Friday, October 25, 2024
Unfriended
Sunday, October 20, 2024
We all need meaningful connections
This post was inspired by MomConnect.
This time last year was when the clouds in my head began to clear. It had been a difficult period because I had just started a new job, and my schedule changed drastically. I barely saw my husband, and I hardly spent time with our boys, who had also returned to school. Exhausted and sad, I distanced myself from family and friends, choosing instead to sleep and cry on weekends.
(Missed that life update? Read it here!)
By October, however, things started to shift. My body had adjusted, the toxic atmosphere at work resigned, er, disappeared, and I had finally completed my hormone therapy — the side effects of which had been wreaking havoc on both my mind and body. Slowly, I regained time, energy, and the emotional space to reconnect with the people I love and the things that brought me joy. Life started to feel manageable again, and I began to feel like myself once more.
Hosted by Mommy Mundo, MomConnect will offer a full day of learning and interaction, bringing together moms and experts to discuss pressing parenting and societal concerns. Whether you’re looking for guidance, inspiration, or simply a sense of community, this event is an invitation for moms and families to connect in meaningful ways.
More details here! MomConnect 2024
I know firsthand how much meaningful connections can transform our lives, and I’m looking forward to attending MomConnect 2024 to learn more about how we can uplift each other as parents, partners, and friends. I’d love for you to join me!
You can REGISTER HERE and use this code: FrancesforMomCon to get a discount!
I truly hope to see you there! It’s been a while since I’ve been in the mommy bloggers, influencers, and networking circles, and it would be wonderful to reconnect with all of you. If you spot me and I seem a little shy, just know it’s because I’m still finding my footing again.
Anyway, enough about me! Let's all see each other at MomCon! Your presence would mean the world, and together we can continue supporting each other on this journey of motherhood and beyond. See you soon!
*If you're depressed, it's totally understandable why you can't reach out to people. When I was going through it, I felt dark and didn't want to BURDEN people with my self-perceived ugliness.
So, to our family and friends, please be the ones to check in. "Hey, how are you? I'm coming over. I'm calling now. I don't care about the mess or anything, I just want to see you." Please just check in. You may save a life.
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
That rock 'n' roll vibe in a long marriage
This is George Harrison and Pattie Boyd. She was married to two of the greatest British musical icons (George and Eric Clapton) and was their muse, inspiring "Something" by the Beatles and "Layla" and "Wonderful Tonight" by Clapton. But we're not talking about that love triangle. In fact, how jarring to have that sweet title and have this photo under it when they divorced!
But in this photo, they were young and in love. So today, we're going to talk about the rock 'n' roll vibe they had here.
You may or may not agree, but this picture of George and Pattie when they were kids is Vince and me when we were kids.
I'm not saying we're that amazing, nope, not at all. I, for one, will never inspire a song, let alone two! I haven't inspired anyone to create any art at all. Although I've inspired smiles from this guy since he was 25. And we inspired each other to become better versions of ourselves... at least better versions of ourselves most days in the last 25 years!
(Yes, Vince is 50 and I'll be 48 next month!)
Tuesday, October 08, 2024
Baby Bumps
"Reminiscing on the belly today." Hailey Bieber
Justin Bieber's baby mama posted on IG beautiful photos of her preggy belly, which made me wish I had maternity shoots. Instead I'm going to share a few from my three pregnancies!
Sunday, October 06, 2024
Book Review: Nanay and the Moon by Elyrah L. Salanga-Torralba
If you'd like to expose your children to more poetry, then here's a book you should try. Nanay and the Moon by Elyrah L. Salanga-Torralba. Elyrah is a lovely writer and her honesty and wit come through in her book of poetry for children. Before I share with you a couple of my favorites, let's quickly go through the reasons why parents should read poetry to their children.
Any book lover knows that reading to children offers a wealth of benefits, not just as an emotional bonding experience but also adds greatly to their intellectual development. I noticed that when I read poems to my kids, they enjoyed them a lot. So here's very quickly why we parents should make poetry a part of our children’s reading experience:
1. Helps our kids with language development. That means a bigger vocabulary, exposure to playful language, and an awareness of sounds and rhythm.
2. Improves their listening and concentration skills. This is obviously spoken poetry. And poetry really must be read aloud anyway. Our kids learn active listening. Kids these days need to learn this!
3. Enhances their imagination (and parents' too!). Poetry often uses vivid imagery which makes kids use their imagination. It helps them visualize what's happening and feel emotions in a way that prose doesn’t always provide. So hello, creativity!
4. Encourages critical thinking. How??? Poems have metaphors and symbolism so our kids think beyond literal meanings and dive deeper into the words to discover what they really mean.
5. Helps them express emotions better. We all know the power of a song, right? When we're in love, heartbroken, happy, grieving. Poetry does the same for our kids, especially those who are discovering new feelings they don't have words for yet.
So try to squeeze poetry into your child’s life. It can unlock creativity, nurture emotional intelligence, and build a strong foundation for literacy skills—all while creating enjoyable bonding moments!
So now let me share with you my favorite poems from Nanay and the Moon: