wrap up on reality life

now that the show has wrapped up the final episode, i thought i'd share my thoughts on the past 8 months or so. in case you don't remember, this is how i looked when the show first started:

i remember sitting at the casting call, that my husband and sister had urged me to go to, feeling frumpy in my maternity sweater. it no doubt carried a stain on it, as did all of my maternity clothes by that time. i sat down next to a lovely lady wearing heels and gucci glasses carrying her portfolio (yes! i said portfolio!) with her. i felt

so. out. of. my. comfort zone.

as i drove home, i was proud of myself for giving it a go. this was not something i usually do, putting myself "out there" for pretty much anything. when i received an email to return for a 2nd interview, i was honestly shocked.

i sat around the table for the interview, surrounded by 8 beautiful and inspiring women. each had a story to tell. in the beginning they seemed so different from me, so hard to relate to. but as the hour went on we began to find common ground. not only that but i realized how much i genuinely liked each of them. i got so excited thinking about how much fun it was to meet them, and how it would be fun to watch any of them in the show.

i felt intimidated thinking about what in the world i could offer to them. the first 2 years of caleb's life were pretty much hell in motherhoodland. the seizures, the physical therapy, the specialists, the constant crying, the difficulty of it all. but since then i felt like we had worked ourselves into a pretty quiet routine. honestly? i felt like we were:

boring.

so when i received the phone call to participate in the show, i thought they had called the wrong pregnant girl. i felt nervous, intimidated, and completely insecure. but at the same time i felt extremely flattered and excited.

we started shooting about 5 weeks before i was due. i immediately felt comfortable with the group of people i met working on the show. they were so nice and patient with me. i have a tendency to ramble on when i'm nervous. and most of the time forgot the question i was asked. :)

5 days after the photo shoot for the show, this happened:

one of the 3 most important things in my life. leah was born, and my world was yet again changed. before the birth, i was extremely nervous to have anyone with cameras around me. but as i watched the birth episode i was so glad that i had agreed to it.

i also got the chance to vent about my colicky baby, hopefully helping other moms with hard newborns to not feel so alone. it was a difficult time, and again i was grateful to have been able to have the chance to be on the show to realize that i survived it.

now miss leah is 7 months old. not only is she crawling, but she is standing up and cruising along our furniture. it is such a complete opposite situation from caleb, who couldn't walk until the day after he turned 2. she is so happy and into everything!

ben is now in his second year of his doctoral program, working very hard and pulling out fantastic grades while keeping up a crazy schedule. i could not have done the show without his support and encouragement. caleb is a fun and healthy 4 year old who is a good big brother to leah and has an infectious love of life.

the Real Mom's Guide show has been such a fun experience and i have seen myself grow from it. i've learned to be less hard on myself, less critical of how i look, and more forgiving of my imperfections on the outside as well as on the inside.

i've loved getting to know dana, ida and vanessa. what amazing women they are! beautiful, fun, inspiring, funny, and REAL. it's been so much fun to get to know them and learn more about them. they have wonderful families and are amazing mothers.

a huge THANK YOU to Real Mom's Guide, to Mott's and to SheKnows! to all of the wonderful people i have been able to meet along the way (a special thanks to shay, i love ya!) it's been such a fantastic 8 months. and i can't wait to see season 2!

with love,

lynsey

RMG season finale episode!

hi there,

so the final episode of Real Mom's Guide was posted and it was fun to look back at the moments through the last 8 months. it's weird to forget that i was pregnant when this first started and leah is now 7 months old. so much has changed, and it's not just the hair. :)

i had a fabulous time, and loved getting to know ida, dana and vanessa. not to mention the great film and production crew. they were all so nice and patient and kind. (specifically kind when they didn't put my tears on the finale...much appreciated!)

so go on the website and watch the last episode. vote for your favorite moment on the show, and if you haven't become part of the Real Mom's Guide network yet, join up! they have fabulous articles, giveaways, and it's a wonderful network to make new friends and connect with women that are all dealing with the same issues that you are.

click here for the episode.

episode 23: the busiest part of the day

here's the latest real mom's guide episode about the busiest part of the day for us.

the next episode is the last one...and isn't supposed to air until october i think. (or so i was told) so i think they will probably show re-runs until then? not sure.

anyway, it has been fun experience and i have loved being a part of it.

watch the episode here.

