I don't think women should have to explain why they want to wear make-up, or what about it makes them feel beautiful. When I was seven I had a pair of spandex shorts that I loved. They were metallic purple and they were biker shorts so they almost went down to my knees. Did everyone like them? No. Did I wear them anyways? You bet I did. So here I am, no longer wearing purple biker shorts but still wearing exactly what I want for me, and for no one else. These are a few of my favorite beauty products right now:

 

 

Urban Decay Naked 2 - BADgal lash - Buxom lashliner - MAC blush - Pulp Friction

Lips are my absolute favorite part of make up, hands down. I have all of the colors above plus many, many, many more. I have a color for every mood, and I've never met a color I didn't like. MAC is my favorite brand for primer and lipstick, but I also love the Tarte lip tints and the Too Faced brand as well!

 

On a bad day, there is always lipstick.