Hey loves!

I’m especially excited for today’s post because we are yet again teaming up with my fiends at Best Buy Canada to do an incredible giveaway – this time for new and expecting mama’s!

Let’s be real: Kids come with a TON of expenses and they need a lot of stuff. So when Best Buy approached me about doing this collaboration it was an easy and big YES!  I got to pick 4 items that Ko and I personally love and one of you gets to win ALL FOUR!

But first a little life update for you guys + random things currently happening (can you relate to any?)

• First up – some big news: We bought a house!!! (Feels good to finally say it!) Last month in fact and its been a whirlwind since then.  Lots more to share about this process but I’ll save that for another blog post.
• I’m both so excited for this next step as a family and also already crying and filled with nostalgia because we are going to be leaving our condo.  Its where I started my biz, where we started our family.  Its the end of an era!!
• We’ve moved back in with my parents to make our lives easier while we sell our condo.  I still go back to work / do shoots and then quickly clean up and boogie outta there.
• J just turned 18 months on Feb 1st and I’m over here trying to figure out how in 12 days since that milestone he’s grown up so much and turned into a toddler? Where did my baby go? He’s taller, more talkative (actually putting words together – his current favourite “Hi Mama” which melts my heart) and oh so mischievous.
• J is sooo affectionate.  He just wants to hug, kiss and cuddle everything, Especially: any dogs in sight (this child goes bananas for dogs).
• He’s starting to protest when we don’t give him what he wants or do what he wants us to do.  He does so in a very – and I mean very, dramatic slow dragged out fashion that I sometimes have to hold back a laugh.
• I’m getting better at knowing how to handle these moments at first Ko and I would just look at each other and whisper “what do we do now?” What the “right” thing to do now / to handle this moment?
• I just booked my first work trip solo. I’m excited but also so anxious and nervous that I haven’t been able to sleep a solid night since I booked it (thanks a lot brain!)
• My health was not at its best in December. I decided to visit a naturopath after being frustrated with the solutions given to me by some allergists + ENT specialists (take allergy injections / pills). My new diet is pretty strict no diary, no gluten, no sugar (working on this one still). I’ve been getting creative and trying new things outside of my comfort zone.
• Finding snacks on this new diet is hard because I’m allergic-allergic to most fruits and nuts!  Any good dairy / gluten / sugar free snacks? Oh gosh, I’m one of those people now!
• I finally finished watching The Crown on Netflix and find myself saying “goodness” 3x a day now.
• Since October I work 4 days a week.  It’s harder some weeks than others – sometimes I wish I could just stay home all day to play and cuddle J.  Other times I wish I had just one more work day so I could get things done faster.
• Some weeks I power through my to-do lists – other weeks things get mixed up and my focus isn’t at its best and things get pushed back.  Especially in the last few weeks between finding/buying a home & prepping our place for showings. I’m getting good at re-working things on the fly and giving myself a lot of grace.

Speaking of grace…

That is one thing that I can truthfully say I wish I had more of for myself when J was first born. To all you new mama’s thinking you can do it all and be it all. You can, but not all at once. Show yourself some grace – I’ve never met a woman who doesn’t hold herself to an extremely high (and often impossible) standard.  I repeat, show yourself grace and be kind.

It’s okay to slow down.

It’s okay to not complete your to-do list every day

It’s okay if you have overflowing laundry

It’s okay if you feel like your using the entire bottle of dry shampoo in one week

It’s okay to say no to social obligations that just don’t fit in at the moment (guilt free)

It’s okay if you feel like you don’t have it all together…

Want to know something? NOBODY does. You’re not alone. I see you and am right there with you in the trenches darling.

We all need a little (actually a lot) of help so I’m hoping these products will help make life a BIT more easy!

THE GIVEAWAY

WANT TO WIN ALL FOUR?

Head on over to THIS post on my Instagram to enter!

Lots of love,
Anna