I’m still going. And going and going and going. Friends have asked how it is that I can have this sort of energy in the midst of everything. Right after claiming that I’m trying to be mindful, how can I also write about being busy and needing an on the go snack? Well, life happens, that’s how. One pal recently said I reminded her of Princess Poppy from Trolls. She then cheekily, musically chanted, “Get back up again!”
Having four boys born in five years, I field a lot of questions about little boy hair. How do we wash it? How do we style it? How do we deal with haircuts?
Our family is going through a difficult time right now. Hah. Understatement of the century! I’m not ready to talk about that just yet, though. I’ve buried myself in work as a welcome distraction. There’s zero logic in anything going on in our world, but there’s logic in my response to it. I need to provide stability for my family. I need to be strong for my boys. The irony is not lost on me. Women, stereotypically, are not the workaholics. Women, stereotypically, are not the logical ones. But then, nothing about our family really is stereotypical.
When I heard that our sponsor Safety 1st was coming out with the first (and only!) recycled stroller made in the USA with American and imported parts, I had to be a part of their campaign to get the word out. This thing is made up of potato bags, diaper tabs and recycled car seats. Safety 1st works out of their Zero Waste manufacturing facility in Columbus to recycle 20,000 car seats a year, saving 130,000 lbs of plastic from the landfill! As US-based family travelers, we love to give back to our country and protect this great earth any way we can. But would this “green” stroller prove to be road-worthy? Come along with us and see!
I’ve heard people say, “Before I had kids, I was the BEST parent on the planet.” It’s funny how that works, isn’t it? We all have the greatest intentions, and then life gets in the way. When I was pregnant with my first, I bought small-batch homemade lotion from a local boutique and stocked up on cloth diapers. Then kids came along, and we basically just tried to survive. Things got…cluttered. And confusing. I felt like I was drowning under the weight of it all and I just wanted to go back to a life that was simple.
I know what you’re thinking right now. “Woah, Chelsea, that is like a metric ton of toilet paper.” Indeed. People often ask how we juggle travel and home life with a big family. We’ve shared a ton of tips and tricks, but this is BY FAR the most important. The home stockpile.
I was the first of my friends to have kids. I’ve been blessed to develop an incredibly large and supportive group of fellow moms since then, but I’ll never forget those isolating initial weeks. It was me, a baby, and absolutely NO CLUE what I was doing. I ended up leaning on two women in particular during those early days of motherhood when I needed a gut check, a hand, or just an ear to listen when the little guy refused to sleep at 3am. Nate’s mom and grandma (Oma and Nana) were the original members of my mom tribe, and I try to find ways to thank them every year around Mother’s Day.
When I was a kid, my grandma would give the whole family a new set of matching pajamas every holiday. We’d all get decked out in our footies or silk top-and-bottoms (it changed every year depending on her mood) and take the obligatory photo. I LOVED THIS TRADITION. I loved it so much, in fact, that I’ve continued it with my own family, getting new matching pajamas every single season and insisting that we all wear them on vacation.
We’ve gotten a lot of questions about our truck and child safety. Friends have questioned if it’s even possible to fit six people in a crew cab without putting someone at risk. It seems to be a long-standing belief that trucks aren’t family cars and therefore can’t properly handle car seats. I’m proud to say that our truck gets the highest crash test ratings in its class, but I’ll admit it’s not without its issues. As a one-ton vehicle created more for hauling gear than for hauling people, there are certain comfort and ease-of-use features that are missing. That said, it IS possible to safely and securely install a car seat in a truck.
I feel like the picture at the top of this post pretty much sums up summer for me. I haven’t had a pedicure in at least two months. The sun is absurdly bright and everything’s a bit over-exposed. There are rogue blades of dry grass popping up out of the cracks in the cement around my swimming pool. But I have my summer shoes and I’m ready to take on the world!