hello again.

*tap tappity tap*

Ah, so that's what it feels like to type on a laptop keyboard again. My thumbs are thankful for the break. Instagram has been my outlet of choice over the past almost two years, but I'm ready to dip my toes back into blogging again. Though, I'm typing in Blogger, and I feel like maybe people don't do that anymore...need to add "update blog platform" to my "to-do probably never" list.

Oh my goodness, look at all this typing SPACE I can fill up!

The last post in my drafts pile has a picture of my youngest as a one month old. She's now a spunky eighteen month old, and the last post I actually published is a list of C-section necessities before her birth a year and half ago. So, yeah, it's been awhile.

I'm feeling a twinge of mom guilt, as I never wrote her birth story like I did for my other two, but truthfully, it was pretty uneventful as a planned C-section. I will say the

recovery

from my third birth was by far the most arduous and painful of the three, and I'm thankful that's far behind me now.

 As we close the chapter on the "having babies" season of our life, I'm starting to get more excited about reclaiming my body, some of my time, and perhaps, dare I say, even bits of my sanity.

I made the decision last week to shift the focus of my Instagram account from my kids and their lives to the things that inspire and energize

me

- my faith, my experience of motherhood, my artwork, my evolving style, my attempt to rediscover myself after 5 years of pregnancy, nursing, and newborn haze. They need a little more privacy, and I'm happy to claim that space and this one as "mine". It feels like a good time to document my journey in "self-care", which seems to be a major buzz word these days, but superbly important nonetheless.

Motherhood is singlehandedly the hardest, most exhausting, most challenging experience of my life. You may have heard the phrase "motherhood is sanctifying", and that's because it is a constant practice of putting others needs first, serving with a cheerful heart, being stretched in every form of the word (just take a peek at my saggy tummy skin-- I literally mean every sense of the word!). Motherhood can often feel like a lowly, menial job, especially on the days you are covered in snot, lugging a toddler around on your hip, and hoping for a chance to at the very least wash your face. But I believe with all my heart that being a parent is indeed a high and holy calling, not a menial job. And yet, within that high and holy calling, it's so easy to lose our sense of self. I don't believe we're meant to become robots or slaves to our children or home. I'm a better Mom when I take care of myself, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. I bet you are too.

So here we go, Mom. (I'm assuming that she's the only one reading this, but if you're not my mom, hello to you too!) I've got a few posts rolling around in my noggin, including my current skin care regimen, a few recipes, and maybe a style roundup or two.

xo!