episode 23: the busiest part of the day

here's the latest real mom's guide episode about the busiest part of the day for us.

the next episode is the last one...and isn't supposed to air until october i think. (or so i was told) so i think they will probably show re-runs until then? not sure.

anyway, it has been fun experience and i have loved being a part of it.

watch the episode here.

new episode: the things we do for love!

hi there,

i'm in utah, visiting family.  i've been sick.  and now that i'm feeling better, both of my kids are sick.  so in between runny noses, sneezing, coughing and the baby vomiting up mucus...

we are having a lovely time.

i'll expound on the highlights of the trip when i get a chance, and will leave the details of the chunky barf out of it.  you're welcome.

until then, 

there's a new real moms guide episode up, and it's about the things we do to show our family unconditional love.

i found it quite ironic that i watched it just minutes after being thrown up on, doing the load of throw-up laundry, giving the baby a bath and rocking her to sleep as i am still here in my pajamas and bedhead.  

ah, the things we do for love.

watch the episode here.

episode 20: baby leah goes for a spin in the ER...twice

the new episode is up about when leah went to the hospital, the first time for breathing problems, and the second time for a fever.

you probably already read this post that i wrote when i was going through these crazy two weeks, but just in case you missed it, click on the linky above.

and for the episode, click here.

episode 19: love & marriage

there's a new episode up on realmomsguide.com where we all discuss marriage.

if you'd like to watch it, click here.

be a Real Moms Guide facebook friend!

hey there,

if any of you are on facebook, make sure to become an FB friend of Real Moms Guide. they keep you updated on the show, PLUS feature links to really fantastic giveaways, prizes and contests!

click here to add them as your friend.

episode 17: mom guilt

i really liked how this episode turned out...i feel like mom guilt is a huge, real thing that we deal with. like i said in the episode though, i don't believe it's a good thing unless we use it to motivate us to do better.

anyway, hope you enjoy it!

go here.

or, if you've missed episodes and want to get caught up, go here.

***keep in mind i was still at the hospital for this one and look like a really tired, worn-out version of myself!

episode 15: body image

so let me preface this video by making a good defense case for how i look in this one:

• they were filming in the hospital while leah was there.
• i had gotten a total of like 3 hours of sleep...not consecutive hours either. 20 minutes here, 5 minutes there. on a plastic couch, no less.
• i had not showered.
• i got ready in about 7 minutes.
• clearly i had not looked in a mirror.

i found it highly ironic that i looked so awesome while we were filming the "body image" episode. but what can you do?

and, about the xenadrine, what they didn't tell you was my explanation for starting to take it in the first place...

• i have an auto immune disorder, called epstein barr syndrome, that i don't tell many people about. almost everyone has EBV at some point in their life (though it's usually associated with getting mono), but mine is chronic and stays in my system. it flares up when i don't get enough rest, or i get sick. basically it just breaks down my immune system and makes me extremely tired. all. the. time. i don't share this often because i hate using it as an excuse for not being able to do something. however, i shared it on the show because i felt it was relevant as to why i started taking these pills. they gave me so much energy and helped me to feel like a normal person.
• i was working 2 jobs at the time...one would end at 1am, the next shift would start at 5:30 am. so with my tough schedule and already being extremely exhausted, i used them as caffeine to function.
• i told ben about them when we were dating and that i hated that i was using them to function. i told him that once we were married and i could quit both jobs, i wanted to stop taking them.
• so i did. on our honeymoon, we had an 11 hour drive. i slept 8 out of 11 hours. in the middle of the day. and i tried so hard to stay awake, but couldn't do it. poor ben.
• anyway, i haven't taken them since. in fact, i stay away from caffeine altogether because i've seen how much it affects my body. and even though it helps me to function, it doesn't feel...normal. it's an unnatural stimulant and whacks me out. i feel nautious, hyper, and feel the effects for a long time. then i usually get a really bad headache the day after.

and lastly.

to the friend i quoted, if you remember saying that to me in choir class, please know that i wasn't offended. i knew how you meant it, and i took it as a compliment. hope you know that i love you!

okay, i will stop justifying. it's just hard because i said like 20 minutes of footage and it was edited down to a couple of minutes.

i just didn't want to come across looking like some crazy closet druggie, with bad hair and severe bags under my eyes.

whatever, those who know me, know me. watch it here!

episode 13: home schooling

so this week's episode on real mom's guide is about home schooling your children.

