We Need Each Other

Sometimes life has a way of knocking us off our feet.

That's exactly what happened to me a week and a half ago when I caught this nasty flu bug that's going around. It was bad. I don't remember ever feeling that sick. A fever of over 102, sore muscles and body aches, chills, lightheadedness, and just plain old weakness... it was bad.

And I felt as though I couldn't do anything.

I went from sleeping in my bed to my living room couch to my living room floor, and back again to my bed. That was my routine. For about eight days.

I didn't even do work -- I just rested. I needed to give myself and my body enough time to recover.

And I discovered one thing to be true: I need help from other people.

I need help while I'm well, but while I was ill, I needed other people... to take care of Aiden, to bring me groceries, to bring me medicine, to check in on me from time to time to make sure that I was okay.

I may be strong. But I'm not invincible. And I need help from other people.

We all do.

Expect More of Yourself

People tell me all the time that I'm too hard on Aiden, that I expect too much of him, and that I push him too far sometimes.

I think differently.

People say this because when they come to my house, they see that Aiden's toys are neatly placed in the correct bin, that his shoes and clothes are neat and in their rightful place, and that his bed is neat. They also see that Aiden is the one who is expected to keep those things neat, in order, and in their rightful place.

People say this because, whenever Aiden and I are getting off the bus at our bus stop, Aiden is expected to say to the bus driver, "Have a good day." If he doesn't, I give him a gentle reminder.

People say this because, whenever we enter or leave our apartment building, Aiden is expected to greet our doorman, and greet the neighbors getting on and off the elevator. If he doesn't, I give him the look. (Y'all know what look I'm talking about.)

But, most of all, people say this because, whenever Aiden is working on something that's not particularly easy for him, I expect him to keep going and keep trying and keep pushing... until he succeeds.

I expect him to give his best effort. I let him know that it is not acceptable for him to not try. That's not an option. So he tries and he struggles and he stumbles and he fails (sometimes). And he has to get back up again and try again. Something new, something different. I help him realize (or sometimes he comes to the realization all by his lonesome) that what he did before didn't work so he has to try something different.

He learns from his failures and uses it to help him succeed.

And, in the process, he learns the beauty of perseverance and grit. He builds character and he begins to see why it's important to expect more of himself. 

Of course, I model these things for him by doing them myself. I expect a lot from myself. All. The. Time. I always try to give more today than I gave yesterday. If I gave a 7 yesterday, then today I give an 8. So that tomorrow I can give a 9. Because the ultimate goal is a 10.

I fail at some things, of course. I'm only human. But the expectation remains high.

Always.

We have to always expect more of ourselves. We have to always keep trying and pushing and trying something else if we stumble.

That's the only way we're going to go beyond where we think we can go.

That's the only way we can be great in whatsoever we choose to do. 

{Personal Style} Golden

Dress: Bebe | Shoes: Aldo | Earrings, clutch, ring: Aldo accessories | Lips: Rimmel London Berry Rose | Eyes: Bobbi Brown

Over the weekend, I left NYC and headed to Atlanta, Georgia to witness the cutest couple say, "I do." I had a great time touring the city, visiting the aquarium, going to different restaurants and lounges, and shopping (of course!).

I also got my nails done, hair done, everything did. Oh, I'm fancy, huh? (That was a Drake reference.)

The wedding ceremony was really beautiful, and the reception was... well, my kind of party. Good music, good dancing, great drinks, great times... who could ask for more?!

[Gown #1: Stunning]

[Gown #2: Gorg]

[tall centerpieces]

[smaller center pieces]

I wore a one-shoulder, two-toned gold mini-dress that highlighted my best features (read: legs) and complimented my skin tone. Score! The two-toned gold and aqua 5-inch peep-toe pumps that I found while shopping were a really good fit with the dress. I saw them in the store and couldn't leave without them. And I fully intend on rocking the life out of them all Summer long. You've been warned.

The Atlanta heat and humidity did a number on my hair, but that didn't stop me from working up a sweat on the dance floor and having a good time. It was the perfect way to kick off the month of June, one that's shaping up to be pretty epic.

Stay tuned.

The Guy and I were dates for the wedding and that was nice. Got me feeling all warm and fuzzy and good on the inside and whatnot. He "gets" me. I can be myself around him and I like that. This one? I kinda like him. But more on that later...

Stay tuned.

Have a fabulous week. Stay stylish!

The Sunrise

[photo via]

Aiden (as we were getting ready to walk out of the apartment in the morning): Mommy, mommy... come here quickly! Look at this!

