I spent most of Wednesday thinking that it was Saturday. Public holidays in the middle of the week are so confusing. A great break, but confusing. This also meant that I never got around to this week’s Meet the Mommy feature on Wednesday… but don’t worry, we’re not skipping this week. Today we get to meet lovely mommy blogger Anastasiya from Anniemotion Blog. ?

In case you missed last week’s feature, you can read it here: Meet the Mommy [Week 19] – Kirsten from The Bird and The Beard.

1. Please tell us a little – or a lot (we like details) – about yourself?

Why does this question always feel like the weight of the world, lol? My name is Anastasiya but almost everyone knows me as Annie. I’ve been married to my hubby Byren, for almost six years, and it’s been quite a journey so far. We have two sons, nicknamed Monster (5) and Gremlin (2). We’re expecting our daughter, Cay, in April 2018.

I’m a stay at home mama our kids; it wasn’t an easy decision to make after being a fulltime working mama for a couple of years. At the time, our circumstances didn’t allow me to work so we decided I would stay at home with the kids, continuing their education through home schooling. It started off quite rough at first, because it’s the complete opposite of everything we were used to and we all needed to adapt to our new lifestyles. It’s now a year down the line since we started on this journey and so far, it’s been going pretty well (much better than last year, that is!)

We have a crazy schedule; Byren works in a demanding industry so he’s got crazy working hours most weeks, and evenings he spends coaching rugby for one of the local clubs in our area. Our family time is very limited so we try and make the most of it when we find the moments over weekends.

When I find a few minutes of free time (what is free time, really?), I can be found blogging over at Anniemotion, my little platform for sharing personal experiences through pregnancy, parenting and lifestyle. I’m also a very big bookworm, and try to make time to read every night before bed, although lately Byren has been complaining about me falling asleep immediately after turning the first page I’m on. ?

I’m a social junkie and I love meeting new people, I’ve been told I talk a lot but I think that comes with having a lack of adult company each day and not seeing other people as much!

2. What’s the one thing you find most challenging about being a stay at home mom?

At the moment, it’s trying to find time for everything and everyone. Trying to balance parenting, marriage and a household. Two kids that want your constant attention (and with a third on the way, life’s going to be derailing a little more soon), trying to work on your marriage; especially when you hardly see each other during the week, it’s exhausting but you try and make the best of it as you go along.

Then there’s the household that never stays in shape. At this point, I find myself constantly tired (I’ve forgotten how drained you feel during your last trimester) and some days I just want to kick out our daily routine, crawl up on the couch with a blanket and nap. But the reminder that you’re an adult and you have responsibilities is just too real.

3. We all know there are challenging moments – moments which call for chocolate, or wine (or both), to soothe those mommy nerves… Forgetting all that though, what is your absolute favourite thing about being a mom?

I think it was the moment that I truly understood what unconditional love is. That no matter how many times I might have lost my temper with the kids, or if I just couldn’t give all my attention that was being demanded in the moment, or that I failed on a promise, my kids still look at me with love in their eyes.

Being a mama is extremely hard and draining at times, because you’re constantly trying to give all and try to be perfect in every aspect, and no matter how many times you fail at that, somehow you’re still pushing yourself for the same results. It’s taken me quite some time to get here, and to change my perspective, that my kids don’t need a perfect mama, but an enough one. And even though the enough mama still fails some days, my kids love me unconditionally. The cuddles, hugs and kisses speak that love louder than words ever will.

4. From the experience you’ve gained since becoming a parent, what is a pretty cool piece of advice you would give to other moms?

Wow, this is a tough one because I’ve actually got quite a bit to share on this one. So I’ll say all I need to say in short sentences.

Don’t compare yourself to other mamas and feel like a failure if you’re not living up to expectations you feel you need to achieve; everyone is different and we all have our own struggles, even those mamas whose lives look perfect and kept together.

Live in the moment with your kids; you don’t need to capture every single thing on camera. Set it aside and experience their joy/excitement with them.

Some days are bad days. It happens to everyone, and just because today was a bad parenting day, it doesn’t mean tomorrow will be as well. Tomorrow brings a fresh start.

Play with your kids. Don’t just give them a toy and let them do their own thing. Sit down and draw with them, do some crafts. Take out some toys, sit down on the carpet with them and play a game. Go outside and play ball with them. Your presence will imprint on their memories for life.

5. Share with us one of the funniest moments you’ve had since becoming a mom.

There are so many to choose from, but I can think of one recurring one that happens every evening once I’ve put the kids to bed. From the living room, I can hear them chatting about their day and sometimes even arguing about what the one may or may not have done wrong. Some nights, their room is just filled with giggles.

One of the best conversations I overheard once was them making plans on how to sneak ice cream out of the freezer when I wasn’t around to see them do it. I thought this would give me the upper hand, stop the plans before they could be put into action the next day. I moved the ice cream to our freezer in the garage and thought I’d marvel at their confusion the next day. Turns out, they had a plan B they never mentioned and I never thought about… They snuck out the ice lollies that were lying with the ice-cream, which I failed to think about because they had been so specific the night before. I’ve since learned not to underestimate my kids.

6. Please tell us where we can find you online.

You can find me online here:

Blog: www.anniemotion.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anniemotionblog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anniemotionblog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anniemotionblog/

Thank you Anastasiya for giving us a glimpse into your life as a mom. ?

How this little series was born… A while back I was thinking about how all the moms I know are different in many ways – be it their parenting style, or whether they go to work, stay at home, or work from home. Some have one little person, while others have three or four. Some of our babies began their journey inside us learning the sound of our heartbeat, whilst some began in another only to meet us later and hold our hearts forever. Whatever the differences in how we became moms, how we parent… Being a mom, plus ALL that comes with it, is what we all have in common.

And that’s how I came up with the Meet the Mommy series – an interview with regular moms like you and I, where we get to “meet” mommies who are different in many ways, yet have so much in common too.