vanessa is a home schooling mom....right now to her 1st born, owen, who is 6, and soon to be to her daughter who just finished pre-k. she said that she made the decision based on the fact that she has 5 kids close together and she & her husband started to think about all of the open houses, after school things, project, parent teacher conferences, and wondered how they would do it all. she also said that she had a hard time with the fact that she was sending her kids off to someone else for the majority of the day & then having them home in time for homework, dinner, then bed. and she was missing all of that quality time.

so far home schooling is working out really well for her. she still sends owen once a week to classes like art and to get some social time. she said she wasn't too worried about the social aspect because her kids are very involved in the community and blend in well with kids.

ida is just about to start home schooling a couple of her kids. she felt that one of them needed more one-on-one attention and then one of her other kids said that she wanted to do it, too. so she has them signed up for an online home school program, where each kid is given their own laptop, assignments, and has a teacher available. they still "attend" school for a big chunk of the day, they are just at their home while doing it.

because i don't have an teaching background, this is probably the route i would go if i ever homeschooled my kids. there are state requirements for each child to need to pass in order to move to the next grade, and i would just be concerned that i wouldn't be doing enough.

my view on home school? i'm not particularly for it, but i was contemplating it last year when we lived in north carolina. there were reports on the news that elementary school kids were caught performing oral sex on each other in school buses and in the bathrooms. i freaked out! i couldn't imagine sending my sweet 5 year old into an environment where he could walk into the bathroom and witness this.

i remember the kids in my neighborhood who were home schooled. they stuck out not only physically (a little awkward) but definitely socially. they stuck closely together, didn't make friends easily, didn't know how to be patient, or wait their turns.

i feel strongly that caleb really needs the social aspect of school. he doesn't have siblings in close age to him, and not only needs the different skills that can only be taught in a social setting without his mom there, but he craves it. nothing makes him happier than being in a big group of kids.

so where do i stand now? probably won't do home schooling. for now anyway. so unfortunately for me, that means that i feel the need to educate caleb. i would rather have him hear the truth about the world from my mouth than from someone else's.

a huge pet peeve of mine is when parents shy away from educating their children. i've heard moms say, "well i don't want my kid to be that kid. the one who goes around telling the other kids what they know." or, "they're too young. i don't want them knowing this yet."

i think it is so important to not be scared to tell your children about uncomfortable things. is it fun? absolutely not. do i look forward to this? no way. i'm blushing just thinking about it.

but i also feel that you really need to know your children individually. this is so important, each one is different. just because you can tell one of them about the birds and the bees at a certain age, doesn't mean that every kid is emotionally mature enough to handle it at the same time. i also think there are some kids who are told the "appropriate" names of body parts a little too early and use it at inappropriate times, just for attention.

but i do think that when you feel your kid is ready to know, they need to graduate from using the words "pee-pee" and know the real lingo. because chances are, they're going to be told from some other kid and come home asking you about it. i just think the job of teaching them the appropriate times to say it are what is important.

i'm not an expert, i haven't yet done it, but the time is coming up quickly and i'm getting ready for it.

i realize that i can't protect caleb from everything. in fact, i would be doing him a dis-service if i tried to. these children have come to this earth at this time and it is our job as parents to not just teach them manners and good behavior, but to teach them values and educate them on respecting themselves and others around them.

so that if every they are faced with a situation as unfortunate as the one i heard about in NC, they are educated enough to know that it's not appropriate, and they're strong enough to be able to say, "no."

anyway, sorry for the soapbox.

watch the episode from real moms guide, here. and let me know what you think!

episode 12: dana

i thought this episode was really interesting...showing a "non-traditional" family of 2009. a stay at home dad & a working mom! i love to see how they make it work for them & reserve the weekends so that their adorable baby girl kendall still bonds with her mom.

that little girl is so cute, she could be a model!
anyway, enjoy the episode here.

ps-as soon as i start feeling better i will take a picture of my hair & post it.

my week with the MKS: day 7. saying goodbye.

yes, it's true. we had to give this beauty back. this emotion is real, folks.

i cleared out the carseats from the backseat. sigh. such lovely white leather.
and amazingly enough... once the week was over... it was still white.

what will i miss?

well, specifically:

the start/stop push button ignition.

the keyless entry. the hands-free phone.

the navigation system.

the reverse camera feature.