Me (trying the grab my bags, jacket, and put my shoes on): Okay. Give me a sec. I'm coming.

Aiden: Look at this!

Me: (walks over to the Living Room window, that he was staring out of.) What is it?

Aiden: Look! It's beautiful!

He was showing me the sunrise.

We live on the 11th floor, and our apartment has large windows and lots of natural sunlight. He was right. It was beautiful. Way to teach me how to slow down, smell the roses, and take it all in.


I love that kid!

Celebrating Three Years with a $25 Target Gift Card Giveaway!

To continue the three-year celebration of Mommy Delicious, I have one more giveaway (three in total... get it?) for all my fabulous readers!

A $25 Target Gift Card!

Target and H&M are two of my favorite stores. And, of course, I love the Visa. Hence, the giveaways. Okay. So about this juicy one. Here are the deets:

GIVEAWAY!
One (1) lucky Mommy Delicious reader will win a $25 TARGET Gift Card!

To enter, leave a comment below stating that you want to win (because, you're like me, and you love Target).

For one extra entry, "like" Mommy Delicious on Facebook AND share this giveaway. Be sure to tag Mommy Delicious when you share on Facebook.

For another extra entry, follow Mommy Delicious on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to @MommyDelicious when you tweet this giveaway.

Rules:
-- THREE entries total.
-- Leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry so that it will be counted.
-- Leave your contact information in each comment so that I can reach you if you win.
-- Open to US residents only.
-- Giveaway will end on Friday, June 1st at 5pm and one winner will be chosen via random.org.

Good luck!

Celebrating Three Years with a $25 H&M Gift Card Giveaway!

The 3rd anniversary of this blog is continuing today and I'm giving away a $25 gift card to a store that I absolutely love: H&M!

The unofficial start of Summer is here (hello Memorial Day Weekend!) and it's the perfect time for us to update our wardrobe with a couple key pieces. This gift card is a little token of my appreciation to you and a way for me to say thanks.

Thanks for kicking it with me!

GIVEAWAY!
One (1) lucky Mommy Delicious reader will win a $25 H&M Gift Card!

To enter, leave a comment below stating one piece of clothing or accessory you'll buy to get your wardrobe Summer-ready.

For one extra entry, "like" Mommy Delicious on Facebook AND share this giveaway. Be sure to tag Mommy Delicious when you share on Facebook.

For another extra entry, follow Mommy Delicious on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to @MommyDelicious when you tweet this giveaway.

Rules:
-- THREE entries total.
-- Leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry so that it will be counted.
-- Leave your contact information in each comment so that I can reach you if you win.
-- Open to US residents only.
-- Giveaway will end on Monday, May 27th at 5pm and one winner will be chosen via random.org.

Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner of this giveaway is YUMMommy! Congratulations and thanks to all those who entered. Y'all rock!

Three Years Down

This week is a very special one for this community because it marks three years that this blog has been going strong.

When I started this site, I wanted to be a voice for younger mothers all around. Then, I became a single mother. Then, I became a student-mother. And while graduate school was kicking my ass and I was coming of age and bouncing back from loosing my way in a toxic relationship, something clicked. And I figured out that this whole single mother thing can be done.

Well.

And in a meaningful way.

Don't get me wrong. This ain't easy. Everyday is not all peaches and cream and skipping through fields with daisies.

But it's been quite lovely.

That's why I share my story with you. Every. Single. Day. Because I want to be an inspiration, and let you know that, although it might not be easy, it's certainly doable.

Set your goals and get your dreams. Don't let motherhood or unexpected pregnancies or lack of degrees or toxic relationships or motherlessness or fatherlessness or the status quo stop you.

Be unstoppable.

Be a game-changer.

GIVEAWAY!
We'll be celebrating this community all week long and I'm kicking off the celebration with a $25 Visa gift card giveaway!

To enter, leave a comment below stating one goal and one thing that you're doing to fulfill that goal.

For one extra entry, "like" Mommy Delicious on Facebook AND share this giveaway. Be sure to tag Mommy Delicious when you share on Facebook.

For another extra entry, follow Mommy Delicious on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to @MommyDelicious when you tweet this giveaway.

Rules:
-- THREE entries total.
-- Leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry so that it will be counted.
-- Leave your contact information in each comment so that I can reach you if you win.
-- Open to US residents only.
-- Giveaway will end on Friday, May 24th at 5pm and one winner will be chosen via random.org.

Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner of this giveaway is AubreyLaine! Congratulations and thanks to all those who entered. You guys are truly an amazing group!