And by friends, I mean everyone.

It’s called Pinterest.

J has been trying to get me to join for years and I finally just took the plunge. I have 1 board, 3 pins and 0 followers. It actually took me 10 minutes to figure out how to follow Jordan.

I actually don’t even know how to find my own Pinterest page. Hold on, let me try.

Okay, I found it. Mommy, Ever After on Pinterest. It is currently the worst Pinterest account ever, but I will work on it. I promise.

I was a late to join Instagram as well, and now I love it. In fact, I think it was J who was also behind that leap towards the future.

So yesterday I posted a picture (that is filtered horribly, might I add) from my favorite store.

J just texted me about this picture, in fact:

So, once again, J to the rescue. They are holding the fox for me.

(I called up and said “Hi, I am looking for an item that I should have purchased yesterday but didn’t, and it’s on the left hand side of the store and it may be in a section of silver things and it is a fox, but kind of a swirly fox.”)

But J is right, I really do have to get it.

Anyway, so now I almost up to date with all of the cool kids, and will be adding to my Pinterest page regularly if you want to follow me (if that’s how it works).

The next and final step is happening in 28 days; Emojis. I don’t have Emojis.

I said I was going to wait until I turn 30.

So for now, my friends have to get texts from me that look like this: :-*

Slowly but surely, as they say. Or, I am sure there is a much more eloquent way to express that sentiment.

I bet I can find it on Pinterest.

The post Pinterest. appeared first on Mommy Ever After.

you will know that I am an enormous fan of the person and musician named Brett Dennen. You might know that my favorite song is “Sydney (I’ll Come Running)” because of it’s profound meaning to me. Or that I cover his song “Make You Fall in Love With Me” with my band, Fox & the Hounds.

If you know me in real life, you will know that I don’t just love his albums for the quality of the music, but because they have lifted me up during some of my lowest times while enduring my “Hard Story”;

Or this amazing story, during the height of my postpartum, and how, so serendipitously, the liner notes for “Smoke and Mirrors” read, “This album is dedicated to those who might have lost their way but found it again from within.”

Well, it has been a great ride following this person.

And then, he liked my Instagram photo.

Did you catch that?

Oh, hi, Brett Dennen.

Brett Dennen, himself, liked my Instagram photo. Sure he has favorited my tweets; yeah, he called me out for having a “beautiful voice” during his last acoustic show in Wilmington, DE; but when I saw this, I really think that my heart stopped. And I can hardly type, I am so shaky. I am a total nerdy fangirl right now.

This particular gesture means so much to me because it has to do with my kids, both of whom share my love for Brett Dennen.

My daughter likes to play “I’m Kristina Jackson“, Brett’s beautiful partner who is also an incredible natural foods chef and “holistic guru”.

We are both totally nerdy fangirls. But it’s OK. We totally own it.

Because that’s what Brett’s music is all about; be who you are, make no apologies, live your best life.

So today will forever be the day when I woke up from a two hour nap, walked in my daughter’s room to see her listening to Brett Dennen on the iPad, posted a photo on Instagram

and had Brett Dennen like it.

The end.

The post Oh, hi, Brett Dennen. appeared first on Mommy Ever After.

My plans, my outlook, my mood.

I was able to appreciate some really sweet things from some really sweet people.

There are many. I have been the lucky recipient of so many kind notes, inspirational screen shots, kisses–

but here are just a few of the sweet things that touched me this week:

I have a good, old-fashioned pen pal. My pen pal went on a trip to New Orleans a couple of weeks ago and sent me photos of beignets, to which I responded, “I want those now!” And this week, they were delivered to me. Now that is sweet.

Do you remember when my husband woke me up at 3 o’clock in the morning to give me a new pair of shoes? Well, this week, he brought home another “Just Because” present. When our pipe burst in May, leaving our basement completely flooded, I lost nearly all of my shoes. Thankfully, not the aforementioned 3am pair, but 2 entire suitcases of shoes (they were being stored in our always dry basement while we were rearranging the bedrooms after the birth of my son). We are not in a position for me to just go on a shoe shopping spree, but my husband walked in the door this week with a huge box and an even bigger smile. “I want you to start rebuilding your collection,” he said. Just because. Sweet as can be.

On Wednesday I visited the synagogue where I grew up and experienced many special moments, most of which are too personal to share. BUT, I will say that for anyone with whom I went to Hebrew School, our quilt is still hanging up in the school building! I took a picture of my square, and saw the squares of so many of my old friends (who are my still friends) and it was a sweet thing to see.

The story above says it all. Someone took the time out of her night to make sure that I was shown some sweetness, both literally and figuratively, by leaving a package at my door. The awesomeness of this community never ceases to amaze me.

This week, my husband built a castle for our kids.