the electric-powered seats, adjusting not only the seat but the steering wheel as well. genius for short folks! again!

the space. oh, the space. i wish i had taken a picture of what caleb looks like in our own car. cramped, with his little feet stuck out to the side instead of being able to sit naturally forward. there was a ton of room for him to kick his legs to the beat of the music without kicking the driver's seat in front of him.

and for families with kids who beat each other up? not a problem here. there is so much space in the backseat that only an adult's arms could reach across to smack their sibling or steal their toy. and hopefully, by the time their arms can reach, they've outgrown the phase.

the trunk button that is at eye-level instead of down by your feet.

the A/C seats.

the rear vents for the kids.

okay, i could go on but i think you get the idea. what will i miss the absolute most? this:

being able to tip the rear view mirror down and see my reflection smiling back.

i will miss sitting in this driver's seat. a big thank you to Ford for letting us drive this lovely piece of machinery. for a family with a husband juggling school and work, this not only allowed me the freedom to get out with my children when i normally couldn't, but to get out in comfort and style.

need us to test drive anything else? just let us know, we'd sign up for that in a heartbeat.

with love, lynsey

become a fan on facebook.

and read others' testimonials about how amazing Ford cars are!

my week with the MKS: day 6. watch me reverse!

though you can't tell by looking at me that i am directionally-challenged, what you can tell by looking at me is that i am vertically challenged.

at a mere 4'11" (and 1/2!) one of the things i dislike while driving is: reversing. it seems no matter how hard i try, turning and twisting around, checking my side & rearview mirrors, i have a difficult time backing up a car. (unlike my husband, who prides himself on his reversing skills)

enter the MKS. solving my problems yet again.
as soon as you shift into "reverse," this is what pops up on your screen:

look! that's me reversing out of the parking lot.
not only making things easier on me, but safer as well.

you can see if there's another car, a bike, a small child,
or an animal behind you before you have to slam on the breaks.

perks. this car is full of 'em.

my week with the MKS: day 5. navigation!

i am not great with directions. ask anyone who knows me well.
even with my google map printed and directly in front of me, i have a tendency to get lost when going somewhere new.

so when i jumped in the MKS on sunday with the hopes of finding a new park, it only took a few wrong turns to realize that i was lost. for a moment, i panicked. then i remembered that i wasn't in my car, i was in the MKS. with a built-in navigation system.

and again, it's all hands-free. so there was no need to pull over, just touch the voice button on the steering wheel again, and the "car voice" as caleb calls it, answers me. i make my request and name the title of the park i'm looking for.

and whalah!

up pops the directions, showing my car as it's traveling along. i could also check live traffic if i wanted to. seriously, what didn't Ford think of? we arrived at the park quickly and were able to enjoy our afternoon. completely relaxed, without getting lost. for the directionally-challenged, that in itself made it a fantastic day.

don't make fun of leah's hat. i accidentally brought the one that was 3 sizes too big. oh well.

my week with the MKS: day 4. hands-free phone calls!

saturday, caleb was invited to a birthday party. he asked if we could take the "new, red, special car" and i said, "of course!" so we hopped in.

we had an hour drive. i had forgotten to pack along his favorite books on CD, and the radio station wasn't offering much in the way of kids' music, so i had an idea. i decided to sync up our blackberry to the car to see how well the hands-free phone worked.

so with a touch of a button on this:

a little voice answered me and i would say, "call" and ZING! we could call all of our long distance family members to say "hi."

the best part? as you would talk, you could hear them through your car radio speakers. and they could hear caleb, who was sitting in the backseat, and is not known for his manly voice. :)

we had so much fun calling grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles the entire hour. never dropped a call. and most importantly? it was a much safer way to make calls while you drive. i didn't have to take my hands off of the wheel the entire time.

it was a smooth, fun ride. and thanks to the MKS, we were able to go and see this movie:

and watch this guy blow out his birthday candles:

on the way home, miracle of miracles, caleb fell asleep with a little smile on his face.
and as i looked at him in the rearview mirror, a smile landed on mine.

my week with the MKS: day 3. air conditioned seats!

friday was the best day so far with the MKS.
we decided to get out as a family.
so we packed up the kids and zoomed off for the desert ridge marketplace.

where we got to play for hours in the fountains, relax in the shade,
eat yummy food, and have a great day out as a family.

