“Someday when the pages of my life end, I know that you will be one of the most beautiful chapters.”
-Unknown
“Oh, Everly…” A phrase I catch my self saying quite often these days, for many reasons. One, because my now 3-year old daughter seems to do/say/shout/yell the most ridiculous things (that are times, quite jolting! – more on that in later blogs). Two, it’s a TIRED response to these ridiculous things, because yes, I AM EXHAUSTED, and 3-year-old(s) (mine, in particular) wear me down, and three, it’s (hopefully) a sign of me ‘letting things go.’
You see, prior to “Oh, Everly…” responses, I picture myself getting flustered, frustrated, upset, or something in between over things that don’t matter… Like Everly breaking her toy, spilling her dinner, or (in most cases) walking out of her room dressed as an “alien-looking princess” with an outfit that could set off a car alarm it’s so loud. I learned to let these go. I learned to re-define what it means to “have everything,” and it meant I had to change what having everything looked like.
I realized that life is a fixed-pie. Having everything doesn’t necessarily mean that you have ALL of everything (because that’s crazy for MOST people), but it’s understanding your happy place, your balance, regardless of what you might have pictured before or what others might pictured for you.
For me, I thought having everything was getting to the top of the corporate ladder, having a wildly passionate, crazy amazing marriage, while being a saintly-patient mom who gave my daughter undivided attention when I wasn’t working. We would have cute little tea-time together as she politely asks me if I want tea. Because, guess what? That’s what I saw on TV. That’s what I see on social media. Talk about pressure. In reality, my work seeped into my marriage, which then seeped into quality time with my daughter, which meant there was no separation. That needed to change.
What does this look like for me now? BALANCE IN TIME. I found perspective. I changed my vision of what success meant. Success was not being a minority woman at the top of a billion-dollar company (although I would still 100% welcome that), but being a happy, healthy woman who is fulfilled by the positive impact I’ve made for my company (altruistically) and my family. It’s being happy about my personal development as an HUMAN, and not just as an employee. Knowing that life is messy, and work seeps into personal life, I’ve learned to embrace the ‘messy,’ and found a way to still enjoy things.
Over the last couple of years, I am happy to say I found some balance, even though I haven’t found more time. I’ve learned to enjoy my family more, without sacrificing my career/impact. So much so, that I found time to start this blog, boutique, inspired by my life as Everly’s mom.
SO, WHAT IS THE OH, EVERLY! BOUTIQUE?
As a “toast” to our new life of balance, Everly and I bring this online lifestyle to you, sharing our stories (in my eyes) in addition to some Everly-curated dresses that can be purchased in our Oh, Everly! boutique. In my embrace of the messy, of life, work, mommy-ing, I thought, why not share our story, find a way for Everly and I to share our love for shopping and fashion, and give back.
This is why we decided to launch “OH, Everly!” – the Boutique. Every 2 weeks (or so), Everly will pick out 5-6 of her favorite styles to share with you to purchase, to love, to whatever! We will play photo shoot and hold fashion parties with friends – sharing this experience with you. 10% off all the profits will go to a Children’s Charity of the month which we will have our fans, family, and friends vote for every month.
Check these out at www.oheverly.com – WILL BE LAUNCHED SOON!
Thank you so much for your comment! I wish you all the strength and love during this time. Pre-motherhood is…
My first comment on a post but I had been doing the whole “falling down a rabbit hole of online…
Hang in there Mica, keep the faith stronger. God is good, stress won’t help at all, stay optimistic. We love…
[…] to deal with what we had undergone. This is our Part 2 of our story since we were last…
Blog blog writing breastfeeding Calm Box chores dad tribe dresses Fall Decor family traditions first time going back to work Halloween Decor Home Ideas independent kid kid fashion Lying to your kid Meet Me Mental Health miscarriage misdiagnosed mom blog mom guilt mom life mom tribe oh Everly Parent hacks parent tribe pregnancy ralph lauren kids Sanity Check sleep training Tantrum Target Thanksgiving Tradition time out toddler Toddler chores toddler fashion toddler hack Toddler life Travelling with Kids working dad working mom work mom
Oh, Everly!... 
Thank you for the hope. I had a miscarriage last year after not being able to find anything and now…