'Tis the season...

...to be sneaky. Not really. I need to work on my Santa skills. My son is a smart cookie. As he gets older, he will probably question how Santa has the time to carefully arrange the presents under the tree so that the size of the presents are in descending order and no alike wrapped presents are touching one another. That is, if my son chooses to believe in Santa Claus. I have decided I am just going to wing it. "How?" you ask. I don't know. I'm just going to wing that, too.

...to be crafty. Once again, Pinterest has made an impact on my creativity. I present to you an ornament containing my son's hospital hat and wrist band from the day he was born; carefully preserved in clear glass.

...to be thankful. I celebrated Christmas Eve with family. I celebrated Christmas Day with family. I am celebrating the day after Christmas with family. If it weren't for my little family (Me and Baby K) and my bigger family (everyone else, not limited to blood relation), I do not know where I would be. I am thankful and recognize how very blessed I am. This is one of the choices that I mentioned that I make every day. It is very easy to allow life and every day stress wear you down. It is very easy to focus on the negative so that our complaints are justified. It is very easy to allow others' bad moods affect our own. I have no room in my life for negativity. It won't be sunshine and rainbows every day, but it isn't a bad goal to shoot for. Besides, looking back it appears I don't know how to take the easy way out to begin with. :)

     From my little and big family to yours- Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! And may God bless you as much as he has me.

What's in a name?

     For those of you who read these ramblings of my experiences in motherhood, I have changed the name of my blog to encompass some changes in my life. The new name has a very simple meaning. Let's break it down into two parts, shall we?

     "Single Mom". I assume that my readers are smart. The phrase itself is easy to understand; the life of a single mother is not. Being a single mom is hard work, just like for any parent. This single mom battles frustration, exhaustion, loneliness, financial strain, mom-guilt, etc. But, I embrace the pride that follows a successful day. I relish the hugs and random drool kisses. I wake up every day and make the choice to be strong, courageous, determined, thankful, and positive. That is a lot of choices to make when you are barely awake and your son is performing a ballet of "trust falls" and rail jumps in his crib at 6 a.m. when he should be sleeping. But, oh, that laugh of his. Music. His happy demeanor, thriving development, awesome health, and how he falls into an easy sleep are proof enough to me that I am rocking this mom thing :)

     "Double Shot". I know what you are thinking. Bring me ALL the alcohol!!! But that isn't the case or the meaning here. When I say "double shot" I mean, when I screw up I'm calling mulligan...until I get it right. And if I never get it right then it will be fine the way it is. I am not perfect. I will screw up. I get that. Besides, this mindset helps me battle the pressure of being a single mom and the scrutiny that it entails. And if that doesn't work...well, then line up the shooters and bring on the chocolate milk. Mama had a rough day :)