We have been finishing our basement (through this oddest series of events, this dream ended up happening!!

Perhaps I willed it into reality?)

which means that our house is filled with things in strange places. I am currently referring to my sunroom as “The Furniture Store”, as it is housing two completely separate rooms worth of furniture. Two couches. Three chairs. Two ottomans. Many lamps. It also has half of our childrens’ toys, the other half being stored in half of our third floor playroom, which is now being converted into a guest room.

And boxes. So many boxes. Huge boxes, for things like pedestal sinks and toilets and tv stands.

Is there anything sweeter than watching your kids play together in their own, magical, cardboard castle?

Yes. Yes, there is;

It’s watching your husband and children act out a play called “Ariel in her Undersea Castle”.

And really, when you have friends, and family members and kids and memories like mine,

there’s not much more to do than to savor their sweetness. And this week, I am so blessed that I can.

The post Sweet things. appeared first on Mommy Ever After.

And yes, I did eat a few Rice Krispies off of the floor. It just kind of happened.

Don’t forget to follow @mommyeverafter on Instagram

The post My son finally found a toy to play with that is not dangerous, nor is hazardous! appeared first on Mommy Ever After.

but we have got some more work accomplished on this remodeling project and I want to make sure you know just where to look:

Along the right side of the page, just below the ads, you can now find two new features:

The first has been the subject of many questions and I am thrilled to tell you that you can now subscribe to Mommy, Ever After, so that if you sign up, you will receive an email every time a new post has been added. And, in even more fabulous news, the geniuses at Brand Revive set it up so that if you were a former subscriber on the old site, you are automatically subscribed to MommyEverAfter.com.

The second addition is a link to all of my current social media pages.

Here you can access my

Facebook Page:

Twitter:

and Instagram:

Now you can stay connected with Mommy, Ever After so that you will know the very moment that I tweet @brettdennen or spill a kale smoothie.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this portion of our tour.

More to come…

The post Additions to mommyeverafter.com appeared first on Mommy Ever After.

The launch of the new website for Pearl Communications, my PR firm. It was actually the owner who suggested that I use Brand Revive and then ended up hiring them herself, with brilliant results.

A great phonecall with my friend who told me she would make a wish for me at 11:11.

Eating brownie batter (pre-egg) with both of my kids and having matching chocolate mustaches.

Discovering, accidentally, that over a half a year ago, a woman blogger whom I do not know nominated me for a Liebster award.

An impromptu visit by my grandparents so that they could drop off two new winter coats for my daughter, just because…

…and then my son falling asleep in my arms as we chatted; My daughter then climbed onto my other side and wrapped us all in a blanket and my Mommom and Poppop watched the three of us with sheer joy.

Getting a card addressed to “Aunt Becca”. #friendshipisthickerthanblood

Catching a phonecall with J, with whom I have been playing phone tag for two days, only to say, “I have to go in 7 minutes because I have an important call with a doctor and my kids are running around like crazy and I’m home alone with them.” and then hanging up on her when the doctor called, only to see her face at my front door 10 minutes later. She didn’t offer. She didn’t ask. She just showed up.

My husband coming home from work and saying, “I have something for you.” That something was not a traditional gift (it was actually a self help book to be honest) but he’s never been big on the traditional romantic gesture, now has he?

Giving my son his bedtime and kissing him twenty times before placing him in his crib. Giving my daughter her bedtime and cuddling with her, nose to nose, as she told me, “You are the best mom in the world and you make me so happy and I want to be with you all the time. You are super.”

Sending a goodnight text with a friend that was, incredibly, truly identical to the goodnight text she sent to me.

 Cozying up in a bathrobe and towel turban next to my husband on the couch as he played Grand Theft Auto 5; Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” came on as the background song and we sang it together, belting out, “…Waited on the thunder!”

Getting a video text from my dad’s secretary from their firm’s holiday party (which included margaritas and karaoke). Because it is the greatest thing ever. (Hint: Click the link below and allow Quicktime. You won’t be sorry.)

IMG_4551

Agreeing to listen to a kooky podcast before bed. Because that’s the kind of thing that girls do early on in relationships when they really like a guy and they say “Oh yeah, I would LOVE to watch that monster truck alien zombie space ninja action movie with you!”, which I think means that I still feel that way about my guy; I want to listen to something to make him happy because I really like him. Even though it’s weird.

Parenthood. And I will leave it at that, because I am not a show spoiler.

Holding my hot and crying daughter at 2am as she said her ear was “killing” her. I told her that she probably had an ear infection, like I have just had. “Awwww, mom, are you trying to copy me?” she asked.

I think that I am blessed to have had all of those moments, but, I think I am even more blessed that now,

because I can finally appreciate them.

The post Things that made my heart burst yesterday: appeared first on Mommy Ever After.

