As 2018 comes to a close, we can hardly believe St. Louis Moms Blog is six months old! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for reading and supporting! We are beyond excited to launch into 2019 with new content, social media coverage and events to connect local moms! Thank you for joining us on this journey.
We thought it would be fun to show you the Top 10 Posts that received the most page views this year. We feel this is a beautiful representation of the diverse content our team provides. We hope you enjoy reading!
– St. Louis Moms Blog
Losing My Parents: How Being a Mom Helped Me Grieve, by Katie Mueth
“I guess one cannot really put a scale on grief. It’s hard to say one loss is easier than another. I can, however, say that my role as a mother played a major part in my ability to move through my grief. It is hard to wallow when two precious babies are staring at you with expectations, absent of understanding the current situation. Some days were harder for that very reason. Some days I resented the fact that I could not simply be sad.”
Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That! Advice From a Mom of 3, by Amy Sanders
“We’ve all heard the cliche ‘never say never’, and never has it applied so accurately than to the life of a mother of three. Each stage of motherhood and each additional child brings with it more ‘norms’ that I inevitably toss out for the sake of convenience or necessity. What works for some, doesn’t work for all, and the key to surviving parenthood is holding loosely to your previous ideas (perhaps we should refer to them as ‘theories’, that seems like a kinder way of acknowledging that our pre-children selves didn’t know anything).”
Raising A Child Who is Both Woke and Free, by Aliah Holman
“Now that I’m raising a child of my own who is entering elementary school in an era where information is far more accessible, I want to be careful about the messages he hears from the world and from me. I want him to have pride and optimism combined with an awareness of how the world views him. But everyday we are presented with more evidence that many of the people who impact his future with actions today are asleep at the wheel when it comes to diversity, inclusion and improved outcomes for children like him. So how do I raise a child who is both woke and free?”
Loving a Child in Heaven, by Graham Behnke
“It’s been two years now and I begin to feel July coming sometime in May. Joey is in heaven, but the wound on my heart is here on earth. This is what bereaved parents do – they carry that wound through life. We decided as a family that we would celebrate Joey’s birthday every year and this year was no different. He will always be a part of our family. We can’t hide him away like a secret as they used to do generations ago. We know more now. We know that part of healing requires acknowledging.”
One Day at a Time: Single Mom, Two Kids, Two Jobs, by Katie Peel Vondera
“I’m a full-custody, full-time, high school teacher trying to make ends meet with a side teaching job one night a week. Other women often tell me they don’t know how I do it all. But, like everyone else, I’m just doing what I have to to stay happy and sane.”
When Kids Miss the Other Parent, by Katie Peel Vondera
“What do I say when she says she misses daddy? I tell her I know she does, that I wish it wasn’t so hard, that if I could change things I would, but this is how it has to be right now, and that he misses her, too. It is all true. I tell her I’m here if she needs me to hold her, and I always will be. I tell her that I, too, hope that one day she can do the things with her dad that her other friends do with their dads. And I tell her that I love her.”
Parenting Resources That You Need to Know About in St. Louis, by Katie Marischen
“You will hear it from everyone, but becoming a mom is HARD! It has always been hard, but there has been a little bit of a change in the idea of a “village.” People are busy, time flies and families seem to have less support. My parents live out of town and my in-laws are a 45-minute drive away. We made the decision that I would stay at home with our children and while I am extremely grateful, I feel like I am on my own a lot. I can’t imagine living anywhere, but St. Louis- the resources for moms and families here are amazing! I wanted to share some of my favorite people, places and things that have made motherhood a little easier and more enjoyable for me (and Frank).”
Mama: Are You Hurting this Holiday Season? I Wrote this For You, by Graham Behnke
“Mama, if you are hurting this Christmas, if you are ill, overwhelmed, or grieving, if your relationships are broken – the magic of the season can still find your family. It is not about how much magic you can make by busying yourself with every Pinterest idea you can find. The magic is already there because these are in fact holy days.”
STL Moms: I’m Sorry I Misjudged You, by Ashleigh Daniel
“As you may have read in my bio, I recently moved to St. Louis from Houston, TX. Before that, I was born and raised in Mississippi. While I am no stranger to living in a large city, I am a stranger to living anywhere but the South. You may hear and read that the South is full of hospitality and friendly people who go out of their way to say hi to a stranger….or more like “Hey y’all.” All of that is mostly true! I have always thought I would live in the South and am proud to say that it raised me into who I am today. However, our world did a 180 when my husband accepted a great opportunity in St. Louis this year.”
Mom Style Spotlight: Getting that Post-Baby [Shopping] Groove Back
“I was standing in the middle of Old Navy…3 weeks after having my first son. Tears in my eyes and I felt completely lost (this was not normal for me because I absolutely LOVE shopping and getting new duds for the upcoming seasons!). It was like an out of body experience. I didn’t feel like myself and I was sad and confused. I realize this sounds dramatic, but 3 weeks postpartum and the hormones and range of emotions that come with it are insane.”