we had so much fun.
i did notice, however, that since i wasn't in a swimsuit enjoying the cool water, i started to heat up. we had a loooong walk back to the car and when i got in,
i immediately turned on the A/C.


my husband ben reached over and pushed another button.
"watch this," he said, with a smile on his face.
within seconds my back and legs were no longer on fire, but comfortable.
what?!? air conditioned SEATS?
i had heard of heated seats before, but never air conditioned ones!

i enjoyed the rest of the ride home with my un-sweaty back.
cool as a cucumber. genius i tell you. genius.

my week with the MKS: day 2. rear A/C vents!

thursdays for our family are difficult.

ben has picked up an overnight graveyard shift job to try to make ends meet. while i truly appreciate all he does for our family, it also causes the kids & i to be more cooped up in the apartment. because he has school on thursdays and then goes straight to work after class, it means that i don't have a car from thursday morning until friday morning. we usually try to go outside in the mornings, but at 9am it's getting pretty toasty these days.

and even though we have a swimming pool at our complex, caleb can't swim on his own and the baby can't get in the pool because we haven't started her immunizations yet. so what's a mom of 2 to do?

usually i get creative in the apartment trying to keep my 4 year old from going crazy...which in turn, causes me to go crazy. :)

luckily, thanks to Ford, we got to have complete freedom this thursday!
so why the long face, you ask?

well let's just say that the wee lassy doesn't like her carseat. as soon as we got in the car, the screaming began. and once she starts crying, caleb starts yelling.

***Ford, this is where i would like to add one teeny-tiny suggestion to add to this wonderful car. what do you think about a soundproof glass that can lower & raise at the touch of a button? just think about it, that's all i'm asking. :)


but then i realized, hey! we're out and about! on a thursday! for the first time in months! and so, i decided that backseat screaming or not, i was going to cheer up. and i did.

we set off for the "toy store" (also known as the dollar store) so that caleb could spend his hard-earned allowance money.

after that, we went to a kid-friendly fast food restaurant so that caleb could run and play as much as he liked. he ran so much that on the way home, he chugged a drink of water. in our own car, after about 5 minutes, the kids are roasting in the back seat with bright red cheeks and sweaty backs. and that's with the A/C going full-blast up front.

luckily, in the MKS, with the handy rear A/C vents, the kids stayed nice and cool.

fantastic.

as we came home, caleb asked,

"momma, could we keep this new car forever?"

and i sighed and said, "i wish."

and looked forward to tomorrow.



ps-i am going to just post the original posts with pictures of the kiddos & all for the MKS week, instead of linking over to the private blog with the pictures.. i'm posting these on 3 different websites & don't have the energy for the copying, pasting, deleting, and linking. sad but true.
so enjoy it while it lasts! it's sure easier for me. :)

episode 11: vanessa

so go here to watch a different take on "supermom" vanessa. what i like about this episode is that for me, it doesn't make her any less of a supermom than she already was. but it does make me able to relate to her more. she shows her vulnerabilities and the hard times of being a mom. so i appreciate her for being able to show this side!

also there's a little snippet of me in there. ben says i look like i'm being "catty." that's not at all how i meant it, though. what do you think?

missed any episodes? need to get caught up?

go here.

i'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode,
leave a comment letting me know what you think!

my week with the MKS: day 1

look at how lovely she is. when they rolled up through the gate i thought, wow i've never seen such a shiny car before. and then my next thought was, now how am i going to keep it this shiny?

we immediately took it for a spin. to the grocery store. rolled up to the fresh 'n easy in style.

can i just say how much i love that place?
and i loved it a little more arriving to its doors in those comfortable leather seats.


after our grocery trip, caleb wanted to get back in. who could blame him?

so he was the driver, and lil sweets & i were the passengers.

first stop was the jungle.

where we saw snakes, a crocodile and swiper the sneaky fox.
i was just as surprised as you are that he made a guest appearance.
and stole all four tires off of our car to boot. that sneaky fox.

next we landed in the arctic.

we blasted the A/C & watched our neighbors walk by, then decided to return home...
after getting the car stuck in a tree, of course, and recovering our tires from swiper.
what an adventure!

if the MKS is this much fun on only the first day, i wonder what tomorrow will bring?



for extra footage featuring the fabulous 4-year old driver & myself & the baby as the happy passengers, go here. need an invite? leave a comment w/ your email address.