I will say that some additional features are being added this week, so I will update you when they are available (including the ability to be a subscriber again and get emails sent directly to you whenever a post is published and also a feed that shows you my recent Instagram @mommyeverafter).

But that’s like saying, “We are replacing the backspplash in the kitchen.”

The main house is ready to be toured.

So let me just remind you (or show you) what Mommy, Ever After used to look like:

And now, thanks to the incredible team at Brand Revive, it now looks this:

I love the new site; How it is so simple but holds so much.

But, I want to make sure that you know how much there actually is to access. We have many different pages, from our top bar of professional pages to the “Story” sections that each are filled with categories. So here, let me show you. But first, let me preface this by saying that the tour I am giving to you is for the full desktop version of the site. If you have yet to check it out, I implore you to, as it is where Brand Revive’s work really shines. I am so fortunate that they were able to build awesome sites for your mobile devices, as well, but there is nothing like seeing the whole thing on your big computer screen. Trust me.

Okay, so the first thing I want to show you is how to access all of the parts of all of the stories. “A Happy Story” is everything that I had previously written on the old WordPress site leading up until February of 2013. It deals with my courtship and relationship with my husband, being pregnant, the birth of my daughter, adjusting to life as a new parent, the enchantment and the craziness. If you hover over “A Happy Story” you will see this:

 The next is “A Hard Story”. This section deals with my toughest points from 2013 and 2014. It is the story of my Postpartum Depression and all of the things associated with that dark time. There are no categories under “A Hard Story” because although there are many posts under that section, it is all just one, hard story.

The last story, which is my favorite, for obvious reasons is “A Hopeful Story”. It chronicles my journey out of the darkness to where I am today. In this section I write about my family, friends and, most importantly, finding myself.

Above the story section, you can find some other important information that I do not want you to miss.

Under “About Me” you will find my bio, from my personal life to my academic credentials.

Under “Partnerships and Purpose” you can see my mission statement,  as well as specific ways that people and businesses can partner with Mommy, Ever After. My post about Rodan + Fields on Monday was what I call “A Sponsored Post”, and they also have ads on my site (I will get to that later). What I aim to make very clear in this page is that I truly will only partner with good people and companies. I would never compromise the integrity of my site nor the happiness of my readers.

The “Press” page is pretty straightforward; it highlights the places where Mommy, Ever After has been featured, from TV to print to online articles and collaborations.

Finally, there is our contact page, which has proven very helpful (for example, this is where I have been asked to please bring back the option to subscribe to the site.)

Speaking of Contact,

Let me introduce my professional team:

From top to bottom:

My business Manager is Erin Carlson

My Public Relations Manager is Kimberly Ettinger

My Literary Agent is Renee C. Fountain.

Finally, if you are looking from your desktop, down the side of the site are (big!) ads for companies in which I really believe (if you are looking from a phone, these ads will appear if you scroll down to the very bottom.) It is here that I feature a dynamic skincare company, an innovative beauty tool, a fabulous shoe store, an incredible acupuncturist for women, an inventive kick-starter-turned-business accessory and a beautiful family photographer. Click on any of these links to take you to their own personal sites.

I am (we are) fortunate enough that I have some really incredible partners lined up for the future; people whom I believe can truly change your life.

And there you have it. The visual tour of my new baby, which has given me incredible happiness and pride. We all know that it is what is inside all of these categories and pages that is important, but at least now you know your way.

So take off your coat and shoes, make yourself comfortable, and stay awhile.

I love having you here.

The post Your Grand Tour. appeared first on Mommy Ever After.

It was on Thursday, New Year’s Day, and one minute it was sending and receiving texts (despite being shattered and an eyesore) and the next minute the screen became completely dysfunctional. I could not use it at all, which meant that I could not swipe the screen to unlock my phone, as I watched the growing number of text messages that were coming in.

If this were a year ago, I think I would have had a panic attack at best or, more likely, a nuclear meltdown. I used to be very dependent on my phone, as it was my lifeline to the world (I thought).

Instead, I sent emails to the people with whom I was communicating, just so they would know I wasn’t ignoring their messages, and powered the thing down.

I made an appointment at the Apple store for late in the day Friday, but because I ended up being sick, I could not go. I made an appointment for Saturday afternoon, so that my husband could handle it for me. And on Friday, my friends helped me by taking care of my kids, my husband worked a full work day and, amazingly, I was still able to communicate with them, as well as the doctor whom I called, the nurse who called me back with advice, the pharmacy and several other people via email. I am someone with separation anxiety, so the idea of not being able to communicate with loved ones is a very scary one for me, but we found ways.

So, yesterday, my husband gave my phone to the people at Apple and they said it should be ready by 5pm. But guess what? We didn’t go out to pick it up. We will go at some point today.

That is right; I deliberately chose not to run for my phone the moment that it was ready for me;

Let me tell you why.

There were many times in the past few days when I have wanted to reach out to people quickly and easily, or snap a picture or log in to my Instagram; but instead of experiencing my children from behind the lens of my semi-decent 5c camera, I just lived with them. I savored the cute moments, and got used to watching them, as opposed to snapping their picture, editing it with the right filter and posting it for my friends (or the world) to see.

I was much more present.

While my friends spent time at my house, I did not think about how snap a photo of my daughter cuddling under the covers with our guest; I watched them, and smiled, and felt happy.

When my husband and I watched TV, I wasn’t busy looking down, responding to emails and checking newsfeeds.

Please do not let this come off as holier than thou. I will be picking up my iPhone in a matter of hours and I’m sure that I will go back into the fray, but I have to be honest; I found being phoneless extremely liberating.

Anyone who really needed me knew how to reach me. I wasn’t beholden to any thing.

This really struck me, as think I enjoyed the faces of my friends and family a little more this weekend.

Just this morning, I held my son as he fed himself his morning milk. He tried to find a position in which he could access the milk flow, but also nuzzle into me. My son, who is usually moving at a mile a minute, wanted to get close to me, and although that may seem like a given for most people, it is not for me.

Recently I wrote about adding our son to our family, and the love we all have for him. Just last night I was talking to my husband about it, as the combination of not having a phone and spending a couple of days in bed has given me a lot more time to think and reflect. I was thinking about that thing that people always say, about how they didn’t know how they could possibly have any more love, but then, as soon as their next child was born, their hearts grew instantly. It’s like a thing.

But for me, I have to be honest, I don’t feel that way. I don’t feel as though I now have more love than I did before.

Please do not misinterpret me. I love and cherish my son; I find him to be extremely cute and silly and loving and hilarious and he has taught me to be stronger and braver than I ever thought possible.

But, as I said to my husband last night, I feel like the love for him was always there, in me. It was just waiting for him. My heart did not grow when he was born; he just filled the space that it had reserved for his presence.

I know this is an odd perspective on things, and I can assure you with great confidence that I do not have less love in me than others; in fact, I have been told that I am a walking heart, brimming with love.

I think that I feel emotions more deeply than the majority of others. I don’t wish to sound cliched or insincere, but it is definitely a blessing and a curse to feel the amount of passion and adoration and intensity that I do, as there is a flip side, where my lows can get pretty low. I am sensitive, get hurt easily and deeply and hold onto pain that perhaps others can compartmentalize or shed.

The way I felt this morning, when my son tried to find my nook in which to rest his head…

I don’t even have the worst to describe the swell I feel inside my chest right now.

After finishing his milk, he and his sister played a little bit with some toys, before discovering an enormous cardboard delivery box in our entry way (our Amazon subscription fulfilment) and they crawled in an did all of the things that children do with a cardboard box. They had the best time together, squealing with laughter. And I didn’t even think to reach for my phone to snap a picture of their cuteness. I just watched, savoring this moment, branding it to my memory.

Now, I am guilty of sitting in front a screen while my children play. In fact, my daughter asked what I was doing and I said, “I am blogging.” and she said, “Oh. Mommy, Ever After?” as I recently explained to her what it is that I do.

But I have put down the laptop several times to watch them, to answer their questions, and to thank my daughter when she walked past me and said, “You look very beautiful. Well, you are my mom.”

I am going to try to be better about this moving forward, as I will certainly feel the itch to snap and share once I have my phone back (though J and my husband have decided that I am strictly forbidden from using my phone until it has one of those crazy, bulky protective cases).

Now, this is in direct conflict with the blog and brand I am trying to build; I constantly need to snap featured images for my posts, and sometimes that takes time, as you may have noticed, on my public site and Instagram account I do not post photos of their faces, but instead, they are a bit hidden.

(By the way, I realize that I broke my cardinal rule in the featured photo of myself of my site, as I asked the tech people at Brand Revive if they could “please Photoshop out the baby from that picture?”, which I guess they could not, as there is a baby on my lap, but you don’t know if that is my baby or a stunt baby, so I feel a bit less disloyal to myself.)

But I am going to try to snap the cute or funny or powerful photos when I see the moments happening, and then put down the phone. I can edit them later. They can wait to be posted.

I said that I was going to strive to be a better person, and while I am not attaching any value judgement to the use of smartphones and screens in child rearing, for me, I truly am not, I know that for me, personally, I am able to be more attentive when I am not trying to type and post.

And on that note, my kids are playing together with a cardboard princess castle and I am going to sit on the floor and join them, with my lap top closed and put away.

And since I typed that last sentence, they started to fight over the castle.

But this is life, folks. And I have to live it.

No. Let me correct that.

I want to.

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